South Carolina’s men’s basketball roster is almost unrecognizable heading into the 2026-27 season, and that makes the starting five a wide-open puzzle.
The Gamecocks have 12 new faces on a 15-man roster entering year five under Lamont Paris, with only forward Hayden Assemian and guards Grant Polk and Eli Sparkman back from last season. South Carolina also brought in three international prospects, seven transfers and a JUCO addition, while Marcus Johnson - cousin of Meechie Johnson - and Ford Wilder from Wilson Hall arrived from the high school ranks. With summer workouts underway, the first lineup of the year is already taking shape.
At point guard, Kory Mincy looks like the safest bet to open the season in control. The 6-foot-1 guard arrives after stops at Presbyterian and George Mason and brings nearly 100 college games with him to Columbia.
247Sports ranked him No. 99 overall in the transfer portal and No. 19 among point guards. Last season at Presbyterian, Mincy earned second team All-Atlantic 10 honors after putting up 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three.
His numbers were even stronger through January before a thumb injury changed the course of his junior year.
Marcus Johnson is another name to keep in the mix at the point. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard was ranked No. 57 overall nationally and No. 6 at his position by 247Sports.
He also comes in with a decorated prep résumé, including two Gatorade Player of the Year awards in Ohio and an Ohio Mr. Basketball honor.
On the wing, Davion Hannah is projected to start at the two, though Shane Blakeney is also in the conversation there or at the three. Hannah, a former top-50 recruit, was slowed by injuries during his first season at Alabama. He appeared in 10 games as a true freshman and shot 12-of-26 from the floor, good for 46 percent, while going 4-of-11 from deep, or 36 percent.
Blakeney, meanwhile, returns to his home state after four years at Drexel. He posted his best season in 2025-26, averaging 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on his way to second team All-CAA recognition. He also earned a spot on the CAA All-Defensive Team, giving South Carolina a physical guard with production on both ends.
Camden Heide should be in the mix at the three, and he brings the kind of perimeter shooting South Carolina has needed. The 6-foot-7 forward spent time at Purdue and Texas, giving him power conference experience along with NCAA Tournament background, including a national championship game appearance with Purdue and a key shot during Texas’ run to the Sweet 16 this past season. Heide has shot 43.2 percent from three in his career, which could be a major boost for a Gamecocks team that has created perimeter looks in recent seasons but hasn’t always finished them.
The frontcourt projects to be anchored by Aleksas Bieliauskas and Juan Fernandez. Bieliauskas was South Carolina’s highest-rated transfer addition, landing at No. 68 overall and No. 17 among power forwards by 247Sports.
In his lone season at Wisconsin, he started 28 of 35 games on an NCAA Tournament team and averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three. Against Michigan, last year’s national champion, he scored 17 points and made 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Paris appears to value Bieliauskas for the same reasons he fits Fernandez. The 23-year-old from Argentina has spent the last five seasons in Spain’s Liga ACB and played this past year with Basquet Girona, where he averaged 7.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 19 games.
He shot 48 percent from the field in 19.4 minutes per game and is currently with the Argentina national team before joining South Carolina. Like Bieliauskas, Fernandez offers size, touch and passing ability, and he also handles the ball smoothly in the open court.