Senior leadership in the frontcourt led South Carolina men’s basketball to its most successful season in program history last year. Yet this season, the experience of last year is being replaced with youth for Frank Martin’s Gamecocks. Guards Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice will lead a young team that will likely feature several first-time starters in the front court.
Down low, the Gamecocks only return one player after the departures of Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius, Mindaugas Kacinas, Eric Cobb and Raymond Doby over the offseason. Sophomore Chris Silva is that lone returner and has the potential for a breakout year in the upcoming season.
Silva, a 6-foot-9 forward from Gabon, can be a dynamic shot blocker and will guard the rim well for the Gamecocks. In addition to his defensive presence, Silva will also be a key contributor on the offensive end. Martin has been impressed with the sophomore’s play in preseason practice saying “he’s offensive rebounding better than anyone I’ve ever had,” and that “he’s had some dunks that I’ve never coached anyone make in practice.
And I’ve been fortunate, I’ve been around some good ones over my career,” Martin continued.
Martin has indeed coached some good ones during his head-coaching career; most notably former top-five pick Michael Beasley, while he was at Kansas State.
With the loss of key contributors in the front court, it is up to newcomers Khadim Gueye, Maik Kotsar, Sedee Keita and Ran Tut to help fill the void.
Gueye is a 7-foot center from Senegal and three-star prospect in ESPN's rankings. His size will allow the Gamecocks to match up with other dynamic frontcourts defensively and heighten their presence on the boards.
Kotsar, a native of Estonia and graduate from Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, is a 6-foot-10 big man who has the ability to pull the trigger from outside. Kotsar’s versatility provides the Gamecocks with another threat from beyond the arc.
Keita is the third freshman newcomer to the front court and is South Carolina’s highest-ranked recruit of the 2016 class, ranked as the No. 85 player in the ESPN100.
These freshmen are joined by junior college transfer Ran Tut, a 6-foot-9 forward from Australia. The size of the Gamecocks’ new additions is encouraging and is much needed to replace key rebounders in Carrera and Kacinas.
How quickly the South Carolina front court is able to adapt to the speed of college basketball and form a bond on the court with the guards will determine how successful the Gamecocks will be this year.
So how does this South Carolina unit stack up compared to the rest of the SEC? Let’s take a brief look at the two most dominant front courts in the SEC.
Kentucky
It’s hard to begin any conversation pertaining to SEC basketball without throwing the Wildcats into the discussion. The Kentucky front court is one of the best in the conference and even the nation. The difficult task in defending the Wildcats' frontcourt is that most of their players are either freshmen or sophomores. Derek Willis is the lone senior and leads a group of six players who are at least 6-foot-9. Bam Adebayo was a first team ALL-SEC selection and solidifies Kentucky’s place atop the conference.
Texas A&M
The Aggies had the best front court in the SEC a season ago and look to be just as dominant this year. Tyler Davis returns for Texas A&M and is touted by many as the best big man in the SEC. The preseason All-SEC first team selection is a decent scorer and led the Aggies in rebounds per game last year. Backing up Davis is center Tonny Trocha-Morelos, who has the ability to expand the floor and knock down outside jumpers. The Aggies also have depth in the frontcourt with forwards Tavario Miller, a likely starter at the power forward position, and freshman Robert Williams. Billy Kennedy’s team will look to build around Davis to again have one of the most dominant frontcourts in the SEC.