South Carolina MBB freshman to enter transfer portal
South Carolina just lost its fourth player of the offseason to NCAA transfer portal and its third player today.
EJ Walker intends to enter transfer portal, The State confirmed. Multiple media outlets including The Field of 68 first reported the departure. The portal doesn’t officially open until April 7 and will remain open for players to enter until April 21.
Walker averaged 2.9 points, 0.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game last season. He played in 22 games, starting six. He played 17.8 minutes per game in SEC play.
Walker began the year as a redshirt before making his debut against Stetson on Dec. 6.
USC announced March 10 head coach Lamont Paris would return for a fifth season with the Gamecocks. Paris led USC to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024 but has since led the Gamecocks to two sub-.500 seasons and six SEC wins in two seasons.
Junior forward Elijah Strong was the first Gamecock to announce he won’t be back next season. Eli Ellis and Jordan Butler both announced their intentions to enter the portal on Monday. USC has five more players with remaining eligibility that have yet to announce their future plans.
South Carolina MBB 2025-26 roster, departures
Out of eligiblity
- Eli Sparkman, G
- Kobe Knox, G
- Meechie Johnson, G
- Mike Sharavjamts, G
- Myles Stute, G
- Nordin Kapic, F
Intend to transfer
- EJ Walker, F
- Eli Ellis, G
- Elijah Strong, F
- Jordan Butler, F
No decision yet
- Abu Yarmah, G
- Cam Scott, G
- Christ Essandoko, F
- Grant Polk, G
- Hayden Assemian, F
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 8:06 PM.