Clippers introduce Sindarius Thornwell
After a successful stint in the Las Vegas Summer League, former Gamecock Sindarius Thornwell got to check off another milestone Tuesday: get introduced as an NBA player.
249 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
After a successful stint in the Las Vegas Summer League, former Gamecock Sindarius Thornwell got to check off another milestone Tuesday: get introduced as an NBA player.
After an 8-5 season that frustrated the Athens faithful, Georgia was projected to be the 2017 SEC East division champion, earning the right to be the sacrificial lamb to Alabama in December.
SEC Media Days has come and gone, and what we thought about the South Carolina football team appears to be pretty much accurate — we're not sure what we're going to get.
South Carolina sent three offensive players to SEC Media Days for the first time ever in 2017, and head coach Will Muschamp knew that would raise some eyebrows.
A year ago, if you told Hayden Hurst he'd be at SEC Media Days, he likely would've been surprised.
College football’s talking season has begun, and even though South Carolina players and Will Muschamp won’t take the podium at SEC Media Days until Thursday, the Gamecocks are getting some attention. As reported by The State’s Josh Kendall, SEC Network analyst Marcus Spears took the time to praise South Carolina Tuesday, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. “I’m excited about South Carolina,” Spears said Tuesday. “You’re not going to go into Columbia with a guaranteed victory. You’re going to have to play really good defense in order to stop them from doing what they want to do offensively. They have put together something on offense that I think has the potential to be something special. You get the defense to come with it, and it could be a team here in a couple years that has the talent to compete for the East.”
Ahead of Thursday’s SEC Media Days appearance, Will Muschamp released South Carolina’s preseason depth chart over the weekend, putting fans and analysts alike into a frenzy. For a lot of teams, the depth chart is a pretty big announcement, as it provides a lot of insight into the upcoming season. Under Muschamp, however, that hasn’t been the case for the Gamecocks. The latest two-deep didn’t include many surprises, which is fine. However, it didn’t really answer any questions. Muschamp didn’t give away which way he’s leaning on some position battles, listing three first-team running backs, including A.J. Turner, which seems odd, as Rico Dowdle clearly beat out Turner midway through the 2016 season. Let’s see what kind of answers there are to the questions we still have after the depth chart release. Will the re-shuffled offensive line be better? Zack Bailey was one of the SEC’s best offensive lineman last season, despite playing for one of the conference’s worst front fives. Bailey, who started every game in 2016 at left guard, has moved to right tackle, taking over for Malik Young. Young is moving across to left tackle, filling the void of Mason Zandi, the only senior from last year’s group. The center and right guard positions remain filled by Alan Knott and Cory Helms, a pair of fifth-year seniors who struggled at times last season. Experience should be a big help, but the jury is still out on the linemen who contributed to the Gamecocks 41 sacks allowed in 2016. Donell Stanley will take over at left guard after a 2016 season in which he played just seven snaps, injuring his ankle on South Carolina’s first series against Vanderbilt. A guard in high school, where he became a top 300 recruit, Stanley will be back to his natural position after working as a right tackle last summer. With Stanley back in his normal position, four returning starters and more experience, the Gamecocks should be better this season after allowing the most sacks in the conference in 2016. The biggest question mark may be Bailey, who was stellar last season, but takes on a new challenge in 2017. Who’s the starting running back? Rico Dowdle stole the show last year after getting a chance to play, averaging just under 85 yards per game and relegating A.J. Turner to backup duties. Dowdle is fighting for his job again though, as North Carolina transfer Ty’Son Williams is eligible this season, and he’s gotten rave reviews from players and coaches. Muschamp said Williams runs with a similar one-cut style to Dowdle, and quarterback Jake Bentley described Williams as an explosive, angry runner. Williams broke out during the spring game, turning 11 carries into 83 yards and a touchdown in his first public showing since his freshman year in Chapel Hill. Williams, the No. 22 back in the 2015 class, had just 19 carries for 57 yards during his one year in blue and white. Turner isn’t expected to be much of a factor in the competition, as the sophomore had fewer carries than Dowdle in six of the final seven games of 2016, receiving zero touches against UMass and Florida. Dowdle likely has the edge here over Williams, thanks to three 125-plus yardage performances during the latter half of last season, but Williams’ skill set makes him a strong candidate for a healthy helping of carries, if not a few starts. How will the new guys factor in? The Gamecocks will start practice July 31, so only the early enrollees are listed on this depth chart. Of the six early enrollees, only two cracked the two-deep, with OrTre Smith listed as a second-team receiver and Jaylin Dickerson a second-team safety. South Carolina returns nearly all of last year’s roster, so it’s unlikely that the Gamecocks will lead the nation in true freshman starters again, but top recruits like Jamyest Williams and Shi Smith should find the field this fall. Williams, the team’s top recruit for the 2017 cycle, figures to factor in as a cornerback fairly quickly, as Rashad Fenton is listed as a starter despite well-documented struggles last season. Smith is facing a far more crowded position group, but his versatility should be enough to get him some playing time, possibly ahead of more experienced players who haven’t produced, like Terry Googer, currently listed as a starter in three-wide sets. As the Gamecocks continue to attempt to rebuild the pass rush that was a staple in the three 11-win seasons, defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw and MJ Webb could play immediately, if either proves to be disruptive in practice. Kinlaw is a JUCO transfer, and Webb enrolled early, so both have a leg up on most of the 2017 class. Will we see another depth chart through the season? From the opener against Vanderbilt through the regular season finale at Clemson, Muschamp’s depth chart didn’t change a single time, continuing to list Donell Stanley as a starter while he nursed an ankle injury all season and listing three first-team quarterbacks all year long. It’s possible we could get another depth chart before the Gamecocks take the field Sept. 2, but watching the games will likely be the best indication of who’s playing, just like last season.
