South Carolina basketball: Keyshawn Bryant returning for 2021 season

South Carolina basketball gets a huge boost for the upcoming year.

South Carolina basketball had four members of its 2020 basketball roster declare for the NBA Draft, three of whom did not hire an agent. AJ Lawson, who’d been through the draft process twice before, is now off to the professional ranks. He has hired representation, and is working out for NBA teams this offseason.

Justin Minaya, a three-year starter for the Gamecocks, opted to both enter the transfer portal and declare for the draft. He’s chosen Providence as his new home, and will likely be on the court for the Friars next year.

Then, there are Jermaine Couisnard and Keyshawn Bryant. Both decided to test the NBA waters while keeping their options of returning to Columbia open. On Wednesday, the South Carolina basketball team learned that one will be back in a Gamecock uniform for another season.

Bryant has announced that he’ll be back in Columbia, a move that head coach Frank Martin predicted would happen. The move immediately improves a roster that’s in need of scorers on the wing.

The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 14.4 points per contest with the Gamecocks last season, finishing second on the team in scoring. That number jumped to 15.1 points a game in SEC play. Bryant added 4.4 rebounds and a block to go along with those scoring numbers, while shooting 48% from the field.

The most athletic player on the court for South Carolina, he’s been a highlight machine in his three seasons with the program, putting a number of opponents on posters with one-handed tomahawk jams. He should be one of the go-to guys on offense for the Gamecocks next year.

We’ll have to await the word of teammate Jermaine Couisnard, but his decision should come soon with players reporting back to campus for the Summer. Coach Martin expects his point guard to be back, too, which will solidify the South Carolina lineup heading into the 2021 season.