South Carolina’s new men’s basketball group got an early test Thursday night, and it answered it with a win.
The Gamecocks knocked off Wake Forest 78-69 in an exhibition at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center, putting together a performance that showed off just how much roster turnover this team is managing. South Carolina has 12 new players, and four of them were in the starting lineup. The Gamecocks opened things up enough to build a 17-point lead before Wake Forest trimmed the margin to five late.
“This is a great time of year for these opportunities you get to play against high-quality teams in the non-conference (and exhibitions),” USC coach Lamont Paris said. “...
It worked out about as well as you could possibly imagine, just the way the game went. It was very physical, and we had to handle a bit of adversity.”
Jakub Nečas paced South Carolina with 22 points, one of four Gamecocks to finish in double figures.
The night also offered the first real look at how Paris may piece together this roster. The starting five included transfers Kory Mincy, Juan Fernandez, Cam Heide and Aleksas Bieliauskas, along with freshman Marcus Johnson.
Off the bench in the first half came Nečas, Alabama transfer Davion Hannah and Grant Polk, one of three returning players on the roster. South Carolina used only nine players.
Hayden Assemian, another returner, entered with a little more than eight minutes remaining.
The Gamecocks were down two players for the exhibition. Shane Blakeney, the Drexel transfer, sat out with an ankle issue, while Nasir Hines, a Palm Beach State College transfer, was also unavailable.
Paris said Tuesday at SEC Basketball Tipoff that he expected to be without a couple of players and said the injuries were not considered serious. On his pregame radio appearance Thursday, he explained that Blakeney hurt his ankle a few weeks ago, was held out as a precaution, and practiced fully Wednesday.
Paris said Blakeney will be available against Campbell. After the game, Paris said Hines is ineligible to play but can practice this year.
“He is a developmental guy,” Paris said.
Johnson made a strong first impression in his debut. The freshman, who is the cousin of former Gamecock guard Meechie Johnson, had 13 points and attacked the basket aggressively, going 6 of 12 from the field.
The former Ohio Mr. Basketball missed South Carolina’s two games in the Bahamas, but Paris had already singled him out for praise over the summer.
“He is a competitive, competitive guy,” Paris said of Johnson. “He loves basketball and got a good feel and a nose of the game.”
Paris also pointed to Johnson’s defense and physicality.
Nečas and Heide were both major factors off the bench. Nečas, a 6-foot-10 forward, hit 3 of 4 shots from beyond the arc and added five rebounds. He sounded comfortable after the game, too.
“I am feeling really comfortable,” Nečas said. “I don’t think any of the points came from me going into my bag. We are just a group of guys that are willing to pass the ball and this system is built like that.”
Nečas may not have been the biggest name South Carolina brought in, but he was clearly a player Paris wanted. Paris had a relationship with Nečas’ college coach and followed his development at Duquesne and overseas.
Heide, the Texas transfer, scored 14 points and gave South Carolina a big lift with a pair of early second-half 3-pointers that helped stretch the lead into double digits.
Fernandez brought size and edge inside. The 6-foot-11 Argentina-born forward scored 10 points, pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and fouled out with 4:53 left. South Carolina won the rebounding battle 40-30.
Mincy, who was South Carolina’s top player in the Bahamas, had a quieter scoring night with six points, but he still delivered a key basket at the line that pushed the lead to 74-67 after Wake Forest had cut it to five. The George Mason transfer guard also stood out defensively and looks like one of the voices on this team.
Hannah chipped in seven points and showed the burst and quickness South Carolina needs at the guard spot.
South Carolina’s next public appearances come quickly: Garnet and Black Madness is set for Oct. 21 at Colonial Life Arena, followed by an exhibition against Campbell on Oct. 25. The regular season opens Nov. 3 against Stetson.
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