What we learned from South Carolina’s win over SC State in basketball season opener
GG Jackson stood at the center of the Colonial Life Arena, waiting for the referee to toss the basketball in the air. Fittingly, he started South Carolina’s 2022-23 season as the center of attention.
A new era began for the Gamecock men’s basketball team Tuesday night, with Jackson — the highest-rated recruit in program history — making his much-anticipated debut. And after 10 years of Frank Martin coaching the team, a brand new face in Lamont Paris patrolled the sidelines.
Tuesday’s 80-77 win over visiting S.C. State was a messy sight at times, with the Bulldogs playing the Gamecocks surprisingly tight. Coming into the game, the Bulldogs ranked 350th among 363 Division I teams on KenPom.com, and USC was projected with a 99% chance to win.
The Gamecocks managed to pull out a close season-opening victory.
“A lot, a lot, a lot of teaching moments out there,” Paris said after the win. “So we’ll get back into the lab, and we got to learn quickly. Because there were a lot of chances to make some some winning plays.”
Newcomers lead the way
The Jackson kid is all right.
All of 17 years old, the 6-foot-9 forward from Ridge View High seemed to be pressing early in the game, forcing a few shots with defenders in his face. But he started to find more of a groove in the second half, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting and leading the team with 10 rebounds and securing a double-double. With USC’s lead slim in the game’s final two minutes, Jackson made perhaps the biggest play of the game, making a put-back dunk, drawing a foul and making the and-1 to give the Gamecocks a six-point lead.
Jackson admitted to some nerves before the game, but he said he grew more comfortable as the game went on.
“I feel like I played to the best of my ability,” Jackson said. “During the national anthem, the whole time I had my head down and I was praying. I was asking God, ‘Please.’ And right in the middle of the prayer I was like, ‘It may seem like I’m only praying because I need something, but I need you right now.’ ”
The team’s starting lineup featured two more newcomers in the form of The Citadel transfer forward Hayden Brown and Ohio State transfer guard Meechie Johnson. Both players made their imprint on the Gamecocks from the get-go, with Brown showcasing his diverse skill set of rebounding, post moves and dunking, and he consistently got to the free-throw line with his physicality in the paint. Brown led the Gamecocks with 21 points. Brown was also one of the loudest players and most vocal leaders on the court and in the huddle.
“Mistakes were made,” Brown said. “I think credit South Carolina State for shaking it up, playing zone, playing man. Just going back and forth, whatever they felt like was effective. And it kind of shook us up a little bit. So we had to just adjust and overcome.
“There’s mistakes made. But that’s the beauty of having cameras. We can now go back and watch it and be like, ‘OK, this is situationally, this is what we did wrong. So how can we fix this?’ ”
Johnson, meanwhile, displayed his deep shooting touch by sinking a pair of 3-pointers and providing a burst of energy from the point guard position. However, he wasn’t able stay on the court due to injury.
Gamecocks already banged up
Johnson dealt with a couple of injuries during the course of Tuesday’s matchup. In the first half, he rolled his right ankle trying to score on a fast break, and he limped straight into the locker room. He’d eventually come back into the game and finish off the first half.
Early in the second half, Johnson went down again, with another injury to that same right leg. An athletic trainer worked with him on the sideline to try to stretch him out, and he was able to check back in midway through the period. Paris credited Johnson for his toughness and also his honesty, saying at one point he asked to be subbed out because he wasn’t sure he could move the way he needed to. Paris expressed optimism the injury won’t be a long-term one.
In good news for the Gamecocks, Brown was able to play after dealing with a minor injury that held him out of Garnet & Black Madness fan event and the team’s exhibition against Mars Hill. But in bad news for the Gamecocks, projected starting forward Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk did not dress and was wearing a large boot on his right leg. Paris said the Illinois transfer has made progress, and it’s possible he’s available in “some capacity” on Friday against visiting Clemson.
Local products draw starts
There was a mass exodus from USC’s roster after Martin’s firing. But two of the players who stayed were reward with starts and significant minutes on Tuesday.
Cardinal Newman product Chico Carter Jr. and Legacy Early College’s Jacobi Wright started alongside Johnson in the backcourt. Paris had raved about Carter’s shooting touch during the preseason, although he wasn’t able to connect beyond the arc Tuesday.
Wright, the lone remaining member of last year’s freshman class, played some of his best basketball for the Gamecocks, making three 3-pointers and setting a new career high with 14 points.
Next four USC men’s basketball games
- Friday: vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 17: vs. Colorado State/at Charleston Classic, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
- Nov. 18: vs. TBD/at Charleston Classic)
- Nov. 20: vs. TBD/at Charleston Classic)
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 9:15 PM.
