South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris had three scholarships to work with in the transfer portal after big man Josh Gray elected to leave the program for his final year of eligibility. That number dropped to two on Sunday as the Gamecocks landed their first transfer portal commitment of the offseason.
South Carolina native and former Missouri Tigers center Jordan Butler is committed to the South Carolina basketball program, according to a report from On3's Joe Tipton.
Butler's mother Casie played college basketball for the Gamecocks, and his father John is the head coach at Christ Church Episcopal School. USC was second in his recruitment when he came out of high school, but Coach Paris landed the big fella this time around.
As a player, Butler is a long and rangy defender who posted nearly a block per game in just 11 minutes per contest last season as a freshman at Mizzou. He also has some untapped potential on the offensive end of the floor, most notably, a smooth shooting stroke that he couldn't quite find during his time in the "other Columbia."
Butler struggled with his offensive efficiency during the 2023-2024 season, but all of Carolina's bigs last year (other than high-volume player BJ Mack) were efficient and took smart shots for the Gamecocks. If Butler is able to be a positive player on offense, he will have a chance to play a valuable role for next year's team.
Butler's commitment marks another player for the Gamecocks who possesses plus-length for his position. Lamont Paris has clearly emphasized adding length to the roster when at all possible as USC now has two post players with wingspans well over 7'0" (Butler and incoming freshman Okku Federiko) and a flurry of guards and wings who will be longer than most of their matchups.
Butler likely will not be the only transfer portal big brought in by the Gamecocks this offseason, but he will have the chance to fight for big-time minutes as early as next season. Butler allows star sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles to stay at his natural power forward position.
You can watch some of his film here.