According to reports from GamecockCentral’s Collyn Taylor, the South Carolina basketball program just added their first commitments for the 2024 recruiting class, and Lamont Paris and his staff had to look far and wide to find them. Morris Ugusuk and Okku Federiko both committed to the Gamecocks on Thursday.
Both Ugusuk and Federiko are high-upside players from Finland. Ugusuk is a 6’4″ combo guard, and Federiko is a 6’9″ forward who can play 3-5. The Finnish duo play for the Omnia Basketball Academy.
In Ugusuk, the Gamecocks will get a versatile guard who can play on-ball or off-ball and offers decent outside shooting and an ability to finish with both hands around the basket. His defense has been his calling card as he uses his long wingspan to intercept passes and disrupt ball handlers. Ugusuk’s size and defensive ability make him a likely early contributor as he can play 1-3 in the right matchups. He is ranked as a top-20 combo guard for the 2024 class according to On3.
Federiko brings an even higher upside than his Finnish teammate. His 6’9″ height is accentuated by his 7’4″ wingspan that he uses to snatch rebounds and alter shots. He is versatile, athletic, and long enough to play small forward, power forward, or center. As an offensive player, he is not an elite ball handler for his position, but he’s good enough, and he is incredibly slippery on his way to the hoop. A natural scorer, Federiko also has a smooth jump shot. He is a top-150 player in the 2024 class according to On3.
https://twitter.com/CBB_Europe/status/1651594578024071168?s=20
The 2024 class will likely include several more players as the 2023 version of the Gamecocks are set to lose at least four players in graduate students Ebrima Dibba, Stephen Clark, Ta’Lon Cooper, and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (and Josh Gray, Myles Stute, and Meechie Johnson will have decisions to make as they finish their fourth years in college this upcoming season). The Gamecocks also have two more scholarships that could be used to add graduate transfers.
The 2023 recruiting class is probably complete for the Gamecocks as most prep players have already made their decisions and signed with their college teams. However, the Gamecocks have two available scholarships and could use them to add transfer portal talent. Carolina is heavily involved with Wofford transfer big man BJ Mack who is set to commit by May 4th.