On suspended players …
Eric Cobb and Jamall Gregory have been removed from the South Carolina men’s basketball team, head coach Frank Martin announced Monday.
“We’ve all agreed that it’s best for them to move on. They were great for us here this past year. They helped us tremendously,” Martin said.
Cobb, a freshman center, and Gregory, a freshman guard, were both suspended prior to South Carolina’s NIT opener against High Point in connection with property damages.
The two were later charged with several misdemeanors and released on bond. Both players stood trial on April 1 and have agreed to enroll in a pre-trial intervention program to remove the charges from their records.
Martin also announced that Chris Silva, TeMarcus Blanton and Marcus Stroman are still suspended but will remain on the team moving forward.
“The other three young men continue to be suspended. We continue to engage in conversations with them and figure out what the next step is going to be,” Martin said.
The trio was suspended along with Cobb and Gregory, but they have not been charged with any crimes.
On contract extension …
Friday, the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees approved a contract extension proposed to Martin that will lock him in through the 2021-22 season.
With the extension, Martin will earn $2.45 million beginning next season — a $350,000 raise from his previous deal, which was set to expire after the 2017-18 season.
“The commitment from this university towards our staff is incredible. To allow us to do our jobs has been incredible; to help us do our jobs been incredible,” Martin said.
The Gamecocks tied the school record for wins this season, going 25-9, and made their first postseason appearance since the 2008-09 season. Martin has accumulated a 70-63 record at South Carolina, with back-to-back winning seasons and noticeable growth from his players.
Martin’s team barely missed the NCAA Tournament this year but advanced to the second round of the NIT, where it lost to Georgia Tech.
“I’m ecstatic because I’m going to be given the opportunity to finish the job that we came here to do. We’re not there yet. We’ve done a lot of good, from where we were at to where we’re at now. There’s a lot to celebrate, but there’s still so much more to do,” Martin said.
Martin is now the second-highest-paid head coach in the SEC, trailing only Kentucky’s John Calipari.
On roster …
In addition to Cobb and Gregory, South Carolina will lose graduating seniors Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius, Mindaugas Kacinas and Brian Steele.
This leaves the roster with five players who averaged 10 or more minutes per game last season, with Silva as the only frontcourt player. Martin isn’t worried, though, as his core group of guards will return.
“Sindarius, Duane, P.J. Those are the three guys that played the majority of the minutes at the guard spot. They all come back. If you want to be good at basketball, you better have good guards,” Martin said.
While Martin will continue to recruit new players, South Carolina has already received three players, most notably power forward Sedee Keita. Keita is a four-star recruit, according to ESPN, and ranks 83rd on the ESPN 100.
Freshman forward Raymond Doby also showed flashes of talent this season and should develop into a regular rotation player in the future.