2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	6–15 (4–12 SEC)
Head coach	Frank Martin (9th season);
Assistant coaches	Will Bailey; Chuck Martin; Bruce Shingler;
Home arena	Colonial Life Arena
	Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 5 Alabama†	16	–	2	.889	26	–	7	.788
No. 10 Arkansas	13	–	4	.765	25	–	7	.781
LSU	11	–	6	.647	19	–	10	.655
Tennessee	10	–	7	.588	18	–	9	.667
Florida	9	–	7	.563	15	–	10	.600
Ole Miss	10	–	8	.556	16	–	12	.571
Missouri	8	–	8	.500	16	–	10	.615
Kentucky	8	–	9	.471	9	–	16	.360
Mississippi State	8	–	10	.444	18	–	15	.545
Georgia	7	–	11	.389	14	–	12	.538
Auburn^*	7	–	11	.389	13	–	14	.481
South Carolina	4	–	12	.250	6	–	15	.286
Texas A&M	2	–	8	.200	8	–	10	.444
Vanderbilt	3	–	13	.188	9	–	16	.360

† 2021 SEC tournament winner ^* Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.

The 2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by ninth-year head coach Frank Martin, and play their home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

Previous season[edit]

The Gamecocks finished the 2019–20 season 18–13, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the SEC tournament, they were set to take on Arkansas in the second round before the remainder of the SEC Tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Offseason[edit]

Departures[edit]

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Micaiah Henry	13	F	6'9"	235	Senior	Decatur, GA	Graduated
Maik Kotsar	21	F	6'11"	270	Senior	Tallinn, Estonia	Graduated
Jair Bolden	52	G	6'3"	215	RS Junior	Brooklyn, NY	Graduate transferred to Butler^[1]

Incoming Transfers[edit]

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Ford Cooper Jr.	44	G	6'3"	187	Sophomore	Charlotte, NC	Transfer from Missouri State^[2]

2020 recruiting class[edit]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Patrick Iriel C	Columbia, SC	A. C. Flora (SC)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Aug 6, 2019
Patrick Iriel C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80
Ja'Von Benson PF	Columbia, SC	Ridge View (SC)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Oct 18, 2019
Ja'Von Benson PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78
Tre-Vaughn Minott C	Montreal, QC	NBA Academy Latin America (MX)	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jan 8, 2021
Tre-Vaughn Minott C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "South Carolina 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 1, 2021. "2020 South Carolina Gamecocks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 1, 2021. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 1, 2021.

Roster[edit]

2020–21 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	00	A. J. Lawson	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	Jr	GTA Prep	Mississauga, ON
G	1	T. J. Moss	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	RS So	Findlay Prep	Memphis, TN
F	2	Trey Anderson	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Mater Dei Catholic	San Diego, CA
F	4	Jalyn McCreary	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	So	Legacy Early College	Marietta, GA
G	5	Jermaine Couisnard	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	RS So	Montverde Academy	East Chicago, IN
F	10	Justin Minaya	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS Jr	Northern Valley Regional HS	Harrington Park, NJ
G	12	Trae Hannibal	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	So	Hartsville	Hartsville, SC
G	13	Mike Green (W)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach	Myrtle Beach, SC
F	14	Nathan Nelson (W)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Blackman HS	Murfreesboro, TN
F/C	15	Wildens Leveque	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	So	Gould Academy	Brocton, MA
F	20	Alanzo Frink	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	264 lb (120 kg)	Jr	Roselle Catholic HS	Jersey City, NJ
F	21	Ja'Von Benson	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	253 lb (115 kg)	Fr	Ridge View HS	Columbia, SC
G	23	Seventh Woods	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	RS Sr	Hammond School North Carolina	Columbia, SC
F	24	Keyshawn Bryant	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Winter Haven HS	Winter Haven, FL
G	44	Ford Cooper Jr.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	So	United Faith Christian Academy Missouri State	Charlotte, NC
C	50	Tre-Vaughn Minott	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	280 lb (127 kg)	Fr	NBA Academy Latin America	Montreal, QC

Head coach

Frank Martin (FIU)

Assistant coach(es)

Will Bailey (UAB)
Bruce Shingler (St. Augustine's)
Chuck Martin (Monmouth)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results[edit]

