With dominance in the paint, Gamecocks look like vintage Frank Martin team in opener
USC Upstate basketball coach Dave Dickerson knew exactly what he and his Spartans were up against when they stepped on the Colonial Life Arena court Tuesday night.
Dickerson and South Carolina coach Frank Martin have been friends for quite some time, and for the past three seasons Dickerson coached Martin’s son Brandon Martin at USC Upstate before Brandon transferred to his father’s team this summer.
Dickerson knew the Gamecocks were bigger and more athletic than his team, knew the style of basketball Martin’s team would try to play and still, after his Spartans lost to USC 78-60 in Tuesday’s season opener, Dickerson couldn’t help but let out an exasperated laugh as he looked over the box score.
“I mean, 17 offensive rebounds, 52 rebounds (overall). That’s Frank Martin. That’s who he is,” Dickerson said. “He wants to get you behind this arena and have a street fight. That’s what his team did tonight. We couldn’t combat that.”
Given the woes of last season, that kind of statement shouldn’t be taken for granted. As the Gamecocks weathered multiple COVID-19 shutdowns en route to a 6-15 season, Martin said often last year that the Gamecocks didn’t play his brand of basketball, that they didn’t look like a classic Frank Martin team.
Tuesday’s effort was much more like it.
With nine new players, the Gamecocks remain very much a work in progress, but they showed flashes of being the kind of team Martin has won with in the past. When his teams are operating at their peak, the ball will find its way into the paint, and Martin’s big men are expected to finish near the rim and play with physicality.
Based on the stat sheet alone, the Gamecocks checked those boxes Tuesday. USC throttled the Spartans inside, outscoring USC Upstate 42-20 in the paint, out-rebounding the Spartans 52-34 and dominating on the offensive glass 17-3. Veteran center Wildens Leveque tied guard Jermaine Couisnard for the team lead with 14 points and added eight rebounds. And gargantuan 7-foot LSU transfer Josh Gray drew the start at power forward and showed his potential with a couple of rim-shaking dunks.
The first words out of Martin’s mouth after the game: “Not bad.”
The 55-year-old head coach liked what he saw, but as eye-popping as those stats were, Martin still thinks his big men can find an extra gear.
“Offensively our bigs have to punish smaller guys by getting on the glass and posting up and scoring through contact, and I didn’t think (Gray) and Wildens were very good at that today,” Martin said. “I thought Wildens played really hard but didn’t play well.
“I thought Josh played well defensively but didn’t play really strong offensively. And that’s a challenge for Josh. No one’s ever asked him to do that before.”
As Martin and his coaching staff attacked the transfer portal this offseason, two of their key goals were adding shooters and adding size to the frontcourt. Veteran guards James Reese, Erik Stevenson and Chico Carter Jr. are expected to bolster the team’s perimeter shooting, although USC struggled in that area Tuesday, making just four of 19 3-point attempts.
The frontcourt picked up the slack, even without senior forward Keyshawn Bryant, who the team suspended for five games due to a violation of athletic department policy. Transfer forward A.J. Wilson also missed Tuesday’s game after injuring his lower back in the weight room over the weekend, but he could return as soon as Friday’s game against Princeton.
The first player off the bench for Martin on Tuesday was 6-foot-8 freshman Ta’Quan Woodley, whom Martin said came on strong in practice late in the week and has the makings of a productive offensive player. Woodley finished the game with eight points and five rebounds in 13 minutes.
“T.Q., that boy is strong,” Leveque said. “He’s kind of got a dog mindset. He’s really excited to play and is ready to play. So I was happy for him and congratulate him and can’t wait for him to grow throughout the season.”
Compared to last season, when center Alanzo Frink was ruled out for the year and Leveque was the last man standing, the Gamecocks boast much more depth with their bigs. Both Gray and Woodley figure to play key roles, and underclassmen Ja’Von Benson and Tre-Vaughn Minott both saw minutes Tuesday as well.
Unlike Dickerson, Martin wasn’t quite ready to say his team was playing Frank Martin basketball, but it’s clear the character of this year’s group meshes more with the head coach’s personality and on-court style.
“These guys want to play it,” Martin said. “These guys are excited about doing it. I’m excited about coaching. This team feeds off my passion.
“... I’m really enjoying these guys. Does that mean we’re gonna win 26 games and set a new school record for wins? I got no idea. I don’t worry about those things. But when I get out of bed and come into practice, I’m ready to go every day. They have a lot to do with that.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 7:45 AM.
