Jefferson, Muldrow to play final home game in Gamecock uniform
South Carolina has an extremely young team this season, but there are some veterans in the mix. Tonight marks the end of the road in front of a home crowd for two of them.
USC will face Tennessee in its final home game of the season, and barring an unlikely run to a home game in the National Invitational Tournament, it will be the final time senior forwards Sam Muldrow and Johndre Jefferson play at the Colonial Life Arena.
"I think anytime you're headed into your last home game, obviously your focus is on your seniors," coach Darrin Horn said. "Ultimately as a coach, that's why you do this — because of the young people you get to work with. We've got two guys that have been a lot of fun to coach and have done some good things in our program."
Muldrow is the more heralded of the two. USC's all-time leader in shots blocked, the Florence native is the last remaining player who came to Carolina under former coach Dave Odom. After struggling early in his career, Muldrow grew into a force in the paint for the Gamecocks, finishing his senior season averaging 11 points, seven rebounds and about three blocks a game.
"I think a lot of it's maturity," Horn said. "As a coach, we'd like to see even more consistency from him, but on the whole I think he has made great strides in that area, and he's been a little better with it every year. I think a lot of that is just a natural maturation process with a player. I think some of it's confidence as well."
Jefferson is finishing his second year at Carolina. The Santee native transferred to USC from Northwest Florida State College last season. Jefferson appeared in every game and started four of the final five games, but his minutes have decreased substantially this year. He has appeared in 21 games, averaging 1.9 points and about 10 minutes a game.
"I think he's had some flashes where he's blocked some shots," Horn said. "He's brought us some athleticism without question and done some good things that way."
What makes Jefferson a special player to Horn is what he symbolizes. Jefferson was the first player from the state of South Carolina Horn and his staff played for the Gamecocks during their time in Columbia.
"The one thing about Johndre that always stands out for me is that he was the first in-state kid that actually came to school here," Horn said. "Eric [Smith] committed before he did, technically, but Johndre was the first South Carolina guy that we got on the roster. As everybody knows, that's something that's a focus for us and very important to us in building our program."
Horn was coy when asked if Jefferson will receive a start tonight.
"I'd like to do that, but we just don't hand out starting positions in our program," Horn said. "It's definitely a possibility."
The Gamecocks (14-13, 5-9 SEC) are coming off a rough 64-48 loss at Georgia this Saturday. USC hung tough in its meeting with the Volunteers (17-12, 7-7) last month in Knoxville, losing 73-67. The game was the first in which Carolina began to heavily rely on the zone defense it has begun to run of late.
"For our first game, we did some good things," Horn said. "We just gave up too many easy baskets when we had a breakdown in the zone."
Besides easy baskets, UT will provide a challenge to the Gamecocks on offense. The Vols have only allowed three opponents to score 70 or more points in a game since league play began.
"I think they're a team that's really solid defensively in every game they've played," Horn said. "They're obviously very big and athletic. I think [they're] the most talented team 1 to 10 in our league. When they're getting those easy baskets, they become very good."
Horn has already said USC will not accept a bid to the College Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, the two third-tier postseason tournaments. To qualify for the NCAA Tournament, USC will have to win the SEC Tournament, which starts next week in Atlanta, and clinch the league's automatic berth. An invite to the NIT is more realistic, but also not likely. Even if the Gamecocks can finish with a winning record, it would not guarantee entrance.
Accordingly, the game with UT is less about what could be and more about what is coming to a close.
"We would all like to send both Sam and Johndre out with a win in their last game," Horn said.