A ‘junkyard dog’ and a ‘special talent.’ Frank Martin breaks down 2022 signees
From the moment the South Carolina basketball team signed Devin Carter, head coach Frank Martin has talked up the freshman’s ability.
Over the weekend, Carter turned in his best game as a Gamecock, scoring 16 points against Western Kentucky while playing a physical style of basketball that included multiple trips to the free-throw line and a couple of dunks.
After Sunday’s game, Martin pointed to Carter as another in a line of unheralded prospects who ended up producing at South Carolina.
A day later, Martin said the Gamecocks’ two newest signees, 2022 guards Zach Davis and Daniel Hankins-Sanford, could make just as much of an impact when they get to campus.
“When we signed Devin Carter the year before, he wasn’t one of those sexy kind of internet heroes that everyone raves about, so we got no credit for signing him,” Martin said. “He’s really good. Just like Chris Silva, A.J. Lawson, Maik Kotsar, guys that weren’t sexy social media guys, so no one ever gave them credit for being good players.
“We’ve done our share of signing really good players here. These two guys are no different.”
Both ranked as three-star prospects by 247Sports, Davis and Hankins-Sanford were recruited with the idea that USC will likely lose guards James Reese, Jermaine Couisnard and Erik Stevenson after the season, Martin said. Though 6-foot-8, Davis is a pass-first guard with point guard smarts, while Hankins-Sanford is more of a downhill bruiser. Both players are young for the class and will turn 18 after they arrive on campus.
Davis is an in-state signee from Denmark-Olar, while Hankins-Sanford is Martin’s first Charlotte signee, out of Julius Chambers.
After inking both players during last week’s early signing period, Martin offered scouting reports during his Monday news conference.
Zach Davis (Denmark-Olar)
Martin’s scouting report: “Zach is a special talent. I mean, he is every bit of 6-foot-8 and has a passing eye that’s special, like he passes that ball unbelievable. He’s a good shooter that will work at shooting the ball. He plays for his dad, who is the hardest, like his dad coaches him hard, not on game days, every day. And I think defensively and offensively, Zach has a chance to be a star because he’s got a beautiful smile, a great personality, a great family, and he knows how to play. And there’s not too many 6-foot-8 guys that play with the skill level that he plays with.”
Daniel Hankins-Sanford (Julius Chambers)
Martin’s scouting report: “Daniel, he’s 6-6, 230 pounds, and he is a junkyard dog. And I like those guys. ... Every time I’m sitting there watching Daniel play, my eyes go straight to him. And he’ll be playing against another guy that’s a highly touted guy, and I’m sitting there watching him like, ‘That guy’s really good. He’s right there with him.’ And then I’ll go watch the other guys that we might be recruiting and they’re just jogging around, getting nothing done. I’m not gonna enjoy coaching that guy. I like that guy (Hankins-Sanford).”
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 4:54 PM.
