Under Frank Martin, South Carolina has quietly become one of the most interesting teams in the SEC. Not flashy, not high-scoring, maybe not even specifically “good”… but interesting? Absolutely. Martin’s blueprint for a turnaround in Columbia isn’t written in ink; it’s been sculpted in malleable clay. The veteran coach has been tasked with taking the under-appreciated spoils of the disastrous Darrin Horn regime and fusing them with the flashier products of taking a Big 12 Coach of the Year title on the recruiting trail. Those pieces are slowly coming together, cobbling the foundation for a return to big time basketball in the Palmetto State.
Martin’s team can be divided into two camps. The most prominent one is filled with the high-flyers that Martin brought to South Carolina despite his team’s underwhelming recent history. Top 100 recruits Sindarius Thornwell and Demetrius Henry chose Columbia a year ago thanks to their coach’s reputation rather than the program’s results. Four-star guard Tyrone Williams took his talent south after one year in Villanova’s rotation. Similarly rated point guard Marcus Stroman joined the team for his first NCAA season this fall. Suddenly, the Gamecocks have the personnel to throw elite athletes at their opponents at nearly every position. The key to the program’s success, however, may lie in the guys from the other camp – the overlooked players who pledged to a first-year coach. The guys who committed to a veteran leader whose primary duty was to put out the dumpster fire that had been left in front of him. That includes Lithuanian bangers Laimonas Chatkevicius and Mindaugas Kacinas. It also includes the linchpin that holds this team together – Michael Carrera.
No one in the SEC – or maybe even the NCAA – does dirty work better than Carrera. He’s a sneakily important player who still manages to fade into the background; a “glue guy,” “garbageman,” or “hustle player.” The 6’6″ Venezuelan is a harassing defender and a rebounding machine. While he’s not going to light up the scoreboard with flashy dunks or three-point shooting, he’s the kind of energetic, stabilizing presence that brings an intangible effect to the court. In the paraphrased words of Carl Weathers, pair that athletic talent of group “A” with the veteran leadership that can make an impact on and off the court of group “B,” and baby, you’ve got a stew going. Combining efficient but limited bigs like Chatkevicius and Kacinas with young, talented playmakers like Thornwell and Johnson gives Martin something to sculpt. It won’t be traditionally beautiful – in fact, it’ll be downright ugly at times – but it will be a compelling process to watch.
Where Darrin Horn had somehow gotten worse each year, Martin finally has the Gamecocks in a position to get better. Local and national media have them pegged to finish 12th in the conference, but it’s difficult to see that kind of struggle when the lower dozen teams of the SEC seem primed for another disappointing season. A lack of senior leadership may hurt South Carolina, but players like Carrera and his veteran cohort have been through the wringer in Columbia. While they still may not fully understand how to win, you can’t deny that the talent is there. The key now is fitting every weird, rough, or untested piece together to fit Martin’s vision. Interesting, indeed.