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LOCATION: Columbia, SC
CONFERENCE: Southeastern (Eastern Division)
LAST SEASON: 8-21 (.275)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 3-13 (6th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Gamecocks
COLORS: Garnet & Black
HOMECOURT: Carolina Coliseum (12,401)
COACH: Eddie Fogler (North Carolina '70)
record at school 93-85 (6 years)
career record 235-165 (13 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Rick Callahan (Salem '80)
John Cooper (Wichita State '91)
Barclay Radebaugh (East Tennessee State '87)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 10-19-24-23-8
RPI (last 5 years) 48-49-25-12-147
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
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No, a typographical error didn't make its way into the data listed above this story. No digit was omitted. Those numbers under "Team Wins (last five years)" are accurate. South Carolina really did slip from 23 wins in 1997-98 to eight a year ago. That SEC record you see above is right, too. Those meager three victories earned the Gamecocks, SEC regular-season champions with a 15-1 record just two seasons before, last place in the Eastern Division. How could things have gone so wrong for a program that had been heading in such a positive direction? Despite some stunning first-round upsets in the previous two NCAA Tournaments, South Carolina had begun to establish itself as an elite Division I team. Unfortunately for coach Eddie Fogler, there wasn't a single, easy explanation for the Gamecocks' woes. "We did not have a very good year," Fogler said in his typical matter-of-fact tone. "We had some limitations. We had injuries and off-the-court distractions. Once things started to go, we couldn't turn it." The loss of point guard Melvin Watson and center Ryan Stack, two stalwarts from Fogler's earliest rebuilding efforts, were huge blows to the program. But worse was the fact that no one stepped forward to claim a leadership role save senior guard B.J. McKie (17.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 115 assists, 47 steals). As good as he was for four years in Columbia, even McKie couldn't do it alone.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES B
Was last season's 8-21 record a horrifying aberration or a sign that coach Eddie Fogler has lost control of the program? Fogler's record would suggest the former is true, but it might take a season or two before the Gamecocks return to their form of 1996-97, when they won the overall SEC regular-season championship. Leading the way in South Carolina's comeback will be a young nucleus of seven freshmen and three sophomores. Fogler is uncomfortable with that situation, but he has no choice but to play the youngsters and bear with them through the inevitable mistakes they will make. In South Carolina's favor is the fact that Fogler signed several newcomers who have a great understanding for the finer points of the game. Forwards Chuck Eidson, a Parade All-American, and Travis Kraft are the sons of coaches and heady players. Calvin Clemmons' high GPA would suggest he has the brains to quickly learn Fogler's system. Four players who have just one year in the program will also play huge roles. Sophomore guards Aaron Lucas and Jamel Bradley might one day form South Carolina's starting backcourt. And redshirt freshman Tony Kitchings and sophomore Damien Kinloch have to mature quickly and improve South Carolina's weak low-post game. Fogler hopes his three upperclassmen, senior Herbert Lee Davis and juniors Antonio Grant and David Ross, can provide enough leadership to get the youngsters pointed in the right direction. South Carolina's rise back up the SEC East standings begins this year, but don't look for anything drastic. Fifth place seems about right. |
Other than forward William Gallman (7.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the rest of South Carolina's senior class was a major disappointment. LeRon Williams, the transfer from Florida who had played decently in his debut season the year before, became a discipline problem who couldn't abide by Fogler's rules. Six games into the SEC season, Fogler cut Williams loose. Bud Johnson, a top 25 prospect as a high-school senior, never did match that potential. He played 28 minutes per game last year, but could only manage 5.2 points and .409 percent shooting, horrible for a 6-10 player who should be taking mostly high-percentage shots. Another senior, junior-college transfer Recus Nix, was equally inept offensively. He was academically ineligle for the first semester and never got into the swing of things, shooting .308 percent from the field and .188 percent from three-point range. With only McKie providing any sort of leadership and consistency, the Gamecocks already short of firepower struggled mightily. They opened their season with a pair of losses to Valparaiso and Indiana in the NABC Classic on Nov. 7-8. Next came three victories over patsies and one impressive win over the College of Charleston. But the Gamecocks wouldn't enjoy victory for a while after that. A four-game losing streak underscored by a disappointing, homecourt loss to East Carolina started the downhill slide. After a win over South Carolina State, South Carolina lost seven more in a row. A two-game SEC win streak stopped the bleeding for a time, but the Gamecocks closed out their season with losses in eight of their last nine games. How bad was South Carolina? Consider that the Gamecocks were last in the SEC in six important team statistics: Scoring (60.2), scoring margin (-7.6), field-goal percentage (.398), three-point field-goal defense (.365), rebounding (34.8) and assists (11.48). They were next-to-last in assists to turnover ratio (.071) and field-goal percentage (.441). Again, those numbers suggest that there was no easily repaired problem that led to the Gamecocks' dismal performance. They were weak in every area. Fogler and his assistants worked overtime trying to shore up the team's weaknesses. The good news is they brought in six newcomers. The bad news is those newcomers are all inexperienced freshmen. "We think we've brought in some good young talent," Fogler said. "But we're going to be one of the most inexperienced teams in the league and maybe the country. You can't teach experience. We're going to have to get our butt kicked a few times." Fogler's newcomers should learn from those butt kickings. Whereas previous South Carolina teams had become overly reliant on athletes, this one will feature a lot more players with plain old basketball savvy. The two brightest newcomers are a pair of bookend freshman forwards, both 6-7 and 190 pounds. Chuck Eidson of Pinewood Prep in Summerville, S.C. didn't have to go through a drawn-out process to pick a college. He committed to the Gamecocks the summer before his senior year. Eidson was a third-team Parade All-American after averaging 30.