South Carolina’s exhibition opener Thursday night gave the first real glimpse of a roster that barely resembles last season’s group, and the Gamecocks came away with a 78-69 win over Wake Forest at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center.
The headline was the same one that has hovered over this offseason: new faces everywhere. South Carolina brought in 12 new players, and four of them were in the starting lineup against the Demon Deacons. The Gamecocks also got a strong early lead, going ahead by as many as 17 points before having to hang on late.
Jakub Nečas was the night’s top scorer, finishing with 22 points to lead four South Carolina players in double figures. The bench piece shot 3 of 4 from 3-point range and added five rebounds.
“I am feeling really comfortable,” Nečas said. “I don’t think any of the points came from me going into my bag.”
Freshman Marcus Johnson made a clean first impression in his debut, scoring 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting. Lamont Paris had praise ready for the former Ohio Mr. Basketball, calling him “a competitive, competitive guy” who “loves basketball and has got a good feel and a nose of the game.”
South Carolina’s first five included transfers Kory Mincy, Juan Fernandez, Cam Heide and Aleksas Bieliauskas, along with Johnson. Only nine players appeared in the game. Drexel transfer Shane Blakeney sat out with an ankle issue as a precaution, while forward Nasir Hines was not eligible to play this season.
Heide, a Texas transfer, chipped in 14 points and knocked down two big 3-pointers early in the second half. Fernandez, listed at 6-foot-11, finished with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds before fouling out.
The Gamecocks will host Campbell on Oct. 25 for their second exhibition before opening the regular season Nov. 3 against Stetson.
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