According to South Carolina basketball Head Coach Lamont Paris, the Gamecocks will be hitting the transfer portal hard this offseason. That’s a good thing as the garnet and black have lost four scholarship forwards (probably five with GG Jackson’s NBA decision pending) from last year’s roster and their most efficient 3-point shooter. There is also an unused scholarship from last season and one being used on a player coming back from an Achilles tear. Simply put, the Gamecocks must hit the portal to replenish the roster or next season will be an ugly one.
The good news for South Carolina fans is that Coach Paris and his staff have been in contact with numerous transfer portal prospects. Earlier this week, the Gamecocks were named finalists for the services of Wofford transfer BJ Mack. Another in-state transfer, The Citadel’s Stephen Clark, seems like a good fit as well.
Clark, a Charlotte native, has played at The Citadel for four seasons and has one more year remaining of eligibility. Last season in Charleston, he averaged over 16 points per game and 6.5 rebounds. He is not much of a shooter from outside, but Clark can handle the basketball better than most post players and is a willing passer who is capable of setting his teammates up for scores. He has averaged over 3 assists over his last two seasons.
A thin player for a big, Clark makes up for his lack of thickness with length. Those long arms have seen Clark average over a block a game for his career, including two blocks per game averaged over his last three seasons. His effort on both offense and defense led him to receive second-team All-Southern Conference honors this season.
As of now, Clark has not given any direct indications about his future plans. However, with the Gamecocks being one of Clark’s biggest offers, Carolina fans are feeling optimistic about their team’s chances of pulling in the transfer
Perhaps most importantly, Clark has not stated if he would follow in the footsteps of his former Citadel teammate (and 2022-2023 Gamecock) Hayden Brown and take full advantage of no longer having restrictions placed on his hair and facial hair.
