The men’s basketball freshman class is filled with young talent, and they're hoping for an improvement from last season. One freshman to be watching is Columbia native P.J. Dozier.
Dozier was ranked the No. 19 overall prospect and No. 4 point guard in ESPN’s top 100. 247sports.com ranked him the No. 25 overall prospect and the top in-state prospect. He was named a McDonald’s All-American in 2015 and earned the start in the All-American game in Chicago. Dozier averaged 19 points and six assists per game during his senior season at Spring Valley High School.
His family also has ties to the area. His dad, Perry, and uncle, Terry, both played on the men’s basketball team, from 1986 to 1988 and 1986 to 1989, respectively. His sister, Asia, is currently a senior on the women’s basketball team.
Having so much family history helps him feel at home at USC.
“It means a lot being able to follow in the footsteps of my father and my uncle and also my sister,” Dozier told GamecocksOnline.com. “They’ve paved the way for me, and I want to try and take advantage of and make the best of it.”
Dozier said a big part of his choosing South Carolina was the relationships he was able to build with the coaches. He said assistant coach Lamont Evans had a huge impact on him and his decision.
“Being able to build a relationship with the coaching staff before I even made my decision helped a lot,” Dozier said. “Lamont was definitely the guy in charge in my recruitment process. He just tried to build a relationship every time we talked. He cared about me more as a person, and that was a huge impact.”
Dozier, a 4A Player of the Year, was one of the first commits in this year’s freshman class. He and forward Chris Silva both committed in mid-November of last year.
There are six true freshmen on the team this year, and Dozier is excited to be working with the other players.
“When I committed, it was just me and Chris that had committed thus far,” Dozier said. “Getting the extra players that we got kind of came out of nowhere. I’m happy that we got the freshman class that we did.”
Dozier said the upperclassmen have done a great job helping the new players. He said they’re always there to help out in any way possible and have been strong leaders to the freshmen.
Besides basketball, Dozier said he enjoys golfing, even though he isn’t the best out there. He said it’s nice to play because it’s relaxing.
“I like to golf, It’s definitely relaxing,” Dozier said. “I’m not the best golfer, but I’m able to make it on the green and in the hole. That’s definitely the most relaxing thing for me outside of basketball.”
He did claim to be the best dancer on the team, however.
Going to the same school as his sister has certainly helped make the transition into college a little easier, especially with both of them on the basketball teams.
“[Asia] most definitely is looking out for me,” Dozier said. “I talk to her everyday and I’m in her room just about every day. She keeps the food in her room.”
Dozier worked a lot over the summer on building up his body and strength. Although all of the freshmen struggled, including him, they just needed to get their nerves out and should be ready for the season opener.
The men’s basketball program is continuing to improve, and this year could be a breakout year for the Gamecocks. Dozier said he’s seen progress with the team even from the summer.
“Seeing the progression from being here during the summer and seeing our freshman get bigger and better and stronger,” Dozier said. “Everyone is really excited for the season, just as excited as we are, so it's a good feeling.”
If Dozier can live up to the hype, this season will definitely be fun.