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G OGAM ECO C K S

WINTER 2016

2O16
BASKETBALL
PREVIEW

J U ST PL A IN O L' A'JA
Is it possible to be a heart-ripping mercenary on the court and a 20-year-old
college student off it? South Carolina junior All-American A'ja Wilson knows her
6-5 frame and hometown celebrity make her a natural target for pointed fingers,
hushed tones and shy picture requests when shes out in public. But she delights
in showing how a basketball bulldozer can be plain ol Aja.
PAGE 8

USC WOMEN
ROSTER

12

SCHEDULE

14

25 BEST PLAYERS IN USC HISTORY

16

ANALYSIS

18

COVER PHOTO BY TRACY GLANTZ

USC MEN
ROSTER

24

SCHEDULE

25 BEST PLAYERS IN USC HISTORY

ANALYSIS

L E A D E RS O F T H E PA C K

24
30

28

Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice started taking the

leadership reins at the end of last season and continued
throughout a long summer, when the Gamecocks lost
three seniors and four underclassmen. As the new season
begins, Thornwell and Notice know theyll be depended
on to be USCs best players, whether that means scoring
20 or helping Frank Martin coach eight newcomers.
PAGE 20

YOUR AUTHORITY ON USC SPORTS

EDITORIAL
EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR
Rick Millians
(803) 771-8450

rmillians@thestate.com
ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER
Meredith Sheffer
(803) 771-8519

msheffer@thestate.com
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Kevin McLendon
(803) 771-8337

kmclendon@thestate.com

WRITER
David Cloninger, dcloninger@thestate.com

PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTRIBUTORS
Tim Dominick, tdominick@thestate.com
Tracy Glantz, tglantz@thestate.com
Gerry Melendez, gmelendez@thestate.com

THE STATE MEDIA CO.

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
Sara Johnson Borton, publisher@thestate.com
VP & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Mark E. Lett, mlett@thestate.com

ADVERTISING
VICE PRESIDENT
OF ADVERTISING
Bernie Heller
(803) 771-8650

bheller@thestate.com

P.O. Box 1333, Columbia, SC 29202

Phone: 771-8488 Fax: 771-8613

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THE
FACE
OF WOMENS
COLLEGE HOOPS

South Carolinas
Aja Wilson just
graduated from
teenager, but shes
still focused on fun
and winning

8 | GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

STORY BY
DAVID CLONINGER

PHOTOS BY
TRACY GLANTZ

n interview with Aja

Wilson begins with her
asking if she has
chocolate on her teeth.
No, her whites are as
pearly as the strand
around her neck.
Good, she beams. I had a
whole bunch of chocolate before I
came over here.
Its not that shes silly or flighty
or uncommitted. Its that shes
really enjoying her life 20 years
old and a junior broadcast journalism major at the University of
South Carolina.
And an All-American who is
taking over as the face of womens
college basketball.
Its a dream come true, she
said, again with the ear-to-ear
smile thats as outsized as her
game. Ive never really thought a
little girl like me well, not little a
girl like me would turn out to be a
person that didnt even want to
play the sport to now being the possible face of the sport. Its kind of
crazy to think about.
The manic ease with which she
changes gears is as impressive as
her already overstuffed trophy
case. Wilson, carrying a suitcase of
prep awards as the consensus best
high school player in the country,
nonchalantly won SEC Freshman
of the Year by averaging 13.1 points
in a Final Four season. That was
followed by leading the Gamecocks with 16.1 points per game in
a 33-2 season, when she was
named SEC Player of the Year and
SEC Defensive Player of the Year,
a prize she joked about in the
preseason (because defense wasnt
her strong suit and coach Dawn
Staley was always in her ear about
it).
CONTINUED PAGE 10

TOP 10

The best womens players in the country this season (listed in alphabetical order)

JORDIN
CANADA

NINA
DAVIS

DIAMOND
DESHIELDS

M A K AY L A
EPPS

KELSEY
MITCHELL

UCLA

BAYLOR

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

OHIO STATE

AJAS
ACCOLADES

FROM PAGE 9

10 | GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016

First-team AllAmerica (2016)

SEC Player of the

Year (2016)

SEC Defensive
Player of the Year
(2016)

First-team AllSEC (2015, 2016)

SEC All-defensive
team (2016)

SEC All-tournament team (2016)

Third-team AllAmerica (2015)

SEC Freshman of
the Year (2015)

Finalist
Naismith, Wooden, Wade awards
(2016)

SEC All-freshman
team (2015)

Aja Wilsons honors in her first two

seasons at USC:

Five-time SEC
Freshman of the
Week (2015)

n the court, Wilson

was dominant for two
years despite being
surrounded by a bevy
of talent that spurred
the Gamecocks to
three straight SEC
regular-season championships. Off
the court, when Staley relaxes her
social media ban, Wilsons Twitter
and Instagram feature the games
newest poster woman displaying
every expression of her daily life.
Am I smiling? she asks as the
photographer readies another shot.
Requested to look serious, she
breaks into giggles every 10
seconds. Informed that the 2017
Final Four is in Dallas, the shooter
remarks she has friends in Dallas.
I want to go to Dallas, too Wilson says.
After a brief cool-off and an
explanation of the new millennial
term (Five-ever, replacing
forever), Wilson takes a seat and
talks 2016-17. Weird to think she
just graduated from teenager,
having turned 20 in August, and
weirder still to realize with the
departure of all-everything
Connecticut star Breanna Stewart,
Wilsons face will be featured all
over the country as a promotion for
the game.
Thats the thing about Stewie.
She never really talked about it,
Wilson said. She just carried
herself to when you thought about
UConn, you think of winning.
She was always like, Im here
to do one thing, and win, but when

1,000-point
scorer

South Carolina's A'ja Wilson shoots over Ohio State's Kianna

Holland and Shayla Cooper in the second half at the Colonial
Life Arena last season. USC won 88-80.