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.8 steals. He was chosen South Carolina's Player of the Year by USA Today. Travis Kraft finished his career as the all-time leading scorer at May-Port High School in Mayville, N.D. He averaged 28.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.4 steals as senior. Eidson and Kraft have more in common than their size and senior stats. Both were coached by their fathers. "They both really know how to play," Fogler said. "They're coach's sons and smart players. In the past, we've been more athletic than we've had players. Now we've got some people coming in here who understand the game." There is plenty of playing time for Eidson and Kraft to claim. It's conceivable that both could play at the same time, one at shooting guard and the other at small forward. Another freshman who could step right in and help is 6-7 Calvin Clemmons, who averaged 12.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots at Olympic High School in Charlotte, N.C. Clemmons reminds South Carolina coaches of a more polished William Gallman, and like Eidson and Kraft, he's smart. Clemmons had a 3.95 grade point average at Olympic. Fogler could do worse than turn those three freshmen loose with sophomore guards Aaron Lucas and Jamel Bradley, who as freshmen showed promise and a willingness to improve. Both are certified gym rats Fogler has to practically force them to go home after practice. Lucas (5.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 69 assists, 25 steals), 5-11, has the more experience of the two. He started 18 games and played 24 minutes per game at the point last season. Lucas has amazing quickness, but that didn't prevent him from struggling at times, as his shooting percentages (.279 percent from the field, .230 percent from three-point range, .530 percent from the free-throw line) and turnovers (73) would suggest. "We think Lucas is better than what he played as a freshman," Fogler said. "He struggled as the team struggled. Being a freshman, he lost his confidence. But he's a quality player." The six-foot-two Bradley (2.4 ppg, 0.4 rpg) got in just 23 games, averaging six minutes on the floor. But he shot a respectable .333 percent from three-point range and showed signs of being a game-breaking shooter. "Jamel is the best shooter on our team," Fogler said. "But he's weak physically. He's got to get stronger." Fogler would love it if his only senior, 6-5 Herbert Lee Davis (6.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg) could step into a leadership role at small forward or big guard. Davis shot .398 percent from behind the arc as a junior. Fogler needs to get Davis a few more shots he cranked up just 158 last year, fourth on the team, and just 84 three-pointers. "Herbert Lee will factor in there," Fogler said. "You'd like to think your seniors could become leaders. He definitely needs to step up." It isn't a stretch to suggest that 6-10, 260-pound redshirt freshman Tony Kitchings could be a major key to South Carolina's season. Injured a year ago, Kitchings saw action in just five games. He used the time away from the court to shed nearly 30 pounds. Kitchings, who gained useful experience playing with a group of SEC All-Stars that took on the Japanese national team in a five-game series in August, has talent. He's an excellent free-throw shooter and passer, skills that aren't all that common in big men. Kitchings was ranked among most recruiting analyst's top 50 high school players two years ago, so his potential is no secret. "He does have potential," Fogler said. "He's definitely got size. We think he has a chance to be a quality big man in this league, yet as a redshirt freshman, he has a long way to go." Another important frontcourt player is 6-5 redshirt junior Antonio Grant (5.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg), who proved to be more of a blender than a breakout player last season. Given a chance to become a star, Grant couldn't step forward. But he is a good defender and willing rebounder. He's been known to knock down a big three-pointer every now and again. Fogler has high hopes for 6-7 sophomore Damien Kinloch (2.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg), who played in 28 games last season and averaged nearly 13 minutes on the floor. He's an instinctive rebounder who can run all night. He's a bit raw offensively, though, and can use work on his low-post scoring skills. David Ross (2.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg), a 6-5 junior, probably won't play more than the 7.5 minutes per game he averaged a year ago. He's a good shooter (12 of 30 from three-point range) who could be valuable in spot duty. Three other freshman will compete for playing time in the frontcourt. Ivan Howell is a 6-7 forward and hometown product who led Lower Richland High School to the 1999 AAAA championship while averaging 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.9 assists. Marijonas Petravicius, a 6-10, 235-pound native of Lithuania, played last season at New Hampton (N.H.) Prep, where he averaged 10 points and 11 boards. Petravicius shot 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line, so he has touch to go along with his size. Another big man born ouside the U.S. is 6-11 Trevor Harvey, a native of the Bahamas who averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for Grand Bahama Catholic. Harvey has just three years of organized basketball behind him, so his upside is vast.
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