South Carolina Basketball: Gamecock transfer portal target announces commitment

South Carolina basketball fans know that their favorite team has some needs in the transfer portal.

With five players departing from the program (Ta'Lon Cooper, graduation; BJ Mack, graduation; Stephen Clark, graduation; Meechie Johnson, transfer portal; Ebrima Dibba, transfer portal) and just two incoming so far (Trent Noah, class of 2024; Okku Federiko, class of 2024), head coach Lamont Paris has three scholarships to play with in the transfer portal this offseason.

Based on team needs, the Gamecocks have to bring in a lead guard and a big with two of those spots. They have been in on a number of players from around the country as they look to find the right fit in Columbia. One of the players they contacted was former Colorado Buffalo post player Eddie Lampkin.

The 6'11", 265-pound big man brings some size and rebounding to the table, and some Vegas oddsmakers listed the Gamecocks among the favorites to land the former Buffalo (yes, Vegas is releasing transfer portal commitment odds). He was courted by South Carolina last offseason, as well, as he transferred from TCU to Colorado.

On Tuesday, though, he announced his commitment to another program other South Carolina basketball.

Lampkin will play his final year of college ball at Syracuse.

Though Lampkin could have helped the Gamecocks, he was not the perfect fit for the roster, so fans of the garnet and black can find solace knowing that there might be a more ideal player for USC still in the portal. Lampkin doesn't provide any shooting punch or shot blocking, two things that would make Carolina a much better team. Lampkin is a good player, but if things go well for Josh Gray over the next year, he can be a better shot-blocking version of Lampkin next year.

The Gamecocks have a lot of other options in the transfer portal, and names like Sam Alexis (UT-Chattanooga) and Federiko Federiko (Pittsburgh) should be on the radar. Guards like Jordan Sears (UT-Martin) and JP Pegues (Furman) are major targets, as well.

There are other players Paris and his staff are in communication with, and fans can be on the lookout for South Carolina to continue looking for a guard or two (preferably, two-way perimeter players who can shoot the basketball) and a big (one that can block shots, shoot from outside, or both).