Frank Martin, Gamecocks get closer look at post prospect from NC
South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin put on a camp Saturday for some of the top players he and his staff are recruiting.
Two big-men who came in were 6-foot-11 Christ Essandoko and 6-foot-10 Brandon White, both from Winston-Salem Christian in North Carolina. White reclassified from the 2022 class to 2023 and was offered by Gamecock assistant coach Will Bailey earlier in the summer. Bailey also has been recruiting Essandoko, who is a native of France, and waited for him to visit Saturday before extending an offer.
“He was really excited about that. He’s been waiting on that one for a while,” Winston-Salem coach Jake Honeycutt said. “Coach Bailey has been talking to him for a while and trying to get him down to campus. He was real excited to get down there and meet the staff and see the great facilities. He liked how the SEC is a big-time conference. He loved the facilities. And he loved how it’s not too far away from Winston.”
Martin loves to have quality post-players through which to run his offense. Honeycutt said Essandoko fits the bill for the type of center Martin has had on his team over the years.
“I just think he likes his skill set,” Honeycutt said. “He’s one of the few bigs in high school that actually has moves around the basket. He’s 6-11 and we weighed him while we were on the campus and he was 275 (pounds). You really can’t teach that.”
Essandoko — a 2022 prospect — has taken official visits to Providence and Maryland, and he will take one to nearby Wake Forest. Illinois also is a possibility. And a return trip to USC also is something that could happen, according to Honeycutt, because they didn’t have the chance to see a lot of things Saturday outside of the camp.
“We weren’t able to see the classroom buildings and the campus, or the athletic facilities,” Honeycutt said. “We’ll maybe get down there for a football game. It’s something he’s really looking forward to. He’s excited for coaches to be able to come back and watch him work out during the high school season starting September 9. Some of his visits will be predicated on what schools come and watch him work out.”
Essandoko has also visited N.C. State and Wake Forest unofficially. Along with USC, he has offers from Maryland, Providence, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Pitt, West Virginia, Ohio State, Illinois, Texas A&M, DePaul and Wake Forest.
Recruiting news and notes
▪ South Carolina tight end target Oscar Delp of Cumming, Georgia said Sunday night that he has pinned down the date for a game visit for USC and is still working on dates to see games at his three other finalists, Clemson, Georgia and Michigan.
Delp plans to be in Columbia for the USC-Kentucky game on Sept. 25. As things stand now, that means the Gamecocks would get the last visit as Delp is looking at Sept. 30 for his commitment announcement.
Delp does have plans to be in Charlotte Sept. 4 for the Clemson-Georgia game. That means he will see Clemson and Georgia play at least twice in September before making his decision. Delp said he has been talking to the head coaches and the tight end coaches from each of his four finalists.
▪ Linebacker Deuce Spurlock (6-2, 200) of Madison, Alabama said Sunday night that he’s planning to take an unofficial visit to USC Sept. 4 for the season opening game against Eastern Illinois. It will be his first visit to the campus.
Spurlock said he has been in regular contact with Gamecock defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clayton White. He said Michigan and Pitt are two others working him pretty hard at this point, and Mississippi State and Syracuse also remain in touch with him. He’d also like to get to games at those four schools before making his decision.
Spurlock thought he was ready to make a decision earlier this month, but he canceled his announcement plans. He has not decided on another commitment date at this point.
▪ Class of 2023 basketball prospect Quentin Houston (6-1) of Legion Collegiate was at USC Saturday for the Gamecocks’ Elite Camp.
▪ Class of 2023 basketball prospect Marquavious Brown (6-4) of Covington, Georgia also visited USC Saturday for the camp.