South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-12 shooting guards in Gamecock history

South Carolina Basketball’s Greatest Shooting Guard of All-Time:
Sindarius Thornwell

As “do-it-all” as any player in school history, Sindarius Thornwell (2013-2017) was the best overall shooting guard to ever lace up sneakers for South Carolina basketball. The first premier recruit to commit to Frank Martin’s staff at Carolina, the Lancaster native stayed home and was a starter from day 1 in Columbia as his versatility was perfect for Martin’s 3-guard system.

A tremendous All-SEC All-Freshman campaign saw Thornwell average almost 14 points per game while bringing down 4 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. Unfortunately, a knee injury hampered Thornwell and held down his production as a sophomore. The tough, 6’5″ guard played through the injury and didn’t get healthy until the offseason. He bounced back in the 2015-2016 season, leading the Gamecocks to a 25-9 record and making the All-SEC and All-SEC All-Defense teams.

Thornwell’s senior year, though, was the stuff of legends. Scoring 21.5 points per game and securing over 7 rebounds per contest, Thornwell also shot 40% from 3-point land and made the second-most free throws in school history with 215. A tough player, Thornwell was often asked to slide down to the small forward or even power forward spot that season when starters Chris Silva and Maik Kotsar got into foul trouble. Unsurprisingly, he held his own.

Another All-Defense campaign went nicely with his 2016-2017 SEC Player of the Year award. A Final Four run capped off Thornwell’s legendary Gamecock tenure, after which he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. He had a five-year NBA career.