South Carolina basketball loses third player in three days to transfer portal

The hits just keep coming for the South Carolina men's basketball program. 

Just a few weeks following the Gamecocks' 13-19 finish to the season, while failing to earn an invitational to the postseason, South Carolina has now lost its second starter to the transfer portal over the course of three days.

On Monday afternoon, On3 first reported that Gamecock freshman guard Eli Ellis is set to enter the transfer portal, which officially opens on April 7. 

About an hour later, the outlet reported that Gamecock forward Jordan Butler is also entering the portal:

The news of both guys leaving are the latest losses for head coach Lamont Paris, who lost fellow starter Elijah Strong to the portal on Friday. As a true freshman, Ellis saw plenty of playing time, averaging 26.8 minutes per game. He was a main contributor offensively as well, averaging 8.6 points per game with 2.3 rebounds and two assists. He shot 38.6 percent from the floor. 

Ellis should have plenty of suitors when he officially enters the portal later next month. Per the 247Sports Composite, he was the No. 5 overall prospect out of his home state of North Carolina, and the No. 15 overall rated point guard from the class of 2025. Hailing from Hickory, N.C., Ellis played high school basketball at Moravian Prep in North Carolina.   

Butler was more of a bench contributor, averaging just over eight minutes per game with 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds. But losing both guys to the portal in just over a matter of hours can't be good for morale as this team looks ahead to next season.

Ellis is a popular content creator on TikTok as well, boasting over 1 million followers on the app. 

Coming out of high school, Ellis held offers from the likes of Wake Forest, VCU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. 

We'll see if South Carolina will continue to lose players to the portal after a down season in Columbia.