HOOVER, Ala. — Ninth in a series previewing SEC basketball teams
HOOVER, Ala. - South Carolina Coach Darrin Horn doesn’t seem surprised members of the media predicted a last-place finish in the SEC East for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks finished fifth in the East a year ago with a 6-10 conference record, 15-16 overall. That was with standout guard Devan Downey, who finished his career by averaging 22.5 points and 3 assists per game as a senior.
South Carolina returns two starters, and without Downey, it appears to be a case of subtraction by subtraction.
“When you take over a program, you have a year we anticipate having this year,” said Horn, who is entering his third season at South Carolina. “In a lot of ways, this feels a little like year one because we have a ton of fresh faces. We’re excited about the youth and the talent level we have, and our athleticism and depth.
“This is a team that will be a work in progress, and we’ll continue to mature. It’s going to be a lot of fun to coach and a lot of fun to watch.”
Works in progress usually struggle in the competitive SEC East, and Horn doesn’t have any false optimism. He has a talented class of freshmen and expects some holdover players to perform better in more primary roles this year, but the Gamecocks are still the rebuilding kids on the readymade block.
“From a coaching perspective, every night in our league is tough whether it is the East or the West,” Horn said. “The East returns quite a few players from a lot of different programs, and we happen to be the one that doesn’t. In some ways, I think we return a little bit more than people realize because Devan was so dominant.”
South Carolina sophomore forward Lakeem Jackson isn’t buying the prediction.
“We’re going to surprise a lot of people this year,” Jackson said. “They have us picked last in the SEC, but we’re preparing real well for the season. It’s a lot of motivation for practice and getting ready for the first game of the season.”
South Carolina’s returners are Jackson and senior forwardSam Muldrow, who averaged 10.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a junior. Jackson, a sophomore, averaged 7.2 points and 5 rebounds, and Horn expects a solid year from Nevada transfer Malik Cooke, a 6-6 forward who sat out last season.
“He brings us a certain toughness and experience that will really benefit our team,” Horn said. “If you go into our gym, you’d pick a lot of guys you’d rather have watching them run and jump. But if you put some time on the clock and keep score, he quickly moves to the top of that list. Every successful program I’ve beenaround has had those guys.”
The big hole is at point guard where freshman Bruce Ellington replaces Downey. Ellington, a top recruit, is the same type of small, fast guard Downey was, and Horn expects a good year from him, growing pains aside.
“We think Bruce can play with anybody,” Horn said. “He won’t have the experience that others will have. There may be some time where experience will help, but he can contribute right now at a high level.”
There was a time when true freshmen weren’t expected to be main producers, especially at major colleges. Times have changed, as evidenced by Kentucky’s all-star freshman trio of John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe last season.
“That’s part of being in the best athletic league in the country,” Horn said. “You’re going to have tremendous talent. We have one [Ellington], who we expect to step in right away and make a major impact.”
Maybe not in the team race, though, if the predictions are accurate.
Next: VanderbiltSouth Carolina glance COACH Darrin Horn (36-26 in 2 seasons at South Carolina; 111-48 in 5 seasons overall) LAST SEASON 15-16, 6-10 SEC KEY LOSSES G Devan Downey, G Brandis Raley-Ross, F Austin Steed KEY RETURNEES F Lakeem Jackson, F Sam Muldrow KEY NEWCOMERS G Bruce Ellington, F Malik Cooke, F Damontre Harris, F R.J. Slawson PROJECTED FINISH Sixth in the SEC East
Sports, Pages 38 on 10/31/2010