GG thrills, Meechie deals: South Carolina handles Mars Hill in basketball exhibition
A new era of South Carolina men’s basketball started Wednesday night at Colonial Life Arena.
For the first time, new head coach Lamont Paris, freshman phenom GG Jackson and the rest of the revamped Gamecocks basketball team had the chance to face someone other than themselves in front of a home crowd in Columbia.
Wednesday’s game against visiting Mars Hill was only an exhibition, but with eight players who weren’t on last year’s roster and a new coaching staff in tow, the Gamecocks need every preseason rep they can get.
USC won their preseason tuneup 80-41 over the Lions, who were led by another first-year head coach in Larry Davis — a former Gamecocks basketball great in his own right.
“One of the last things I said before we went out on the court for the first half was, ‘You have to establish who you are, how you’re going to play, what you’re going to be about,’ ” Paris said. “I thought we did a good job overall of establishing who we’re going to be. I thought it was a first step. It’s not done after today.”
Here’s what we learned from USC’s exhibition win.
Paris brings a different energy
Anyone who has attended a men’s basketball game at CLA over the last 10 years is used to a certain sound — the ringing, bellowing yells of Frank Martin.
The former Gamecocks coach never shied away from his fiery style. He had a reputation for tough love, a reputation that rubbed some segments of the fan base the wrong way before he was fired in April.
If one thing’s clear after Wednesday’s contest, Paris is not that kind of coach.
In contrast to Martin’s high-volume approach, Paris was notably calmer. Quieter. He often gave direction to his players with a slight smile, rarely showing anger or frustration — an almost Zen-like display. Cool and collected.
Paris promised in his introductory press conference that he was more of a player’s coach, the kind who saves his yelling for practice and tries to keep his players loose during a game. Though Wednesday’s game didn’t count toward the standings, Paris set a tone for how his Gamecocks might look and feel once the season starts for real on Nov. 8 against visiting S.C. State.
“What you’ve seen out there is who he is all the time,” newcomer Meechie Johnson said. “He’s calm. He’s chill. I’ve never seen him too nervous or too anxious. He’s even-keeled.
“... He’s always encouraging me. He’s always motivating me to be better every single day. To have a coach like that, I’m sure there’s a lot of great coaches out there. But from my experience, he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for.”
First impressions for Jackson, newcomers
Much of the anticipation for USC basketball centers around Jackson — and for good reason. The former Ridge View High standout was the No. 1-ranked recruit in the 2023 class before he decommitted from North Carolina, reclassified to 2022 and committed to Paris’ Gamecocks.
The 17-year-old Jackson wasn’t the dominant force fans are likely hoping to see throughout the season, but the 6-foot-9 forward still got his feet wet with his first collegiate start, scoring 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting — including two points on a breakaway dunk in transition and 3-pointer late in the second half.
“It was just fun to get out there,” a smiling Jackson said after the game. “I was extremely nervous when the team was in the huddle, but as soon as we ran out and I got to see the crowd and I got to get a feel for the ball, it was pretty straight, and it was just a blessing to get out there finally.”
Despite Jackson’s high-profile stature, he wasn’t the brightest-shining newcomer on Wednesday. That title would belong to the Ohio State transfer guard Johnson, who opened the game with a rim-rattling dunk and paced the Gamecocks in scoring with 16 points.
Johnson started at the point for the Gamecocks, where he projects to start when the regular season opens. Chico Carter Jr., one of the team’s few returning players from Martin’s regime, started at shooting guard and made a pair of early 3-pointers, but the rest of the starting lineup was composed of new faces.
Charlotte-based freshman Daniel Hankins-Sanford drew the start at power forward, and the 6-foot-8, 233-pound forward showed a shooting touch that paired nicely with his physicality. Illinois transfer Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk was the team’s starting center and leading rebounder with nine boards, shining on the defensive end of the court especially.
Freshman Zachary Davis, of Denmark-Olar, was a key rotational player off the bench and threw down an electrifying dunk in the final minutes of the game. Returners Jacobi Wright and Josh Gray also rotated in behind the starters, with Wright seeing time at guard and the 7-foot Gray manning center.
Paris said he’s still learning about his players, and it’s possible he shuffle up the team’s personnel even more once the regular season begins. Overall, he praised his team for its passing and unselfishness, and the Gamecocks shot 47.7% from the field as a team. But Paris said his players still need to sharpen their defensive decision-making as they approach the season.
Injury news
Forward Hayden Brown, a 24-year-old transfer from The Citadel, was expected to be a key piece and a starter for the Gamecocks. But Brown didn’t participate in last week’s Garnet & Black Madness due to an undisclosed injury, and he was not in uniform Wednesday night. Brown did, however, participate in pre-game warmups that were open to the media.
Paris didn’t offer details on the nature of the injury but said he expects Brown back soon.
“Hayden will be back at some point soon,” Paris said. “My guess is that if we had to play South Carolina State in three days that he would be able to play if we really needed him to. Whether that’s best for him in the long term, we’ll figure that out by by next Tuesday. But I anticipate him being back at some point really soon.”
Big man Ja’Von Benson, a junior from Ridge View and a third-year player for USC, did not dress or participate in pregame warmups — but not due to injury. Paris said after the game that Benson’s benching was a “coach’s decision,” but he expects Benson to available moving forward.
South Carolina basketball: Next four games
- Tuesday — vs. SC State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Nov. 11 — vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 17 — vs. Colorado State, 5 p.m./at Charleston Classic (ESPNU)
- Nov. 18 — vs. TBD/at Charleston Classic
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 8:45 PM.
