South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris has a top-20 recruiting class heading to Columbia this offseason as former 5-star guard Cam Scott, sharpshooting wing Trent Noah, and 4-star forward Okku Federiko are the next crop of freshmen who will don garnet and black.
Federiko, a native of Finland, is a versatile big who can do a lot of things on the basketball court, and some attentive South Carolina basketball fans noticed in March that his brother Federiko Federiko entered the transfer portal after spending two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Fans ran wild with the idea of a Federiko brother team-up in the Gamecock frontcourt, especially since the elder brother is a big, shot-blocking rebounder. While it is true that Federiko Federiko could have filled a need for USC's roster, it is unclear how involved the Gamecocks actually were in recruiting the junior post player.
On Wednesday, the dream of him joining his younger brother in Columbia ended, however, as he announced a commitment to the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Federiko Federiko's announcement on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/n4XU1ORLvT
— Raider Family (@Raider_Family) April 17, 2024
Though Federiko is officially off the board, the Gamecocks still have several irons in the transfer portal fire.
Most notable, perhaps, is South Carolina native Nick Pringle ( a player who seemed excited about Cam Scott's commitment to the Gamecocks), a graduate transfer who last played for the Final Four Alabama Crimson Tide team. Pringle is big (6'10" and over 230 pounds) and bouncy, and he is an aggressive and athletic player on both sides of the court.
If the Gamecocks can land Pringle (or a player like him), they will be bringing in another true center who can partner with big Josh Gray to play the majority of the team's time on the floor at the 5-spot and offer some needed minutes-matching with other teams' big, athletic post players. Last season, the Gamecocks really struggled with that type of player as only Gray was above 6'8" on the roster.
South Carolina is also in the market for a player who can run the point as they search for a suitable replacement for Ta'Lon Cooper.