Sindarius Thornwell has burst onto the NBA Summer League scene, having turned in two strong performances on national TV in his first three professional games. The LA Clippers guard made waves in his debut, scoring 26 points and getting to the foul line 18 times in an overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers, featuring former top-three picks Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Though Ingram wound up with 26 points of his own, Thornwell was lauded for his aggressive defense and toughness. “You don’t ask to guard the best player on the opposite team. He asked for the challenge,” Clippers Summer League coach Sam Cassell said of Thornwell, who is averaging 16 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in three games. “To see him go out there and put forth the effort and take on the challenge to guard a guy like Ingram was huge.” For Thornwell, he thought he was just doing what he’s supposed to do. “I’ve always guarded the best wing throughout college and so I felt like I should have been on him,” Thornwell said. “When he got going, that’s when I stepped up and took the challenge. It was good.” Cassell described Thornwell as a pitbull, a comparison that shouldn’t surprise many in Columbia, as the former Gamecock averaged 2.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game on his way to SEC Player of the Year honors as a senior. After a down game against Utah, Thornwell bounced back Monday night against Milwaukee, scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds in another win for the Clippers, making them 3-0 heading into the tournament. Thornwell played the entire fourth quarter for LA, helping the team to a 29-18 advantage in the final 10-minute period. Cassell and Gamecock fans aren’t the only ones paying attention to Thornwell anymore. The Lancaster native was the focal point of an LA Times column Monday night, and he’s caught the attention of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers as well as executive Lawrence Frank. “He can score,” Rivers said. “But what I like more about him is his toughness.” “He just knows how to play the game, and that toughness and that competitiveness, I thought that’s what stood out to me,” Frank added. “... You embrace someone who just kind of embraces competition.” Now having won their first three games, Thornwell and the Clippers will await the Summer League tournament, which ends with the title game on July 17.
We all know about Jake Bentley, Deebo Samuel and Bryson Allen-Williams.
Quarterback Jake Bentley, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end Hayden Hurst will speak at SEC Media Days on July 13, conference officials announced Wednesday.
Lonzo Ball may be the reason that Friday's Lakers-Clippers Summer League opener is on ESPN, but he won't be the reason South Carolina fans will be tuning in.
The 2017 NBA Draft has come and gone, and the SEC saw four of its players chosen.
As the July 22 WNBA All-Star Game approaches, voting is starting to heat up, as the game's biggest stars look to secure their trips to Seattle.
The SEC, college football's best conference over the last several seasons, has run into a problem at the most prominent position in the last few years.
With 10 commits already in the fold for the 2018 class, Will Muschamp and the South Carolina coaching staff are continuing to focus on bringing in top talent, and they could reap the benefits, as a couple of players' decisions will come in the upcoming week.
South Carolina's 2017 men's basketball signing class was finalized Wednesday, and Frank Martin will bring six new players to Columbia, five freshmen and a graduate transfer.
In a list published on ESPN Tuesday, Edward Aschoff rated South Carolina's trio of Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards and Hayden Hurst as the best in the SEC for the 2017 season.
Frank Martin generally isn't one to mince words, and that held true in a recent story published by CBS Sports, when South Carolina's head man discussed a hot-button topic, the role of college basketball when it comes to putting players in the NBA.
After setting all sorts of program records during a magical Final Four run, Sindarius Thornwell and PJ Dozier have one last chance to etch their name into the Gamecocks' history books.
Three current South Carolina baseball players and one signee were selected in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft. More are expected to be selected today in the final rounds, but let's take a look at the action so far.