As the Gamecock men's basketball season comes to a close (or has it?), there is a looming question headed into next year: Will Nick Pringle stay, or will he leave?
The senior forward is facing a pivotal decision in his collegiate career, deciding not only whether to use his final year of eligibility, but also where to use it if he decides to. Pringle, who transferred from Alabama, was part of a group of players that transferred to South Carolina, which included Jamarii Thomas (Norfolk State) and Jordan Butler (Missouri).
And Pringle has made it very clear that if he returns to South Carolina, he wants more experience around him. He was recently asked about what the Gamecocks need to do in the future, and Pringle was blunt with his response:
“More older guys, maybe athletic guys,” Pringle told The State. “Veteran players, transfers would be very nice for us. I don’t think the team right now needs a lot of young guys. But I think we’ll get some good transfers, some shooters.”
Head coach Lamont Paris has also acknowledged the lack of experience on the team has played a role in the struggles on the court this season, especially in close games.
“Last year we were 8-2 in (close) games. This year we weren’t,” Paris said. “There were some things that we didn’t pick up quickly enough in order to win those close games. There can be reasons why some teams win a lot more of those games. Some teams don’t. Experience in certain positions might be part of it.”
Despite the less than stellar season, Pringle does have faith in Paris being able to make a comeback as he has done in previous seasons.
“He’s done it already; I feel he can do it again. It just takes time,” Pringle said. “He has some of those guys. He got a few returners from last year, but if he gets more guys to return from this year, that can carry over into his plan.”
But the question of whether Pringle will be a part of that is the looming question.
“I just wanted to finish the season out strong and just talk to Coach Paris about it and see what’s next for me,” Pringle said. “I definitely want to be here. Just want to sit down and talk to him and, you know, just dig into details for real and just try to make it happen.”