Frank Martin announced Tuesday three new players will join his team next season. Along with Columbia, South Carolina native P.J. Dozier and New Jersey’s Chris Silva, Eric Cobb, Raymond Doby and Jamall Gregory will join South Carolina’s 2015-2016 team. The departures of sophomore Demetrius Henry and freshman Shamiek Sheppard due to transfers and senior Tyrone Johnson from eligibility opened up three spaces for Martin’s team.
Eric Cobb — F/C, 6-10, 275 lbs (Jacksonville, Florida)
Ranked as a four-star by ESPN and a three-star by 247sports.com and Rivals.com, Cobb is a big-bodied post player who works well with his back to the basket. Even though he won’t make an immediate impact because of how raw his game is (he only averaged 13 points and nine rebounds a game his senior year of high school), Cobb is a viable replacement for Henry. From watching the couple of highlight videos, Cobb seems to bully his opponent on the block. Add a couple of months of technique work and he might be a solid steal from Martin’s old team, Kansas State.
Raymond Doby — G/F, 6-7, 230 lbs (St. Louis, Missouri)
After an average 10.7 points per game at Montrose Christian School, Doby upped the ante when he spent a post-graduate year at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy by averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds an outing. Doby will play what Martin likes to call a “combo forward,” which means Martin thinks he is quick enough to defend perimeter players while holding his own in the paint. Doby will provide some energy to the team with offensive rebounds, put backs and maybe some high-flying alley-oops. His shooting and passing need some work, but that should come with time.
Jamall Gregory — G, 6-4, 180 lbs (Washington, D.C.)
One thing that all the reports are saying is that Gregory is as athletic as the next guy. The big guard can fly high with dunks and is quick off his first step, yet there is a reason he is only a three-star prospect by all the outlets: he doesn’t shoot well. With a one-sided offensive attack like his, he will be hard-pressed to find playing time. However, Martin says he has the capabilities of being an elite defender, so he might find some time playing lockdown-D against the opponent’s offensive weapon.