KELSEY
PLUM

BRIANNA
TURNER

WALKER-KIMBROUGH

S H ATO R I

SYDNEY
WIESE

AJA
WILSON

WASHINGTON

NOTRE DAME

MARYLAND

OREGON STATE

SOUTH CAROLINA

I roomed with her, I saw, Youre

just like me in the room, all jokey
and stuff. With South Carolina
womens basketball, were starting
to be like, When you come here,
were aiming for an SEC championship and we dont do anything
below it. At UConn, thats what
they do.
Wilson will be the leader of that
mission, after the departure of
Tiffany Mitchell and three other
seniors that built Staleys program
into a juggernaut. And while she
accepts her individual popularity as
the games ambassador, her initial
mission is to keep the Gamecocks
where they are and overcome
their last game.

NO EX-CUSE-S
Syracuse was a veteran team that
went on an amazing run last year,
finishing national runner-up after
never having gone to the Sweet 16.
When they beat USC 80-72 in
South Dakota, the Gamecocks
credited the Orange, but never rid
themselves of a sickening feeling

they lost to a team they were better

than.
It humbled us, Wilson said.
For me, I cant watch that game. I
usually watch every game, but I
cannot watch that one. It lingers.
But at the same time, Im like,
Forget it, we cant change it. Lets
get on to the next one.
Wilson left equipment and
emotions in Sioux Falls, wanting to
rid herself of anything associated
with that game. As a freshman, she
was part of a Final Four team and
took it hard when Notre Dame was
one point better in the national

semifinals. As a sophomore,
leading a depleted team that had
only lost once through 34 games,
falling in the Sweet 16 was a
disgrace.
In the Gamecocks locker room, a
white board lists every game from
last year with a grade beside it.
Syracuse is conspicuously absent.
The teams official website only has
stats through USCs round-of-32
win over Kansas State. Its like it
never happened.
If only it hadnt.
I think we would have made it to
the national championship game,
she said. It is a tough pill to
swallow. We go off that loss.

BLING
Wilson had a strand of pearls
around her neck, a single pearl
dangling from another chain and
pearl studs in each ear. She
retrieved another necklace,
featuring large costume pearls,
from her locker.
CONTINUED PAGE 12

GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016 | 11

FROM PAGE 11

My grandmother gave me my first

pearls. She would always kind of say,
Pretty girls wear pearls and I would
say, I want to be pretty, so Ill wear
pearls!, Wilson said. And they
really kind of stuck with me.
Theyre as much a part of her as her
talent. She rarely appears in public
without them, and usually dons the
costume necklace before postgame
news conferences.
I feel naked without them, she
said. I just got a new necklace, it has
my initials in it, and I cant wait to
wear it! I have a case of them.

2O16
2O17

USC WOMENS BASKETBALL

ROSTER
0

VICTORIA
PATRICK

G 5-8 FR.
ORLANDO, FLA.

Two-time state champion

STAR
Like the pearls she obsessively
wears, it took time to make a player
this good. Wilson didnt even want to
play basketball, preferring volleyball.
But when she began sprouting on
her way to 6-foot-5, she was tutored by
dad Roscoe Wilson, a former professional player overseas who still looks
every bit of 6-9. The post moves,
ball-handling and even a deft touch on
a 3-pointer came from him while mom
Eva Wilson drew the line between
basketball star and daughter.
She really helps me out a lot about
balancing things and having a personality, Wilson said. The balls going
to stop bouncing, so I have to be
prepared that when it does, I can still
be a good person.

I
3

WINTER 2016

BRONX, N.Y.

KAELA
DAVIS

G 6-2 JR.
SUWANEE, GA.

Light-it-up shooter from Ga. Tech eligible this year

Wilson is used to celebrity glare.

Shes dealt with it since she picked up
a basketball.
Staley expects her to be a leader this
year, although fellow forward and
first-team All-SEC selection Alaina
Coates is a senior. Wilson learned
what to do at USC under the tutelage
of Aleighsa Welch and Mitchell, and
how to handle the national glare from
Stewart.
Of last years four Naismith Trophy
finalists, only Wilson remains. As the
best player on one of the countrys
best teams, she knows massive
publicity is coming, but is handling it
the same way she did as Americas top
recruit.
I build off of two summers ago,
l

G 5-6 JR.

Veteran could lead the point-guard corps

SPOTLIGHT

12 | GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

BIANCA
CUEVAS-MOORE

DONIYAH
CLINEY

G 6-0 SO.
NEWARK, N.J.

Can play four spots

I0

ALLISHA
GRAY

G 6-0 JR.
SANDERSVILLE, GA.

UNC transfer solid at 1 or 2

I2

ARAION
BRADSHAW

No. 10 guard in the country

# INELIGIBLE DUE TO TRANSFER

G 5-6 FR.
HYDE PARK, MASS.

A'JA WILSON: THE FACE OF WOMEN'S COLLEGE HOOPS

I5

TIFFANY
DAVIS

G 5-7 RJR.
HOUSTON

Teams oldest player wants to stay healthy

2I

MIKIAH
HARRIGAN

F 6-2 FR.
PEMBROKE PINES, FLA.

Might get the most minutes of freshmen

22

A'J A
WILSON

F 6-5 JR.
HOPKINS

Reigning SEC Player of the Year

35

ALEXIS
JENNINGS

F 6-2 RJR.
MADISON, ALA.

