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South Carolina basketball: why the Gamecocks will be better next season

By Jacob Elsey

COLUMBIA, SC - JANUARY 09: General view of the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Colonial Life Arena on January 9, 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC - JANUARY 09: General view of the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Colonial Life Arena on January 9, 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Mar 21, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; North Texas Mean Green guard James Reese (0) shoots against Villanova Wildcats guard Justin Moore (5) in the second half in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

TRANSFER ADDITIONS

The Gamecocks definitely lost some talent, most notably, AJ Lawson, Trae Hannibal, and Jalyn McCreary, but there’s help on the way. South Carolina has signed four transfers of their own, landing three guards and a post player to fill the voids.

James Reese comes from North Texas, where he helped lead the Mean Green to a first round upset of Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. Reese notched double digits versus both the Boilermakers and Villanova last March, and finished second on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game for the season.

Chico Carter from Murray State is another guard with scoring abilities, after averaging 12.7 points per contest in 2020. That includes and eight-game stint to end the regular season that saw him tally four 20-point performances. Carter shot 51% from the field, and 44% from three-point land on the year, and should provide a scoring spark that will be missing with the loss of Lawson.

Erik Stevenson is a high-energy player that’s played at both Washington and Wichita State. He is known for his defensive prowess, but also scored 11.1 points per game with the Shockers as a sophomore. In his lone season with the Huskies last year, Stevenson excelled in conference play, scoring double figures in 12 of his final 17 games, all against PAC 12 opponents.

Finally, AJ Wilson provides a rim protector down low after leaving George Mason as the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots. The 6-foot-7 forward led the Atlantic 10 in blocks as a junior, while also notching 12.2 points per game on his way to earning the conference’s Most Improved Player honors. He finished third in the league in blocked shots last season to earn First-team All-Defense recognition.

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