Bruce Ellington Back to Basketball For The South Carolina Gamecocks

January 25, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Bruce Ellington (23) celebrates making the game winning basket against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second half at Colonial-Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-US PRESSWIRE

Frank Martin told reporters at his press conference today that Bruce Ellington is back with the basketball team and will play with them until football practice for the bowl game starts.

He’s already been upgraded to probable for the team’s game at St. Johns tomorrow, but it’s unlikely he’d get the start.

On Sunday, though, Carolina hosts Clemson, and you can bet Ellington will be the team’s floor general by then.

Last year Ellington played the second most minutes per game on the team, was second in scoring, first in assists and honestly one of the only guys on the team who could create his own shot.

Martin has had trouble finding consistency at the point guard spot this year; Eric Smith, who’s started most of Carolina’s games at the point, is scoring 7.7 points per game and dishing just over three assists per game, but he’s also averaging just over three turnovers per game, too.

Brenton Williams has filled in some, but he’s more of a two-guard, and although LaShay Page can bring the ball up the court, he’s a scorer and hasn’t been great creating for his teammates.

The best thing about coming back to the team for Ellington this year is the fact that he doesn’t have to try to be the best player on the roster for the Gamecocks to succeed. Sure, he might be one of the best, but last year it was apparent he was trying to be that guy and it didn’t help him any.

Another player South Carolina will get back… or, uh get for the first time this year against St. Johns is center Laimonas Chatkevicius, who’d been suspended for the first six games of the year for receiving impermissible benefits from his host family in the USA.