Former rival at Kentucky now in garnet and black #

4I

ALAINA
COATES

C 6-4 SR.
IRMO

Dominant post player who has one more season

44

INDIA
FARMER

F 6-0 SR.
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Vital to bench strength and practice^

52

TYASHA
HARRIS

Top 30 pledge will challenge at PG

^WALK-ON

G 5-10 FR.
NOBLESVILLE, IND.

with Team USA, when I was kind of the

oldest on that team, Wilson said. I go
from listening to people looking at me,
asking What do we do? Thats when it
hit me youre not a follower anymore,
youre a leader now.
More interviews and magazine covers
will follow, especially if Wilson leads
the Gamecocks through a brutal
nonconference schedule before they
start trying to defend their tri-SEC
titles. Staley is confident her star can
handle it, considering shes been there
before and still has help around her.
She and I have a really good relationship, and she can come to me and we
can talk together about how to direct
this team, Wilson said. But it takes a
lot of hard work to be a captain of this
ship were about to step on.

BALANCE
Is it possible to be a heart-ripping
mercenary on the court and a 20-yearold college student off it? Wilson knows
her 6-5 frame and hometown celebrity
makes her a natural target for pointed
fingers, hushed tones and shy picture
requests when shes out in public, and
delights in showing how a basketball
bulldozer can be plain ol Aja.
Its just a part of me. I try my best to
feel the good out of everything, she
said. Even when coach is like, cussin
me out, Im like, You still have on some
nice shoes, coach. You got to have the
balance in everything you do.
Shes handled the hype since high
school. My family and I will sit around
and laugh at the fact that I was the No. 1
player, Wilson giggles. All these
females in the nation and youre gonna
pick me?
She has handled being a great player
on a great team playing for a demanding coach. Im just a 20-year-old with
my name up there among the greatest
women to ever play this sport, she
demurs. Howd that happen?
Now to handle it all in a huge package, expected to be the best of the entire
sport. Yet when that scenario is mentioned, Wilson has the same reaction as
to her other numerous awards.
I just really go out and play and kind
of do me, she shrugged. Im not going
to stop being me.
GG
GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016 | 13

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2O16-2O17

USC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Date

Opponent

Time

TV

Comment

NOV. 7

BENEDICT (Exh.)

TBA

None

Cross-town team gets to play in front of a big crowd.

NOV. 14

at Ohio State

TBA

None

Future Final Four matchup?

NOV. 20

HAMPTON#

3 p.m.

None

Fourth meeting since 2012.

NOV. 21

MAINE#

7 p.m.

None

First USC-Maine game since 1991.

NOV. 22

ST. PETERS#

7 p.m.

None

Gamecocks vs. Peacocks.

NOV. 27

Louisville%#

1 p.m.

ESPN2

Two of nations best teams in basketball capital of the world.

DEC. 1

at Texas^

7 p.m.

ESPN2

Longhorns also finished in the Top 10 last year.

DEC. 4

at Duke

TBA

TBA

Cameron Indoor was garnet the last time.

DEC. 11

MINNESOTA

3 p.m.

SEC

Assistant Fred Chmiel reunites with his former team.

DEC. 15

CLEMSON

7 p.m.

SEC

Battle of the former Virginia roommates.

DEC. 18

UCLA

2 p.m.

ESPN2

Eliminated by Texas in Sweet 16 last year.

DEC. 21

at Savannah St.

TBA

None

USC fans could outnumber the home team.

JAN. 1

ALABAMA*

2 p.m.

ESPN2

4-12 SEC last year; but returns Ashley Williams.

JAN. 5

at Auburn*

7 p.m.

None

A surprising 8-8 league team that plays vicious defense.

JAN. 8

at Florida*

Noon

ESPNU

Gators have their swagger back after a couple of down years.

JAN. 12

GEORGIA*

7 p.m.

SEC

Dogs would have double-digit SEC wins if not for injuries.

JAN. 15

at LSU*

3 p.m.

None

Tigers need to have a strong year.

JAN. 19

OLE MISS*

7 p.m.

SEC

Leagues youngest team might grow up this season.

JAN. 23

MISSISSIPPI ST.*

7 p.m.

ESPN2

Could decide championship, top tournament seed.

JAN. 26

at Georgia*

7 p.m.

SEC

Will Joni Taylors team be tougher at home?

JAN. 30

TENNESSEE*

6 p.m.

ESPN2

Another prime-time Monday matchup.

FEB. 2

at Kentucky*

7 p.m.

SEC

Wildcats still have Makayla Epps.

FEB. 5

at Arkansas*

2 p.m.

ESPN2

Will Hogs claim form of two years ago?

FEB. 9

AUBURN*

7 p.m.

None

Coach Williams-Flournoy gets an earful from CLA faithful.

FEB. 13

at Connecticut

9 p.m.

ESPN2

No more Breanna Stewart, but its still UConn on the road.

FEB. 16

VANDERBILT*

7 p.m.

SEC

Melanie Balcomb sees her old squad come to her new home.

FEB. 19

at Missouri*

3 p.m.

ESPN2

2016 Freshman of the Year Sophie Cunningham a tough out.

FEB. 23

at Texas A&M*

9 p.m.

SEC

No more Courtneys, but Aggies tough in College Station.

FEB. 26

KENTUCKY*

2 or 5 p.m.

ESPNU or ESPN2

Senior Day might mean another quick exit for Matthew Mitchell.