The exhibition game against Coker scheduled for November 25 was cancelled due to a delay in the delivery of Coker’s COVID-19 testing results.^[3]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020*		Coker	cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic					Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
November 28, 2020* 4:00 p.m, ESPNews		vs. Liberty Hall of Fame Classic Semifinals	L 62–78	0–1	12 – Lawson	7 – Bryant	2 – Tied	T-Mobile Center (0) Kansas City, MO
November 29, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN2		vs. Tulsa Hall of Fame Classic Third Place Game	W 69–58	1–1	20 – Couisnard	9 – Tied	4 – Couisnard	T-Mobile Center (0) Kansas City, MO
December 5, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at No. 10 Houston	L 67–77	1–2	13 – Minaya	7 – Hannibal	3 – Tied	Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX
December 10, 2020* 6:00 p.m., SECN		Wofford	cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic					Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
December 14, 2020* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		at George Washington	cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic					Charles E. Smith Center Washington, D.C.
December 19, 2020* 12:00 p.m., ESPNU		No. 24 Clemson Rivalry	cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic					Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
December 23, 2020* 7:00 p.m., SECN		South Carolina State	cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic					Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
January 2, 2021* 3:30 p.m., SECN		Florida A&M	W 78–71	2–2	25 – Lawson	10 – Minaya	5 – Couisnard	Colonial Life Arena (3,100) Columbia, SC
January 6, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPNU		Texas A&M	W 78–54	3–2 (1–0)	30 – Lawson	9 – McCreary	5 – Minaya	Colonial Life Arena (3160) Columbia, SC
January 9, 2021 6:00 p.m., SECN		at Ole Miss	postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic					The Pavilion at Ole Miss Oxford, MS
January 12, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU		No. 10 Tennessee	postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
January 16, 2021 8:30 p.m., SECN		at LSU	L 80–85	3–3 (1–1)	26 – Bryant	10 – Minaya	5 – Tied	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2,143) Baton Rouge, LA
January 19, 2021 7:00 p.m., SECN		at Missouri	L 70–81	3–4 (1–2)	19 – Bryant	11 – Minaya	5 – Tied	Mizzou Arena (0) Columbia, MO
January 23, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN2		Auburn	L 86–109	3–5 (1–3)	24 – Bryant	10 – Leveque	6 – Couisnard	Colonial Life Arena (3,250) Columbia, SC
January 27, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		Georgia	W 83–59	4–5 (2–3)	19 – Bryant	10 – Bryant	6 – Hannibal	Colonial Life Arena (3,156) Columbia, SC
January 30, 2021 8:30 p.m., SECN		at Vanderbilt	L 81–93	4–6 (2–4)	21 – Lawson	6 – Bryant	4 – Couisnard	Memorial Gymnasium (78) Nashville, TN
February 3, 2021 6:30 p.m., SECN		at No. 22 Florida	W 72–66	5–6 (3–4)	22 – Lawson	8 – Lawson	2 – Tied	O'Connell Center (2,282) Gainesville, FL
February 6, 2021 3:30 p.m., SECN		Mississippi State	L 59–75	5–7 (3–5)	13 – Tied	10 – Leveque	4 – Couisnard	Colonial Life Arena (3,208) Columbia, SC
February 9, 2021 6:30 p.m., SECN		No. 11 Alabama	L 78–81	5–8 (3–6)	21 – Lawson	7 – Minaya	5 – Couisnard	Colonial Life Arena (3,089) Columbia, SC
February 13, 2021 6:00 p.m., SECN		Ole Miss	L 74–81	5–9 (3–7)	22 – Lawson	9 – Minaya	4 – Hannibal	Colonial Life Arena (3,250) Columbia, SC
February 17, 2021 9:00 p.m., SECN		at No. 19 Tennessee	L 73–93	5–10 (3–8)	20 – Lawson	7 – Bryant	7 – Woods	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
February 20, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 20 Missouri	L 78–93	5–11 (3–9)	22 – Lawson	6 – Leveque	2 – Bryant	Colonial Life Arena (3,176) Columbia, SC
February 24, 2021 7:00 p.m., SECN		at Mississippi State	L 48–69	5–12 (3–10)	14 – Bryant	8 – Minaya	4 – Moss	Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS
February 27, 2021 1:00 p.m., SECN		at Georgia	W 91–70	6–12 (4–10)	23 – Couisnard	8 – Hannibal	5 – Tied	Stegeman Coliseum (1,638) Athens, GA
March 2, 2021 6:30 p.m., SECN		No. 12 Arkansas	L 73–101	6–13 (4–11)	18 – Lawson	9 – Bryant	7 – Moss	Colonial Life Arena (3,193) Columbia, SC
March 6, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN		at Kentucky	L 64–92	6–14 (4–12)	16 – Bryant	6 – Hannibal	6 – Hannibal	Rupp Arena Lexington, KY
SEC tournament
March 11, 2021 9:30 p.m., SECN	(11)	vs. (6) Ole Miss Second round	L 59–76	6–15	15 – McCreary	6 – Leveque	6 – Moss	Bridgestone Arena (1,809) Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

References[edit]

^ Woods, David (April 29, 2020). "What Butler basketball gets in grad transfer Jair Bolden: Grit, shooting and leadership". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Mizzou Hoops Signs Ed Chang". Missouri Tigers. May 7, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Glover, Emery (November 25, 2020). "Exhibition game between Coker, South Carolina canceled". WIS News. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[1] Woods, David (April 29, 2020). "What Butler basketball gets in grad transfer Jair Bolden: Grit, shooting and leadership". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[2] "Mizzou Hoops Signs Ed Chang". Missouri Tigers. May 7, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}

[3] Glover, Emery (November 25, 2020). "Exhibition game between Coker, South Carolina canceled". WIS News. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
Venues	College Hall (1908-1912) Carolina Gymnasium (1912-1927) Carolina Fieldhouse (1927–1968) Carolina Coliseum (1968–2002) Colonial Life Arena (2002–present)
Rivalries	Clemson
Culture & lore	Cocky "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" Garnet Army 2017–18 corruption scandal
People	Head coaches NBA draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics