After a first-round exit in the SEC tournament with a loss to Oklahoma ending its season, South Carolina men’s basketball now shifts focus to the offseason, where roster changes have already begun.
Elijah Strong, Eli Ellis and Jordan Butler plan to enter the NCAA transfer portal after a 13-19 (4-14 SEC) season, marking three members of the rotation set to depart from a team in transition.
The program has chosen to keep head coach Lamont Paris for the upcoming season despite the roster turnovers, looking to rebuild the team while maintaining leadership.
Junior forward Elijah Strong was the first for the Gamecocks to enter the transfer portal on Friday, March 20, his agency told On3’s Jamie Shaw.
Strong averaged 10 points and 2.3 rebounds for this season. He started this year on the bench but worked his way to being a starter for the Gamecocks, starting in 18 games.
After spending two seasons at Boston College, Strong transferred to South Carolina, where he now has one more year of eligibility. The Gamecocks lose an experienced rotation contributor with his departure.
Strong was just the first to exit for the Gamecocks, as freshman guard Eli Ellis plans to end his time with the program after one season. His agency announced his departure on Monday, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.
In his first college season, Ellis averaged 8.6 points and 2.8 rebounds. Coming right out of high school, Ellis was a four-star prospect and was ranked No. 69 nationally, No. 9 point guard in his class and No. 3 ranked player in the state of North Carolina.
Ellis was an all-time leading scorer during his time with Overtime Elite and led his team to the OTE Championship while being named a two time MVP. Ellis will now have three years of eligibility remaining.
Junior forward Jordan Butler also plans to enter the portal, which was announced by his agent and confirmed by On3's Joe Tipton Monday afternoon.
Butler appeared in 25 games, making four starts and averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds this season. He spent the past two seasons with South Carolina after transferring from Missouri. Butler has one year of eligibility left in his college career.
With these players departing and the transfer portal opening up on April 7 and closing after 15 days, Paris now faces the task of rebuilding the roster and keeping the Gamecocks competitive by addressing the departures.