MARCH 1-5

SEC tournament

(Greenville)

Home games in CAPS

# Hall of Fame Challenge % at Springfield, Mass.

^ Big 12/SEC Challenge

* SEC game

USC WOMEN'S BA SKE TBALL

6. MINDY BA LLOU (1982-86)

Three-time All-American whos second in career assists

5 . T IF FA NY MI TCH EL L (2012-16)
Two-time SEC Player of the Year and three-time All-American

1 2. DE NI SE NA NNEY (1974-77)
Averaged 17.8 points per game as USCs first star

ALEIGHSA WELCH

13. AJA W ILSON (2014-present)

1 1 . LAK EISHA SUT TON (2008-12)

Gritty point guard who started Staleys run of NCAAs

10 . MA RSHA W ILLIA MS (1989-93)

Two-time All-American and No. 10 scorer

9. K AT RINA A ND ERSON (1977-79)

USCs first All-American whos 13th in scoring, despite only playing two seasons

8. JOCELYN PENN (1998-03)

Fourth-leading scorer who anchored two NCAA Tournament teams

MARTHA PARKER

4 . BRA NT LEY S OUTH ERS (1981-86)

Third-leading scorer and three-time All-American

3. SHA N N ON JOH N S ON (1992-96)

No. 2 career scorer whose number was retired

2 . MA RTH A PA RKER (1985-89)

Three-time All-American who played in three NCAA tournaments

7. A LEIGHSA W ELCH (2011-15)

Dawn Staleys first homegrown recruit who helped begin NCAA Tournament run

BY DAVID CLONINGER

Ranking the best womens players in

South Carolina basketball history

W O M E N ' S P L AY E R S

TOP 25
SHEILA FOSTER

1 . S H EILA F OSTER (1978-82)

Programs top career scorer and rebounder

LA'KEISHA SUTTON

TIFFANY MITCHELL

ALAINA COATES

EVELYN JOHNSON

21 . S H ARO N GILM ORE (1982-86)

No. 11 scorer who had four winning seasons

20 . AS HL EY B RUNER (2009-13)
Impacted in ways much bigger than her listed height

19 . IE AS IA WA LK ER (2009-13)
Point guard who aided USCs rise to respectability under Staley

25. KH ADI JAH S ESS IO N S (2012-16)

PG during USCs elevation from good to dominant

24. C H AR EN EE ST EP HEN S (2008-12)

An enforcer on the block who gave Staleys early teams their attitude

23 . RE NE E N AJARIAN (1983-85)
She was an All-American as a senior

22. BE T H HU NT (1988-90)
All-American who averaged more than 20 points per game

ASHLEY BRUNER

17. A LA INA COAT ES (2013-present)

Could be USCs most dominant post

16. SHAUNZINSK I GORT MA N (1998-02)

All-American who helped lead an Elite Eight team

15 . K A REN MID D LETON (1987-91)

Volume scorer on four NCAA Tournament teams

1 8. EVELYN JOHNSON (1979-83)

Magics sister scored 1,620 points, ninth on the career chart

IEASIA WALKER

14 . SCHONNA BA NN ER (1986-90)
All-American and No. 6 career scorer

13. AJA W ILSON (2014-present)

Already SEC Freshman/Defensive/Player of the Year and All-American, with two seasons to go

DAVI D C LO N I NG E R
USC WOMEN 'S A NA LYS I S

ITS
THEIR
TURN
TO WIN AN NCAA
CHAMPIONSHIP

Gamecocks
presumed
starting five
will feature
four of the
most talented
players in the
country

33-2 season is not a disappointment. A 19-0 mark

against SEC competition
(stretching an SEC winning
streak to 22) is not a failure.
A third straight SEC
regular-season championship, a second straight SEC
tournament championship and claiming
two of the four finalists for National
Player of the Year are not collapses.
Yet, thats what 2015-16 was.
This is not just my opinion. Ask South
Carolinas players and coaches. They
worked their tails off all season and it
was an incredibly successful
season, given the injuries and
shortened roster to get back to
the Final Four. They had the
talent and everything necessary
to make consecutive trips to
basketballs last weekend, and
maybe theyd get to that final
game and bring home the only
prize missing from Dawn Staleys
trophy case.
Yet there they were, sobbing
and stunned in Sioux Falls, after
Syracuse shocked them in the
Sweet 16. The Orange finished as
national runners-up, but I and
many thousand others knew
USC was the better team.
Its not sour grapes. Really.
Talent-wise, there is no comparison. Syracuse got on an incredible run and made it to where
most dreams go to die (when
UConn is on the other sideline).
But USC lost to a team it was better
than. And that was where a glorious
season that was destined to end during an
Indianapolis April finished in snowy
South Dakota, in March.
The price of success is never doing
enough to equal past successes. In
2014-15, USC set a goal of the Final Four
and hit it. In 2015-16, with almost
everybody returning, the Final Four was
the same goal and the Gamecocks didnt
get there.
Not surprisingly, its the same goal in
2016-17. Despite the loss of the indispensable Tiffany Mitchell and others who
had started almost every game of the past
two years, USC knows it has the talent to
18 | GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016

