Exhibitions, like South Carolina's 71-58 defeat of Division-II powerhouse Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena, don't count as official games.
So, technically, freshman guard Bruce Ellington has yet to play as a Gamecock.
Semantics aside, though, when Ellington does come out for the tip Friday night as USC opens up the 2010-11 campaign against Elon, he'll feel right at home, thanks to the preseason show he put on against the Panthers.
"He made some terrific plays tonight," coach Darrin Horn said. "It obviously stood out."
Ellington cut. He dished out. He scored. He ran the floor. He grabbed boards. He drove to the hole. He played defense. And, if the cheers he was showered with by those in attendance were any indication, he began to make a name for himself.
But, maybe most importantly, he took control when his team needed him. USC struggled on the glass and in shooting for most of the night, and as a result the Panthers led with six minutes left in the game. But, USC came on strong down the stretch, led by Ellington, to escape with the win.
"[Ellington is] a young man that can make plays," Horn said. "The brighter the lights, the bigger the moments – he's one of those guys who wants to be in that and will go and try and make something happen."
Tied with WKU at 55 with 5:37 left in the game, Ellington, whose layup had pulled USC back even a few moments prior, knocked down a three-pointer to give USC a 58-55 lead – one the Gamecocks never gave up.
Ellington excelled in making things happen not just late in the game, but throughout the night, finishing with a jersey number-matching 23 points.
He wowed the crowed with an almost-steal on KWC's end of the floor, leaping in the air and seeming to just hang there, suspended above the hardwood. No, Ellington didn't corral the ball, but few noticed because of how high he had gotten.
"I was having fun — just playing ball," Ellington said.
The shot he hit at the buzzer to end the first half thrilled the faithful as well. Ellington stood about 30 feet from the basket and dribbled the ball to run the clock down in a manner reminiscent of his predecessor, Devan Downey.
As the seconds ticked down, Ellington drove to the basket to try and make something happen, but nothing was there, as he threw up a missed layup.
Well, nothing was there until Ellington made it happen, grabbing the loose ball alongside the Panther bench after missed rebound attempts inside as the clock wound down, heaving it over his shoulders while falling. The ball kissed off the glass and, somehow, went in.
"I just wanted to get the ball and get it up. I saw the clock running, so I just ran and threw it up. It went in," Ellington said. "It's probably the wildest shot I've ever hit."
The only negative of the night for Ellington was when his attempt for a breakaway dunk met the cold and unpleasant reality of the rim.
"I should've jumped on 2 feet, because I'm a 2-foot jumper," Ellington, who is 5-foot-9, said. "It was in the heat of the moment. I tried, but I didn't succeed."
Added Horn: "I told him if he wasn't playing so hard, he would've come out."
Ellington recounted the discussion after the game and admitted he usually would finger roll in such a situation, but this situation was a little different.
"It was my first game," he said. "I wanted to do it."
It was a first game, or scrimmage, or whatever one wants to call it, which ended in victory, albeit a victory that left some things to be desired.
USC continued the woeful free throw shooting that made it the SEC’s worst in that department last season, going 9-of-20 from the line. The transition defense was spotty at times. The Gamecocks had a 10-point lead at halftime and watched it evaporate once the second half began. WKU out-rebounded USC.
"I don't think this is a news flash: We've got an awful lot of work to do," Horn said.
But, as Horn and all his players emphasized, it was one night, and the first night, for an extremely young squad with nine freshmen and sophomores and a grand total of two seniors.
And now, USC has five more days to get some of that needed work in before the games do indeed start counting.