Strong play in opener bodes well for Martin's Gamecocks

South Carolina’s men’s basketball team had high expectations coming into this season. Head coach Frank Martin has a deep team that combines a crafty group of veterans with young, highly talented freshmen. 

Saturday night, all three factored into the 84-69 win.

South Carolina started hot, taking a 27-13 lead 11 minutes into the first half, but Norfolk State hung around with three-pointers and free throws. The Spartans hit 11 shots from behind the arc and converted 20 of 23 from the line to keep it close.

In the end, South Carolina’s length proved too much for Norfolk State as the Gamecocks snagged 19 offensive rebounds.

Gamecocks finally have depth

A year after playing some games with only eight players, 10 different Gamecocks scored, with junior guards Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell with 14. Notice and freshman forward Chris Silva, who added 12 points and nine rebounds, both came off the bench.

Of the Gamecocks’ 84 points, 38 came from off the bench, and only Thornwell was forced to play more than 28 minutes. It’s a far cry from last year’s team that struggled late in the season with fatigue.

Notice, Silva and sophomore guard Marcus Stroman all played more than 17 minutes off the bench and were major contributors in the win.

Freshman class living up to hype

South Carolina signed two players in ESPN’s Top 100 in the 2015 recruiting cycle,and both showed up in a big way Saturday night.

Silva, 96th-overall recruit, led the Gamecocks with nine rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Silva also added two highlight dunks, including an alley-oop from fellow freshman P.J. Dozier.

Dozier was the 26th-best prospect in the South Carolina 2015 cycle and the point guard showed flashes of brilliance Saturday night. He finished with seven points on 3-7 shooting and added three assists and four rebounds. Even more impressive, though, was that in 21 minutes, Dozier only committed one turnover.

Usually when freshmen come in, they tend to struggle on defense. Dozier, Silva and freshman forward Eric Cobb combined for five steals. Silva added two blocks, a fact that did not go unnoticed by his teammates.

“I love Chris being behind me on defense,” Thornwell said.

Up Next

The 1-0 Gamecocks will host Oral Roberts on Monday. The team will then travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands for a three-game tournament.

Quotable

Martin on Silva’s play: “How about the charges? Protected the rim. When he could go block it, he blocked it. When he saw out-of-control dribblers and he knew he couldn’t go get it he took the charge … Outside of Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, every freshman I’ve been around has to learn how to score against a college defense … Chris is no different … What he can’t do is he can’t play without the activity that he played with today. That’s his homerun play, is that energy, that enthusiasm, that athleticism. He’s gotta bring that every day and then allow himself to grow into the basketball player that he will become over time.” 

Martin on the depth: “Right now, we’ve got seven starters.” 

Martin on the team’s effort: “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a team that’s all in the way that these guys are this early in the year.”