South Carolina Basketball’s 2023-2024 Freshman Class
Collin Murray-Boyles: Murray-Boyles was a fast riser in the recruiting rankings leading up to his enrollment at South Carolina. After leaving AC Flora High School in Columbia, he played at Wasatch Academy in Utah. Thanks in part to the better exposure he got playing on the national circuit, he ended up as a 4-star, top-100 national player as he trimmed up his body and developed his skills.
CMB is a good athlete who is strong enough and aggressive enough to be a good finisher at the next level. He is a lefty, too, so his shots near the basket will seem unorthodox to many post defenders. He is a willing passer and will shoot occasionally from behind the arc.
Murray-Boyles is a vacuum down low. He seems to catch any pass or rebound that he can get a fingertip on, and he can still get off good shots through contact thanks to those same strong hands. South Carolina basketball legend Carlos Powell utilizes that very trait to kickstart an All-SEC Gamecock career.
With a bit of a logjam at the forward spots this season, Murray-Boyles’ minutes could be limited, but he is talented enough to break through into the rotation anyway.
You can watch some of his film linked above.
Arden Conyers: Conyers played some with Collin Murray-Boyles on the AAU circuit and is also a Columbia native. The 3-star wing is 6’7″ with long arms but is most naturally a perimeter player. His best trait is his ability to shoot the basketball, and his height will allow him to get clean looks off against most other players on the outside.
Conyers is thin and will need to bulk up if he is to develop into a player who can help the Gamecocks defensively and on the boards, but he has a real chance to be a good offensive piece with his shot-making and lack of fear on the court.
The sharpshooter is not afraid to put the ball on the deck if needed, and he can take and make the tough, in-traffic midrange. If he can develop a little more physically, Conyers can be a good player at the college level with his offensive game. He is already a good enough leaper and smooth mover to believe he can become a high-level athlete if he buys into strength and conditioning.
How Conyers is deployed as a freshman will largely depend on how he develops this summer and how big of a need the team has for shooting. If the Gamecocks are struggling to score, especially form the outside, the 6’7” wing could be the answer.
You can watch some of his film here.
Morris Ugusuk: Formerly part of the class of 2024, Finland native Morris Ugusuk reclassified to 2023 and will be on the team this fall. Ugusuk is an athletic guard who profiles as a player who can end up as a very good defender. He can swallow up opposing guards with his long wingspan and quick feet, something the Gamecocks haven’t had since Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell.
Ugusuk is not only a defender, however. He is a very good passer and has creativity as a distributor and scorer in the half-court. He is an athletic player who has enough on his 6’4″ frame to become a mismatch against smaller guards with his strength and length.
The Helsinki, Finland product projects to be a similar player to new Gamecock transfer Ta’Lon Cooper as guards with strength and defensive chops who can also pass the basketball and score when needed. He played in Finland with 2024 South Carolina basketball commitments Okku Federiko.
If Ugusuk develops well, he can be a very good guard in the SEC. He will start his career buried on the depth chart, but if defends like he did during high school and playing with the Finnish national team, he could move his way up as a freshman.
You can watch some of his film here.
Austin Herro: Herro is a scorer at heart. Though not the same type of athlete as his older brother, he is a smooth operator and can put the ball in the basket, even in traffic. He is also a good passer as he averaged over 5 assists per game this past season in high school.
Confidence is no issue for the 6’3″ Herro as he is willing to take just about any shot on the court. He is also an aggressive ball handler, and that aggression sometimes pays off by giving him just enough space for a shot or to get a clean pass off to an open teammate.
Frankly, Herro is not a good defender at this point in his basketball journey. However, he has the opportunity to learn from a very good veteran perimeter defender in Ta’lon Cooper during his freshman season, so improvement could be on the horizon if he is willing to put in the work.
Herro will be under no pressure to play early for South Carolina basketball as the Gamecocks will have four different upperclassmen who can play guard. If he carves out a role in the 2023-2024 season, expect it to be as an offensive sparkplug who plays really hard for short stretches.
You can watch some of his film here.