To the class of 2020,
The last school year may not have been the best one for South Carolina sports. Last year's freshmen endured a 3-9 season from the football team, an unexpected early NCAA Tournament exit from the women's basketball team and a heartbreaking snub from March Madness from the men's basketball team. It's easy to be a bit discouraged when you think about how those teams and the other programs will fare in the upcoming year.
With a new coaching staff and an inexperienced football team, many experts are projecting a pretty down year for the Gamecocks again in 2016. I've seen predictions as pessimistic as 2-10. I'm here to tell you why that doesn't matter.
Will Muschamp's group doesn't have a lot of proven talent on the roster, not to mention the fact that the jury is still out on Muschamp himself. However, there is plenty of potential in this year's bunch, particularly on the offense. Four-star recruit Brandon McIlwain is certainly the quarterback of the future, Deebo Samuel showcased his talents against one of the nation's best teams (I hate saying that about Clemson, but they were good), and freshman Bryan Edwards certainly looks the part of a No. 1 wide receiver.
The question marks are there, and as far as the team's record this season, your guess may be just as good as mine. Luckily for you, there are plenty of strong athletic programs at Carolina that are certainly worth rooting for.
Dawn Staley's women's basketball team is probably the premiere program at USC for the 2016-17 year. With a frontcourt of SEC Player of the Year A'ja Wilson and 6-foot-4 center Alaina Coates, few teams can handle the Gamecocks inside. The additions of Kaela Davis, Allisha Gray and Tiffany Davis, some of the better players from the ACC, will help in replacing some of the talent the team lost to graduation.
A packed house in Colonial Life Arena makes for a fantastic place to watch a basketball game. Make sure to catch some of the big games on the team's schedule this season, because there will be plenty of premiere programs lining up to take a shot at the greatest show in Columbia.
That's no knock on the men's team, though, as Frank Martin led the group to a 15-0 start and a third place finish in the SEC last season. With the return of seniors Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell, plus the expected improvement of sophomores PJ Dozier and Chris Silva, the Gamecocks should be looking at another strong season.
Let's not just pay attention to the revenue sports. USC's men's and women's soccer teams create a fantastic product at Stone Stadium, and you won't want to miss the fun. The Carolina Volleyball Center fills up for games, and going to support the small sports such as golf and equestrian is always a good experience. The athletes certainly appreciate it.
On my end, I promise that our sports staff will keep you informed with everything you need to know (and probably some stuff you don't need to know, but I think is interesting) about South Carolina sports. In our attempt to engage with our student body, especially you new Gamecocks, we would love to answer your questions about your favorite USC sports or take suggestions about content you would like to see us put out.
You can get in touch with us by email at dailygamecocksports@gmail.com and through Twitter @TDG_Sports.
So from all of us here at The Daily Gamecock, welcome. We hope you enjoy South Carolina sports and the work we do for you as much as we enjoy doing it.