Gamecock MBB’s roster lacks continuity. But they say they’re as united as ever
In an era of college basketball where roster turnover is at a high, South Carolina has embraced the change.
The Gamecocks brought in five freshmen and six transfers, totaling 11 newcomers. That figure is tied for third in the SEC. With all the change, and just a few short months for the team to play alongside each other before USC held its first official fall practices these past two weeks, the way the Gamecocks describe their identity may come as a surprise:
“United,” said Christ Essandoko, who joined USC’s class of newcomers from Providence. “I feel like people are really gonna feel … the good bond [the staff] created, and I’ve jumped into that and really bought into that.”
Bringing together a group of newcomers who played at different levels, from public school to prep circuits, and mid-major teams to power conference programs, is far from straightforward. Coach Lamont Paris said there’s a focus on managing the expectations of every player.
“If you have 15 people that expect to play 20 minutes, your locker room’s not where it needs to be, most likely,” Paris said.
But USC’s staff got started early on making sure its brand-new roster bonded quickly. Paris said that the summer sessions were crucial for bringing the team together as players and people. Assistant coaches Tanner Bronson and David McKinley both credited Paris’ system — which focuses less on set plays and more on players making decisions based on feel — fostered that closeness.
The process made an impression on the players. Freshman guard Eli Ellis said he feels the team is already close and players get along on and off the court.
“You’d have thought this team’s been playing together for a few years,” Ellis said. “It’s like a real team. It’s a lot of fun to be around, especially because you’re gonna be around them the whole year, and possibly two, three years.”
With the roster turnover comes higher expectations for those who do have continuity. Redshirt senior Myles Stute, who’s spent three years with the team, is the longest-tenured Gamecock as he returns from a blood clot that held him out for most of the 2024-25 season. The team also returns Meechie Johnson. The Ohio State transfer played at USC for two seasons and is back for his final year.
But the pair of USC sophomores, Jordan Butler and Cam Scott, feel they’re also partly responsible for bringing the new faces along quickly.
“We’ve got a lot of newer guys,” Butler said. “It’s easier for me to give a guy a couple tips here and there about the system, because we have a lot of distinctive roles. I’d like to say I know them pretty well.”
South Carolina’s staff feels all the roster movement has brought an advantage. With so many players bringing different skill sets and ranges of experience, the staff believes the team is deeper and more versatile than a year prior.
“It makes it hard on the defense because you don’t know who’s gonna attack,” McKinley said. “That’s how want to play. … We have so many guys that can do it, and they’ve all been put in positions to show what they can do.”
At the end of the day, only five players are on the floor at a time. USC plays a lighter non-conference schedule, which provides opportunities to see each player’s capabilities and truly assess the depth of the roster. But there will come a time when a big moment demands the five best players on the floor.
Bronson said evaluating who that group will be is on the docket for the remainder of preseason practice. It should give the Gamecocks’ best five time to jell before the moment arrives.
“It’s tough. You’re kind of trying to feel out, can we get a core group, however many that is, and then who plays well with them?” Bronson said. “It’s a little bit of mix and match and trying to figure that out. … You do have to start getting a group together that you feel comfortable about and then give it some time to let that play out. We’ll start doing some of that in the next week or two leading into the scrimmages that we have.”
South Carolina men’s basketball non-conference schedule
- Oct. 26 Exhibition vs. NC State (Greensboro, North Carolina)
- Nov. 4 vs. North Carolina A&T
- Nov. 9 vs. Southern Miss
- Nov. 12 vs. Presbyterian College
- Nov. 18 vs. Radford
- Nov. 21 vs. Butler (Greenbrier Tip-off Classic - White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia)
- Nov. 23 vs. Northwestern (Greenbrier Tip-off Classic) Nov. 28 vs. Charleston Southern
- Dec. 2 vs. Virginia Tech (ACC-SEC Challenge)
- Dec. 6 vs. Stetson
- Dec. 13 vs. The Citadel
- Dec. 16 at Clemson
- Dec. 22 vs. South Carolina State
- Dec. 30 vs. Albany
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
