South Carolina Basketball: What to expect from the newcomers in the 2023-2024 season
By Kevin Miller
The South Carolina basketball team will look vastly different in the 2023-2024 season than it did last season.
Carolina only lost one player to graduation (Hayden Brown), but six more roster spots were vacated by GG Jackson (2023 NBA Draft), Chico Carter (transfer portal; DePaul), Tre-Vaughn Minott (transfer portal; Portland State), Daniel Hankins-Sanford (transfer portal; UMass), Javon Benson (transfer portal; unsigned), and walk-on Ford Cooper (transfer portal; Hampton).
To replenish the roster, head coach Lamont Paris supplemented his three-player high school signing class (4-star forward Collin Murray-Boyles, 3-star wing Arden Conyers, and 3-star combo guard Morris Ugusuk) with four transfer portal seniors.
Point guard Ta’lon Cooper (Minnesota), forward Stephen Clark (The Citadel), and big man BJ Mack (Wofford) are all entering their final year of eligibility, and elite-shooting combo forward Myles Stute (Vanderbilt) could play up to two more seasons of college ball.
The Gamecocks also added a unique walk-on in the class in combo guard Austin Herro. Herro is the younger brother of NBA star Tyler Herro and will fill the vacated walk-on spot left by Ford Cooper’s transfer.
The now-recovered-from-injury Ebrima Dibba transferred in last season but did not play after tearing his Achilles, so, if one were to count the former Coastal Carolina Chanticleer, the Gamecocks will have nine new faces on the floor next season.
The Gamecocks will be replacing three primary starters in Jackson, Brown, and Carter as those three outgoing players typically started from the 2-4 spots on the floor.
Next season could see coach Paris and his staff utilize a bigger lineup as 7-footer Josh Gray returns after a strong finish to last season, and five of the newcomers (six if you count Ebrima Dibba) can play forward.
But what should South Carolina basketball fans expect from these newcomers?