South Carolina basketball star invited to participate in elite Nike showcase

South Carolina basketball fans are excited for year 3 of the Lamont Paris era to begin in about three months. The Gamecocks are realistic contenders in the SEC and, after 26 wins and a 6-seed in the Big Dance last year, they have a good shot to make back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the 1990s.

The team's best player is rising sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles. Hailing from Columbia's AC Flora High School, the athletic power forward has a nearly unlimited ceiling as a player. He is stronger than most players at his position and moves as well as many guards do. He also has long arms and great instincts that help make up for the fact that he is slightly shorter than most other players at the 4-spot.

It comes as no surprise that CMB has received some love this offseason. All-SEC projections and NBA Draft big boards almost all include his name. On Sunday, though, he will get a chance to take part in an event reserved only for elite prospects.

The Nike Basketball Academy (held at Nike World Headquarters in Oregon) will run from Sunday, August 4th through Friday, August 9th, and Collin Murray-Boyles will be in attendance.#30 is the first Gamecock ever selected to participate in the Nike showcase, and he will have the opportunity out west to work with current and former NBA players, scouts, front office personnel, and coaches.

As a true freshman during the 2023-2024 season, Murray-Boyles missed the beginning of the year with mononucleosis and then had to ramp up his in-game usage and minutes as his body recovered. Still, by the time the season ended, he was a clear choice for the Freshman All-SEC squad and would have been picked if he declared for the NBA Draft.

CMB tied an all-time South Carolina basketball scoring record for freshmen (31 points against Vanderbilt) and was the team's top rebounder. If he can add a consistent jumper this season (something he showed while in high school), he will have a clear path to the NBA Draft's 1st round, and the Gamecocks' chances of winning big during the 2024-2025 campaign go up dramatically.