get back to the Final Four and perhaps

take that last step.
The Gamecocks presumed starting five
will feature four of the most talented
players in the country. Aja Wilson, the
reigning SEC Player of the Year (and SEC
Defensive Player of the Year) is the new
face of womens basketball and paired
with Alaina Coates, USC might have the
best frontcourt in the game. Points-producing dervish Kaela Davis and the
heady Allisha Gray are free from their
one-year transfer exile and ready to
replace what USC lost in Mitchell and
Asia Dozier.
The only question is at point guard.
Who takes over the spot that Khadijah
Sessions anchored for three years? The
Gamecocks have options, led by veterans
Tiffany Davis and Bianca Cuevas-Moore,
with rookies Araion Bradshaw and
Tyasha Harris in the wings. Its a difficult
job, made that way by having one of the
best to ever play it as the coach, but it
becomes simpler with USCs preferred
offense get the ball inside.
Staley wants her team anchored in the
post, and it should be. Not many teams
roll out 6-foot-5 and 6-4 on the block,
and knowing the lethal K-Davis can hit
from anywhere, opponents wont know
who to guard. Even without a known
answer at point guard, its pretty simple
you dont have to shoot. So just pass,
and dont turn it over.
The schedule is very conducive to
continuing the run of SEC success,
although the first half, in the words of
play-by-play man Brad Muller, is a
mini-NCAA Tournament. Still, its an
entire schedule set up like the past few
years the Gamecocks are playing to win
the NCAA Tournament, not just get
there.
So if they happen to lose an SEC game
or two to break the streak, or theyre not
as dominant while breaking in the new
players, take a deep breath. Ask yourself,
Would you have traded two of those 19
wins against SEC competition last year
for two wins in Sioux Falls?
South Carolina would have. It cant, but
it would have.
But the Gamecocks can complete this
seasons goal. And should.

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USC MEN 'S BASKET BALL

L AST
C HANCE
TO DANCE
IT BEGAN WITH A TWEET.
South Carolinas basketball players each stared
at the nearest phone, dialed to Twitter and displaying a leaked NCAA Tournament bracket during last years selection show. Nobody knew if it
was accurate, but the Gamecocks didnt see their
name among the 68 teams and began to add two
and two.
They were told to meet as a team for the show
and not attend USCs watch party for fans. They
groaned when Vanderbilt, a team they beat and
had more wins than, was summoned for the tournament. Then came the agony of a congratulatory text from the NCAA selection committee, a
hasty apology for sending a false message and
the realization that the leaked bracket was correct,
right down to the last team.
And that team wasnt South Carolina.
We thought after we beat Arkansas, we were
locked in. Coming into that day, everybody was
just waiting to see where we were going, who we
were going to play, Sindarius Thornwell said.
We were hurt. Thats the ultimate goal and we
thought we did enough. A few of those teams, we
proved we were better than them.
CONTINUED PAGE 22

STORY BY
DAVID CLONINGER

PHOTOS BY
GERRY MELENDEZ

Sindarius Thornwell
and Duane Notice are
channeling the sting of last
years NCAA Tournament
snub into their senior
seasons

GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016 | 21

SIN S SA LUT ES
A look at Sindarius Thornwell:
POSITION: Guard
HT./WT.: 6-5/211
CLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN: Lancaster

FROM PAGE 20

MAJOR: Sociology
HONORS:
; SEC All-defensive team (2016)
; SEC Academic honor roll (2016)
; SEC Player of the Week (2015)
; SEC Winter academic honor roll
(2015)
; SEC All-freshman team (2014)
; Three-time SEC Freshman of the
Week (2014)
; Wayman Tisdale National Freshman
of the Week (Feb. 18, 2014)
; SEC First-Year academic honor roll
(2014)
; 1,000-point scorer

ut it didnt matter. Coach Frank Martin didnt rail at the selection

committee or start punching numbers into his cell, seeking an
explanation. He did the only thing he could, which was face his
shattered team and say that as disappointing as the snub was, the
Gamecocks still had a postseason game the next week.
He just told us that we were waiting for the NIT and to get
ready for that, Thornwell said.
At that moment, Thornwell looked at Michael Carrera, the Gamecocks
soul for four years, and began preparing. Duane Notice didnt have to speak
to his backcourt mate to know what he was thinking, and he was in, too.
Their taking of the leadership reins started with that leaked bracket and
has carried throughout the short NIT run and a long summer, when the
Gamecocks lost Carerra, two other seniors and four underclassmen. As the
new season begins, Thornwell and Notice know theyll be depended on to be
USCs best players every night, whether that means scoring 20 or helping
Martin coach eight newcomers.

3122 Platt Springs Road

West Columbia, SC 29170

803-661-7881

www.facebook.com/carolinabuffetSC

Tuesday - Friday

Sunday

Lunch

11am-3pm

Dinner

Closed Mondays &

Saturdays

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22 | GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016

803-490-2807

114 Glassmaster Rd
Lexington, SC 29072

LAST CHANCE: SINDARIUS THORNWELL & DUANE NOTICE

heyre ready. While it might be impossible to replace Carreras frenzied

intensity, the two seniors have prepped their skills and personalities to make
the 2016-17 Gamecocks their team.
Which it has to be, considering theyre USCs two most experienced and
proven players.
Me and Duane are both 1,000-point scorers in three years, and the young
guys look at us and say, OK, if theyre finishing first with what theyve done, I got to
keep up with them, Thornwell said. We try to lead by example.
We have to instill in them that when we first came here, we didnt have all the fans
that they see now, we didnt have the gear we have, all the privileges that are coming
with the success weve had, Notice said. When we came here four years ago, the
program wasnt nearly where it is now. They see how much we sacrificed to get us to
this point.
Neither dreamed theyd be seniors without an NCAA Tournament, not when friends
and former prep teammates or opponents were making the Final Four or in one case,
CONTINUED PAGE 24

DUAN E S
DI ST IN CTI O N S
A look at Duane Notice:
POSITION: Guard
HT./WT.: 6-2/225
CLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN:
Toronto, Canada
MAJOR: Broadcast
Journalism
HONORS:
; SEC Sixth Man of the
Year (2016)
; SEC Player of the
Week (2015)
; SEC First-Year academic honor roll (2014)
; 1,000-point scorer

GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016 | 23

FROM PAGE 23

drilling a 3-pointer for the national

championship. Thornwell figured he
wouldnt make it as a freshman, but as
a sophomore, of course he would.
When that didnt happen, their
junior years had to be it, because how
could it not be? USC began 15-0. It
won 24 regular-season games to only
seven losses, and while a first-round
SEC Tournament exit stung, it
shouldnt have been a death blow.
Power-5 teams with 24 wins dont get
left out.
And then they were.
The snub wont be preached in every
pregame this year, because the
majority of this years team wasnt
there for it. Yet its always there for
Thornwell and Notice, because theyll
carry the most pressure to ensure USC
doesnt have to face it a second
straight season.
Its not something you can really
ignore, but its not something you can
dwell on, either, Thornwell said. We
keep it in the back of minds and know
we got to do a little bit more to make
it.
The Gamecocks lost their inside
presence, although they return
above-the-rim authority Chris Silva
and signed four posts that stand 6-9,
6-9, 6-10 and 7 feet. Senior Justin
McKie has also been around for four
years, although health has limited his
role. Sophomore P.J. Dozier is hoping
summer training with Steph Curry,
among others, will help him avoid the
quick foul trouble that dogged him last
season.
Martin wisely bumped a summer
exhibition trip to Costa Rica up a year
to acclimate his rookies for what
theyll see this season. The extra
practice and games didnt hurt, but it
also created instant chemistry forced
to be around each other all day every
day for a week in a foreign country
gave the players no choice but to start
learning each other.
It seems likely USC will lean on
Dozier, Thornwell and Notice to score
and direct while the big men get used
to the college game. Notice, the SECs
Sixth Man of the Year last season, will
probably move back into the starting
lineup and has been fine-tuning his
inside game so he wont be pigeon-

USC MENS BASKETBALL

2O16
2O17

ROSTER
0

WINTER 2015

G 6-5 211 SR.

LANCASTER

Started all 101 games of his career

KORY
HOLDEN

G 6-1 181 JR.

SALISBURY, MD.

High-scoring transfer from Delaware#

HASSANI
GRAVETT

G 6-1 183 rSO.

VILLA RICA, GA.

Former Ga. 4A Player of Year

RAKYM
FELDER

G 5-10 210 FR.

BROOKLYN

Started at Indian Land, finished in New York

TEMARCUS
BLANTON

G 6-5 206 rSO.

LOCUST GROVE, GA.

Hoping his rebuilt hip allows him to play

10

DUANE
NOTICE

G 6-2 225 SR.

TORONTO, CANADA

2016 SEC Sixth Man of the Year

12

KHADIM
GUEYE

Immediate frontcourt presence

# INELIGIBLE DUE TO TRANSFER

24 | GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

SINDARIUS
THORNWELL

F 7-0 235 FR.

DAKAR, SENEGAL

LAST CHANCE: SINDARIUS THORNWELL & DUANE NOTICE

13

TOMMY
CORCHIANI

G 6-1 173 FR.

RALEIGH, N.C.

Son of Wolfpack great^

14

RAN
TUT

F 6-9 210 JR.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Averaged 10.4 points last year

15

P.J.
DOZIER

G 6-6 205 S0.

COLUMBIA

Electrifying when he can stay on the floor

20

JUSTIN
MCKIE

G 6-4 204 SR.

COLUMBIA

One more chance to stay healthy and contribute

2i

MAIK
KOTSAR

F 6-10 245 FR.

TALLIN, ESTONIA

Big man with an outside shot

24

SEDEE
KEITA

F 6-9 240 FR.

PHILADELPHIA

Top 100 prospect

30

CHRIS
SILVA

F 6-9 223 SO.

LIBREVILLE, GABON

Rim-eater looking for consistency

3i

JARRELL
HOLLIMAN

Oldest of the post players^

F 6-7 206 rJR.

ALPHARETTA, GA.

holed as an outside shooter.

The Xs and Os will be dissected
when the first ball is tipped, but
Thornwell and Notice know the rest of
their seasons began with that Tweet.
How will they handle it when adversity
hits? How will they get their arms
around a fresh-faced team and come
up with a plan to as USC loves to
promote win anyway?
Weve all had talks with coach. One
of the first things he told us was we
dont have to be a Michael Carrera,
Notice said. Mike led by his actions
because of where he came from. The
good thing about having senior leaders
is we bring different attitudes to
leadership. Me, Im not a vocal rah-rah
guy, but I think we lead by example.
The two were annoyed by one
preseason projection, which picked
the Gamecocks ninth in the SEC. They
also werent pleased when their names
werent on the same magazines
preseason All-SEC first, second or
third teams.
They robbed us, Thornwell said,
teeth bared and 180 degrees from his
usual joviality. Three preseason
teams, and me and Duane arent on
one of them? Were projected ninth
with three starters returning, with two
of them 1,000-point scorers? A lot of
teams lost everybody.
The narrative will feature talk of
motivation, from that and last year,
but the two say they wont make it a
season-long theme in the locker room.
Were in that position every year,
where we see the predictions and its
Wow, they picked us low, shrugged
Notice. The young guys dont even
know about it.
Theyll coach, instruct and teach
their teammates while making it clear
theres a way to conduct themselves,
and then provide that example. USC
could take that extra step this season,
but will only go as far as its leaders
take it.
We got to be the hardest workers,
we got to finish first, we got to be on
top of everything so they know, this is
what it takes, Thornwell said.
Perhaps the selection committee will
see that too, and if a bracket is leaked
this year, USC will finally join the
party.
GG

^WALK-ON
GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016 | 25

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WINTER 2016

FRANK MARTIN

2O16-2O17
Date

Opponent

NOV. 6

Time

USC MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

TV

comment

NEWBERRY (Exh.) TBA

None

Another nearby in-state team gets to play in the big arena.

