Freshman forward leaving South Carolina men’s basketball program

South Carolina freshman forward Daniel Hankins-Sanford has entered the transfer portal, the school confirmed on Thursday.

A Charlotte native, Hankins-Sanford initially signed with Frank Martin’s staff but decided to stick with the Gamecocks in 2022-23 after USC hired first-year coach Lamont Paris.

Hankins-Sanford is the fourth South Carolina player to enter the portal this week. Others were walk-on Ford Cooper, Ja’Von Benson and Tre-Vaughn Minott, leaving the Gamecocks with three open scholarships. Hankins-Sanford is the lone freshman in the group of transfers.

This was the first week the NCAA transfer portal officially opened again. It’s open for 60 days.

A former standout at Chambers High, Hankins-Sanford played sparingly for the Gamecocks in his first college season. He appeared in 22 of USC’s 32 games — all off the bench — and averaged eight minutes per contest.

The 6-foot-8, 233-pound forward averaged just 2.3 points per game and shot 34% from the field and still has a lot of rawness in his offensive game. Hankins-Sanford did, however, show a tenacity on the glass, particularly on the offensive boards.

As of now, the Gamecocks have four scholarships to fill with veteran Hayden Brown exhausting his eligibility and with Hankins-Sanford, Benson and Minott entering the portal. The Gamecocks have two local recruits signed for next season in forward Collin Murray-Boyles (formerly of A.C. Flora High) and Arden Conyers (Westwood). Both rank as three-star prospects in 247Sports Composite rankings.

This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 1:14 PM.