USC basketball’s height trending upwards

Frank Martin recalled it.

Not fondly.

“My first year against Kentucky, our starting lineup was Bruce Ellington, (Brian Richardson), Brenton Williams, Lakeem Jackson, Michael Carrera,” South Carolina’s fourth-year coach said. “Kentucky’s starting guards were 6-4 and 6-5. I sat there and thought, ‘This ain’t gonna work. We have to get bigger.’”

It wasn’t all Martin’s problem. The Gamecocks went years without an SEC-level big man, filling their posts with lanky stringbeans or ground-rooted wide-bodies. Asking who the last great big man USC had is a debate meant for a radio program or barstool.

USC has had productive tall players. Sam Muldrow set the school’s career blocks record and the 6-foot-7 Carlos Powell was so athletic that he could play big and not forsake his game.

But a Patric Young? Glen Davis? One of the 7-footers who annually pledges to Kentucky?

The Gamecocks posted a Do Not Disturb sign in the paint for those guys.

“Our defense is set up to funnel people to play too fast to the rim, so then people can block shots and take charges,” Martin said. “On offense, the way we play, we need people that are willing to go in there and battle and throw their bodies around.

“Got to have enough guys to go in there, and we have that now.”

Martin signed what he believes will be an answer to USC’s long-running problem. Freshmen Eric Cobb (6-10, 275 pounds) and Raymond Doby (6-7, 230) are ready to play this year, finally supplying depth in the post.

The two are being counted on to ease the burden on seniors Laimonas Chatkevicius and Mindaugas Kacinas, put Michael Carrera in his comfortable wing spot and at least supply some resistance to the SEC’s Goliaths.

Too many times over the past decade has a USC big gotten the ball in the lane, pivoted and was either a), swatted to the floor like a gnat brushed off a rhino hide; b) blocked into a missed shot and/or a turnover; or c) all of the above.

Physics won almost every time. A 210, 220-pound person, even at 6-11, wasn’t going to beat a 6-8, 240-pounder very often.

Martin tried to get the same players he was competing against and hardly ever succeeded. His big-man recruiting mimicked the program’s efforts for years before he arrived.

Demetrius Henry was tall, thin and was suspended for the final quarter of his sophomore year. He transferred to LaSalle. Desmond Ringer had the size but left after his freshman year for Mercer. James Thompson was a diamond in the rough, a late find on the recruiting trail last year, but never enrolled due to allegations of domestic abuse.

Martin had his team going against men who were sometimes two or three heads taller. Tall players either didn’t have the talent to compete or washed out of the program.

It’s an issue that has gone on through Keving Palacios and Mitchell Carter and Carlton Geathers. Ones who had the measurements and talent to make a difference – Mike Jones, Mike Holmes, Damontre Harris, Anthony Gill and Murphy Holloway – were out of USC before they could.

Martin came to USC, saw what he had to work with and took the same approach he did at Kansas State. He wanted to compete in the Big 12 and knew that he would have to beat heavyweights Kansas and Texas to do so; the only way to do that was sign the height to match theirs.

“They always had the size,” Martin said. “Your 6-5 guys disappear against them. It’s what I believe in. It’s how we play. I believe in posting up, I believe in scoring at the rim, I believe in creating a presence at the rim to make the defense collapse.”

Carrera (6-5) and Kacinas (6-7), better suited for the wing, were forced to play inside because USC had nobody else. While each did as well as they could – and the 6-11 Chatkevicius has improved every year of his career – they had hardly any help.

Now they do. Cobb and Doby will be able to stand their ground in the paint (and the 6-7 P.J. Dozier and 6-9 Chris Silva can cause matchup problems from the wing).

Carrera and Kacinas can play outside more, which frees each to show off their 3-point range and exploit Carrera’s greatest strengths – rebounding and stick-backs.

In Year 4, Martin’s players have experience, elite talent and the matchups to coach his style.

“I was not happy at this time last year because I felt that we as a staff didn’t go sign another big guy when I knew we needed one,” Martin said.

“Michael and Mindaugas won’t be forced to be low-post players because we’ve got four guys – Silva, Doby, Cobb and Laimonas.

“We’re going to start looking like a frontline SEC team. Hopefully, we start playing like one.”