NOV. 11

LOUISIANA TECH

TBA

None

23 wins and Vegas 16 berth a year ago.

NOV. 13

HOLY CROSS#

TBA

None

Reigning Patriot League champs.

NOV. 15

MONMOUTH#

TBA

None

Like USC, No. 1 NIT seed a year ago.

NOV. 18

S.C. STATE#

TBA

None

Nearly made NCAAs in feel-good story of the year.

NOV. 23

MICHIGAN

5 p.m.

ESPNU

First matchup since 2006 NIT championship.

NOV. 26

Syracuse# ^

TBA

None

Squeaked into NCAAs last year, made the Final Four.

DEC. 1

VERMONT

TBA

None

America East title game participants.

DEC. 4

FLORIDA INT'L

TBA

None

USC coach Frank Martins alma mater.

DEC. 12

Seton Hall%

TBA

TBA

Won Big East title over national champ Villanova.

DEC. 17

at USF

TBA

None

Return game will pair only two Hispanic D-I head coaches.

DEC. 21

CLEMSON

9 p.m.

ESPNU

Gamecocks riding a two-game rivalry winning streak.

DEC. 27

LANDER

TBA

None

Third straight year USC plays an in-state non-D-I team.

DEC. 30

at Memphis

9 p.m.

ESPNU

Another return game, but Tigers have a new coach in Tubby Smith.

JAN. 4

at Georgia*

7 p.m.

ESPNU

Bulldogs return USC-killer J.J. Frazier.

JAN. 7

TEXAS A&M*

TBA

CBS

Defending SEC co-champs.

JAN. 11

at Tennessee*

6:30 p.m.

SEC

Thompson-Boling has been brutal to Gamecocks.

JAN. 14

OLE MISS*

6:30 p.m.

ESPNU

Will Cullen Neal be as good as Henderson and Moody?

JAN. 18

FLORIDA*

6:30 p.m.

SEC

Former CofC guard Canyon Barry now a Gator.

Jan. 21

at Kentucky*

TBA

ESPN or ESPN2

Only game with the Wildcats.

Jan. 24

AUBURN*

6:30 p.m.

SEC

Is 5-star Mustapha Heron the start of something big?

Jan. 28

at Missouri*

8:30 p.m.

SEC

Gamecocks somehow lost here last year.

FEB. 1

at LSU*

9 p.m.

SEC

Life in the post-Ben Simmons Era could be rough.

FEB. 4

GEORGIA*

2 p.m.

ESPN or ESPN2

These guys again. They beat USC three times last season.

FEB. 7

ALABAMA*

6:30 p.m.

SEC

Tide ended USCs 15-game win streak last season.

FEB. 11

at Mississippi St.*

8 p.m.

ESPN2

Ben Howland starting to reel in the talent.

FEB. 15

ARKANSAS*

6:30 p.m.

SEC

Moses Kingsley is back, but only four returnees with him.

FEB. 18

at Vanderbilt*

8:30 p.m.

SEC

Bryce Drew takes over underachieving team that made NCAAs.

FEB. 21

at Florida*

7 p.m.

ESPN

Gators lost their last four regular-season games last year.

FEB. 25

TENNESSEE*

1 p.m.

SEC

Is this the year Rick Barnes makes his NCAA run?

FEB. 28

MISSISSIPPI ST.*

7 p.m.

ESPNU

Senior Night for Thornwell, Notice and McKie.

MARCH 4

at Ole Miss*

8:30 p.m.

SEC

USC won its final regular-season game last year on the road.

MARCH 8-12

SEC tournament

Home games in CAPS | # Brooklyn Holiday Hoops Invitational

(In Nashville, Tenn.)

^ at Barclays Center

| % Under Armour Reunion at Madison Square Garden | * SEC game

DEVAN DOWNEY

JOHN ROCHE

ALEX ENGLISH

BY DAVID CLONINGER

Ranking the best mens players in

South Carolina basketball history

M E N ' S P L AY E R S

TOP 25

BJ MCKIE

12 . JA CK T HOMPSON (1966-68)
Perhaps the best point guard in USC history.

11. CA RLOS POW ELL (2001-05)

No. 7 career scorer and awesomely talented forward who could play any spot.

10 . A RT W HISNA NT (1959-62)
Three-time All-ACC selection still ninth in career scoring.

9. TOM OW ENS (1968-71)

Only USC player to score 1,000 points and haul in 1,000 rebounds over three seasons.

8. MIK E D UNLEAVY (1972-76)

Had the 3-pointer been around in his day, he may have been USCs career-best scorer.

7. JI MMY F OST ER (1980-84)

Fifth in career scoring and rebounding, the wild man was a throwback to the McGuire days.

6. G RADY WA LLA CE (1955-57)

11th in career scoring despite only playing two seasons, helped by a nations-best 31.3 ppg in 1956-57.

5. KEV IN JOYCE (1970-73)

All-American, 15th on the career scoring list, retired jersey and made the key play on USCs only ACC champion.

4. DEVAN DOWNE Y (2007-10)

Hard to find a player who gave more than the scoring dervish from Chester.

3. BJ MCKI E (1995-99)
Career-leading scorer who paced USCs only SEC champion.

2. AL EX E NGL ISH (1972-76)

An athletic specimen who could do anything he wanted on the court (and always did).

