South Carolina Basketball: Gamecock big man leaving via transfer portal

South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks lost a rotation piece on Saturday as 7'0 center Josh Gray entered the transfer portal. The former part-time starter was a key player off the bench for the 26-8 USC squad this past season.

Gray averaged just 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in the 2023-2024 season, but those numbers are skewed a bit by his low usage during out-of-conference play. However, much bigger than his numbers, Gray will be missed on the floor in Columbia because of his size. At 7'0" and 260 pounds, he was the only player on the roster who could compete with big, athletic post players.

With Gray leaving, Coach Paris and his staff likely now need to bring in two bigs in the transfer portal this offseason.

Nick Pringle (Alabama Crimson Tide) has been a major target for Carolina since he entered the transfer portal last week. As a starter for 'Bama this year, Pringle provided size, length, athleticism, and aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. The South Carolina native would be the perfect fit for the Gamecocks if starting power forward Collin Murray-Boyles starts knocking down some jumpers during his sophomore season.

Another Palmetto State native, 7'0" center Jordan Butler, entered the transfer portal on Friday as he elected to leave the Missouri Tigers program after just one season. Butler's mother played for the women's South Carolina basketball team, and his father is the head coach at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville. In 11 minutes per game this year with Mizzou, Butler averaged nearly a block per contest as a true freshman.

The Gamecocks have been involved with several other transfer portal post players this offseason, but Pringle and Butler seem to be the two names that make the most sense for Carolina at this time, especially in light of Josh Gray's transfer portal defection.