Transfer to South Carolina basketball program named one of country's best

South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris has put together another strong transfer portal class this offseason. After a group of portal additions (BJ Mack, Stephen Clark, Myles Stute, and Ta'Lon Cooper) helped lead the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Tournament since the 2016-2017 Final Four team, Paris has another group of new faces ready to play important roles this season.

Stute is still around, but three new transfers also have joined the program. Center Nick Pringle (Alabama Crimson Tide), power forward/center Jordan Butler (Missouri Tigers), and point guard Jamarii Thomas (Norfolk State Spartans) all should play prominent roles for the Gamecocks as they look to make back-to-back trips to March Madness for the first time since the 1990s.

Recently, Busting Bracket's Tristan Freeman released his list of the nation's top-100 transfer portal players, and one of the new Gamecock veterans cracked the list.

Jamarii Thomas, the MEAC Player of the Year in the 2023-2024 season, is the favorite to start at point guard for Coach Paris' squad this year, and he ranked 92nd on Freeman's list.

According to Freeman, Thomas has a chance to be one of the hidden gems of the transfer portal cycle. That thought makes sense as Thomas led Norfolk State is scoring last season and was a 1st team All-Defense performer in the MEAC.

Former South Carolina basketball star Meechie Johnson (Ohio State Buckeyes) also made the list, sliding into the #51 spot.

Thomas will battle for backcourt minutes this season with veteran combo guard Jacobi Wright, freshman 4-star Cam Scott, former walk-on Austin Herro (younger brother of NBA star Tyler Herro), and 2023-2024 reserve guard Morris Ugusuk as the unit will look to replace Johnson and point guard Ta'Lon Cooper, who recently signed a contract with the Orlando Magic.

Thomas and the Gamecocks will start the season on November 4th when they welcome the North Florida Ospreys to Colonial Life Arena for the season opener.