Rising in-state talent ‘pretty pumped’ to land USC offer
South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin was in Las Vegas on Friday night to watch the pro debut of his former star shooting guard Sindarius Thornwell. Before leaving the state Thursday, Martin offered a prospect who could develop along the same lines as Thornwell in 6-foot-6 shooting guard Aaron Nesmith of Porter-Gaud.
He also landed an offer from Virginia Tech on Thursday, but the one from the home-state school was really important.
“It means a lot to me because I know Coach Martin pretty well and I know his son, he played on my (AAU) team last year,” Nesmith said. “I was really happy with what Frank Martin and his staff were able to accomplish last year in making it all the way to the Final Four and I know they’ve got even better things to come. I was pretty pumped to get it.”
When Martin recruited Thornwell, he liked that he was a big guard who could shoot and defend. Martin has a thing for big guards, and Nesmith said that’s one of the reasons he made him the offer.
“He said he liked that I was a big 6-6 wing who can shoot the ball,” Nesmith said. “He said he liked my ability to play defense and my toughness as well. He’s a very nice guy. All the conversations I’ve had with him have been pretty joyful. I enjoy talking to him, every conversation I’ve had, I look forward to it. He cares about you. He’s very straight-forward and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. As a coach, if you want to get better, you have to be pushed hard and I know he does that. If I want to become the best I can be, I have to go play for a coach like him.”
Nesmith also has offers from Winthrop, College of Charleston, Wofford, Charleston Southern, Furman, Yale, Columbia, East Carolina, Charlotte and Austin Peay.
“I’m not really favoring anybody. I’m still weighing my options,” he said. “I’ll probably start cutting my list down some after July.”
Nesmith visited USC in June and said he’ll make a return trip in August. Nesmith will sign in November but he plans to commit before that.