South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris has had a good start to retooling his roster this offseason.
After losing starters Ta'Lon Cooper (graduation), BJ Mack (graduation), and Meechie Johnson (transfer portal), Paris has brought in a three-man high school class of Cam Scott, Trent Noah, and Okku Federiko (all 4-star prospects) and a former 4-star in freshman transfer big man Jordan Butler. With Josh Gray and Ebrima Dibbs also leaving in the transfer portal, Paris has two more scholarships to play with in the portal.
The Gamecocks still have a need at point guard and down low. With the state of the current roster, Carolina needs a player who run the offense and one who can defend athletic bigs in the post. Alabama transfer Nick Pringle has emerged as a top target at center, and the Gamecocks have been heavily involved with several guards.
One of the potential answers at point guard for South Carolina basketball is La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus. Though a smaller guard, Brickus is a good fit for what the Gamecocks need.
This week, On3's Jamie Shaw named Brickus one of the top-10 available transfer portal point guards in the country, slotting him in at #7 on his list. The ranking makes sense for Brickus.
A four-year starter for the Explorers, he can distribute the basketball (4.8 assists per game to 2.1 turnovers per game last season) and score (13.9 points per game on 43%/40%/86% shooting). The All-Atlantic 10 point guard is an active defender, as well, racking up nearly 125 steals in his career.
Other than size, Brickus' impact on a game seems very similar to Ta'Lon Cooper's. Like Cooper, Brickus is a really good catch-and-shoot player when he is off the ball, and with the ball in his hand, he is a crafty finisher at the rim. Brickus has a little more isolation potential in his game, but his big-time passing ability is one display if bigs step up too much to help after he's beaten his man off the dribble.
Brickus is visiting the South Carolina basketball program and is favoring the Gamecocks according to On3's transfer portal recruiting prediction machine.
You can watch some of his film here.