South Carolina Basketball: Incoming Gamecock dominated playoffs; What are the Gamecocks getting in Trent Noah?

South Carolina basketball fans took a gut punch on Monday as leading scorer Meechie Johnson announced that he was leaving the program through the transfer portal. With rumors and rumblings all pointing to the Ohio State Buckeyes, it appears that after two years in Columbia, that Johnson will return to the Midwest and play for his hometown Buckeyes once again.

Located about 5 hours south of Columbus, though, a future Gamecock could wind up being the beneficiary of some minutes made available by Johnson's departure.

Trent Noah, a sharpshooting wing from Harlan County, Kentucky, just finished dominating the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state playoffs (known locally as the Sweet Sixteen).

Noah led his Harlan County Black Bears to their first-ever state championship game appearance. They didn't end up winning as they fell to the Lyon County Lyons, but it wasn't because of Noah.

In four games in the KHSAA basketball playoffs, Noah scored 129 points, good for the 4th-most points by a single player in a Kentucky playoff run. He finished his high school career with 3707 points, which is the 5th-most ever in the state of Kentucky.

Based on those numbers, it is clear that Noah can score, but he is a bit more versatile than often advertised. He is a big-time shooter who uses his 6'6" frame to rise up over defenders for jumpers from just about anywhere on the court. However, he is a sneaky good athlete who has enough in his bag of ballhandling tricks to be a threat in the dribble-drive game, as well.

Weighing in at 200 pounds, Noah has enough functional strength to hold his own against physical defenders, and he is an improving player on that end of the court, himself.

While primarily used as a wing (he will be a 2/3 at the college level), Noah has a little bit of point guard experience, something that will help him move the ball on offense when shots aren't there. South Carolina basketball fans this season saw a wing player show off some good passing skills down the stretch of the season as former high school point guard Zach Davis had 4 assists in both games the Gamecocks played in the SEC Tournament.

Depending on the roster situation next season, Noah could earn his way into the rotation. Outside shooting is very important to Lamont Paris' offensive system, and Noah will challenge Myles Stute for the title of best shooter on the team when he arrives on campus next summer.

Adding long, versatile players who can shoot the basketball is always a good thing, and Noah fits that mold. At worst, he seems a perfectly cast understudy to starter-turned-6th-man Myles Stute, and if things go well for him, a spot in the rotation could be his.

You can watch some of his film here.