USC coach Frank Martin provides injury update on star freshman Devin Carter
The prognosis for South Carolina freshman Devin Carter appears positive.
Gamecocks coach Frank Martin said Monday that Carter is “day-to-day” with a leg injury and should have more clarity on his status later Monday afternoon.
The Gamecocks initially feared Carter had strained his hamstring, but an MRI revealed a shorter-term muscular injury.
Carter injured his leg early in the second half of USC’s 83-66 win over Georgia on Saturday. After making a one-handed slam dunk, Carter hit the ground hard and came up clutching the back of his left thigh, going immediately to the locker room. He’d later return to the bench with a bandage around his leg.
“Devin is not a hamstring,” Martin said Monday. “It’s a different muscle, a secondary muscle, that wraps around the hamstrings down the side of the leg. So he’s day-to-day. The MRI showed negative for all his hamstrings muscles. So sometime later this afternoon I’ll have a better feel whether or not he can try and practice today.”
Carter had made the first two starts of his college career in the team’s last two games and had given the Gamecocks an offensive jolt. Surprisingly, Martin started Carter at point guard in both games over veteran Jermaine Couisnard and fellow freshman Jacobi Wright, both of whom had been the team’s only starters at the point.
Martin said he opted for Carter at point guard because of the aggressive style he plays with, saying the team needed some “personality” offensively, especially at the start of games.
The son of long-time NBA player Anthony Carter, Devin Carter has made a strong impression in his freshman season, averaging 8.8 points and 17.8 minutes per game.
The Gamecocks host Vanderbilt on Wednesday. The Gamecocks defeated the Commodores, 72-70, on Jan. 8.
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia
Watch: ESPNU
This story was originally published January 24, 2022 at 10:48 AM.