1. JOH N RO CH E (1968-71)
Gave Frank McGuires teams their identity tough, hard-nosed, elite.

USC MEN'S BA SKETBALL

CARLOS POWELL

SKIP HARLIKA

2 5 . MICH A EL CA RRERA (2012-16)

If ever a man personified Fightin Gamecock, its him.

2 4 . J OE S MITH (1951-55)
23rd in career scoring, fifth in career rebounding.

2 3. F RED D IE TOMP KIN S (1932-34)

The star of USCs first champion, the Southern Conference kings of 1932-33.

2 2 . BRIA N W IN TERS (1971-74)

Long-range shooter who had a solid career despite injuries.

2 1. MELVIN WATS ON (1994-98)

Smooth PG who helped USC to back-to-back NCAA tournaments.

2 0 . ZA M F RED R ICK (1977-81)

USCs second national scoring champ. If McGuire had let him do what he did naturally, hed have had a lot more than 1,383 points.

19. TOM RIK ER (1970-72)

19th on the career scoring chart and a man you never, ever messed with.

18. SK IP HA RLICK A (1966-68)

17.5 ppg average as a part of McGuires first wave of recruits.

17. JO JO ENGLISH (1988-92)

Averaged over 15 points per game for final three seasons.

16. NAT E DAVIS (1973-77)

A bruiser who played much bigger than his 6-4 height, Davis finished with 1,345 points.

1 5. T ERRY D OZIER (1985-89)

USCs first McDonalds All-American who is 12th on the career scoring chart.

14. JIM S LAUGHT ER (1947-51)

If official rebounding records had been kept his entire career, he could have set a
mark that never would have been broken.

13 . GARY GREGOR (1965-68)

All-ACC and leagues best rebounder for two seasons, with a double-double average.

MELVIN WATSON

MICHAEL CARRERA

DAVI D C LO N I NG E R
USC MEN 'S A N A LYS I S

NO
DOUBT
ABOUT
IT
Exclusion
from last
years NCAA
Tournament
serves as a
lesson for this
season

AILROADED. DENIED.
Left holding the bag.
However you want to
name it, last years NCAA
Tournament began
without South Carolina, a
spot it would have earned
in every other set of circumstances
since the turn of the century.
I know, I know those other ones
didnt matter because only this one did.
And it was this year that a 24-8 record,
top-three league finish and beating
other teams that got in wasnt deemed
good enough. The NCAA selection
committee pointed out lack of quality
wins and the rest of the world pointed
out some really head-scratching losses,
but Ill believe the rest of my life that
South Carolina didnt get in because its
South Carolina.
This isnt to say the NCAA has a
vendetta against the Gamecocks. Its to
say college basketball, like the rest of
the world, is going to take care of its
own first.
So when power brokers saw Syracuse
and Michigan and Vanderbilt, teams
that had been in several recent tournaments and have won championships,
bidding for those precious few at-large
spots with South Carolina, they won.
They got in with more losses and in
Vandys case, a loss to the Gamecocks.
South Carolina was left with a season
that tied for the most wins in its history,
yet no NCAA Tournament berth. And
its because of its own history. The
NCAA wasnt going to feel obligated to
take a team with no NCAA Tournament
wins since 1973 unless its resume
passed every criterion it came up with
for that particular year.
So it didnt.
Frank Martin picked up his fallen
team, was forced to clear out some
knuckleheads and filled his roster with
height, depth and a scoring star (Kory
Holden) who is ineligible as a transfer,
but can offer in practice what the
Gamecocks expect to see from their
opponents.
The first question for 2016-17 is, Can
the Gamecocks take that final step?
Theyll have the talent to, but the first
part of getting there is looking at last
year, talking about it once and then

30 | GOGAMECOCKS THE MAGAZINE

WINTER 2016

burying it.
Last year is last year. This year is a
new opportunity to get that NCAA bid
that has eluded the Gamecocks since
2004.
Its not a theme. Its not something
well put up on the board and kind of
make it stay there, said Martin, who
was rewarded with a contract extension. Were a good team. Our players
know were a good team. Were just
going to keep building and hopefully
one day, that changes and the NCAA
Tournament becomes reality.
USC returns two 1,000-point scorers
in seniors Sindarius Thornwell and SEC
Sixth Man of the Year Duane Notice.
Fellow senior Justin McKie can be an
integral player if he can avoid the
injuries of his first three years. Sophomore P.J. Dozier spent part of his
summer working with Steph Curry and
sophomore Chris Silva, the only
returning starter from the five players
suspended before the NIT, can handle
the post.
After that, it's a lot of new. Five
freshmen and two JUCO transfers are
in town, meaning that outside the main
four, only TeMarcus Blanton and Jarrell
Holliman were here last year. They
have 12 games of experience between
them. The Gamecocks will be a
guard-based team because those are
the players who have been here and
produced, and the hope is the newbies
(guard Hassani Gravett, bigs Sedee
Keita, Ran Tut, Maik Kotsar and
7-footer Khadim Gueye) quickly
develop.
Theyll have to, because Martin took
what the NCAA said cost his team last
year and augmented it. Michigan,
Syracuse, Seton Hall, Monmouth,
Clemson and Memphis dot the schedule, along with the usual 18-game SEC
gauntlet.
They might not have to win 24, if they
beat the right teams. They might not
have to do as well in the SEC (although
just beating Georgia once would do
wonders for psyche).
What they have to do is submit a
sheet in March that proves the Gamecocks are a no-doubt tournament team.
They thought they did last year.
Not that theyre going to talk about it.

Focused on getting
you better sooner.

Connor Shaw, University of South Carolinas

All-Time Winningest Quarterback

Lex-Ortho.com

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