Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
South Carolina (Projected: 16th in SEC)
South Carolina was the surprise of the season in the SEC last year, finishing 13-5 in conference. The metrics show the team was shaky though, and that the team was probably closer to a .500 team in the SEC than a team that would’ve finished tied for second. The team had an extremely slow pace and was able to stay in close games before pulling out a victory. I like Lamont Paris as a coach, and think he did a great job last season, but I have a hard time believing he can pull off another miracle season in the SEC.
Six players who played minutes last season and two redshirts return to the South Carolina program for 2024-25. Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles (10 ppg, 6 rpg) is the important one, an athletic forward who was getting NBA looks this offseason. Murray-Boyles missed the first six games of 2023-24 with mononucleosis, and didn’t fully become healthy until conference play, but he became a dominant force in the SEC once he did as just a freshman. He will be the best player on this team and could very will be a first round pick in the NBA Draft. I’m just very unsure about everything surrounding him for the Gamecocks.
The other returners who played big minutes for the Gamecocks last season are guards Myles Stute (8 ppg), Jacobi Wright (6 ppg), and Zachary Davis (6 ppg). All three have another season under their belt and will need to take a jump after two of SC’s starting guards left the program. The other returners include Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (3 ppg), Morris Ugusuk (2 ppg), Arden Conyers (Redshirt), and Austin Herro (Redshirt).
I previously mentioned the starting guards leaving the program, so let’s go through the departures for the Gamecocks here. Junior guard Meechie Johnson (14 ppg) left to return to Ohio State and Ta’Lon Cooper (10 ppg, 4 apg) graduated, leaving the backcourt with two gaping holes. The frontcourt lost BJ Mack (14 ppg, 5 rpg), Josh Gray (3 ppg), Stephen Clark (2 ppg). The team will have a different look with three of its top four scorers gone from 2023-24, and lots of the previously mentioned returners will need to step into bigger roles.
The transfer portal was lightly used by Lamont Paris, picking up three transfers, all of which should have an instant impact. The most important transfer is Jamarii Thomas (17 ppg, 4 apg at Norfolk State), the MEAC POTY in 2023-24. Thomas will have to be impactful from the jump for the Gamecocks as the point guard with Ta’Lon Cooper gone. Thomas can score at all three levels (38% 3P), is an excellent passer, and also a great perimeter defender (2.1 spg).
Lamont Paris raided his SEC foes for his other two transfer commitments, landing Alabama’s Nick Pringle (7 ppg, 5 rpg at Alabama) and Missouri’s Jordan Butler (2 ppg at Missouri). Pringle will likely start next to Murray-Boyles in the frontcourt, forming a solid duo in the paint. Butler will likely see time off the bench for the Gamecocks as a rising sophomore after his year at Missouri.
Three high school recruits committed to South Carolina for the class of 2024, the biggest being forward Cam Scott (4*, NAT 39). Scott should be impactful in year one, likely being the first or second guy off the bench for Lamont Paris. Forward Okku Federiko (3*, NAT 202) and guard Lance Piper (Unranked) will likely become more impactful in the Gamecocks’ rotation in future seasons.
It was an unbelievable year last year for the Gamecocks, but I don’t think they have the tools to pull it off again. I think the losses of Johnson, Mack, and Cooper will prove to big to overcome and the amount of times the ball bounced their way last season will even out in 2024-25. Lamont Paris is still a solid coach and the right guy for South Carolina at this moment, but the SEC is too stacked for the Gamecocks to compete at the top again this season.
Collin Murray-Boyles isn’t a name known by casual fans, but he will become a household name in the SEC this season. Surrounding him is a lot of other supporting players, and I’m not sure any of them can take the jump to be key contributors in the SEC. Jamarii Thomas is the X-factor for this team for me, as he’ll need to help replace Ta’Lon Cooper and Meechie Johnson. If Thomas transitions smoothly, South Carolina can be competitive. If it’s a rough year for the 2023-24 MEAC POTY, the Gamecocks may struggle immensely.
I think it will be a down year for the Gamecocks in 2024-25 after the losses of three very important players. The Gamecocks proved everybody wrong last season with an incredible regular season, but I’d be very surprised if it happens again. I have the Gamecocks finishing last in the 16-team SEC, probably a lot lower than most, but I think the team’s depth is very thin and the offseason losses will prove fatal.