Spurs & Feathers December 2019 - UofSC Gamecock Sports

DECEMBER 2019 • VOLUME 41 • ISSUE 12

When the smoke clears ...

‘WE

WILL ’ BE BETTER

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Firehouse Subs Athlete of the Month: Ernest Jones.........................8

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May 22 June 19 July 24 Aug. 28

Legendary fan: Jack Haynes........................................................5 Legendary fan: Ken Allen ............................................................ 6

Editor’s Note: The editorial deadline for this issue was Dec 6.

Jan. 23 Feb. 20 March 20 April 24

Gamecock Club

Football

Game Plan: Looking ahead to 2020.............................. 10 Farewell, Jake: Bentley earned respect.............................. 18 Game Recaps: App State, A&M, Clemson........................ 20

Basketball

Aliyah Boston: The next Gamecock great........................ 28

Sutton Jones: Super sub.......................... 32

Sept. 25 Oct. 23 Nov. 20 Dec. 18

Riley Tanner: Postseason star................ 33 Tucker Monheimer: Lasting legacy....... 34

Volleyball

Shields + Robinson = NCAA berth ...... 35

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News & Notes

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New Stars Rise: Tennis, Golf, Equestrian, S&D.................. 36

SENIOR NIGHT

HONORING SPECIAL SENIOR CLASS On The Cover: Will Muschamp Photo by Travis Bell/Sideline Carolina Cover Design by Caryn Scheving

EDITORIAL

Chase Heatherly Publisher/Advertising Director cheatherly@spursandfeathers.com 803-765-0707 x129 4

KOTSAR RISING UP

Soccer

POSTAL INFORMATION

STAFF

26 LIKE MAIK

Jeff Owens Executive Editor jowens@spursandfeathers.com Josh Hyber Staff Writer jhyber@spursandfeathers.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bill Gunter, Langston Moore, Ed Girardeau, Brian Hand

Columns

Gunter: Pep talk for Gamecock fans..................... 38 Girardeau: There's always hope for SC football...... 39

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DECEMBER 2019

Legendary fan Jack Haynes and his van are one of a kind

By Brian Hand | Contributing writer • Photo by Allen Sharpe

I

“

t’s not not for for sale. sale.”” t’s That simple simple phrase phrase is is That something Gamecock Gamecock fan fan something Jack Haynes Haynes has has grown grown accusaccusJack tomed to saying saying over over the the years. years. tomed to Haynes’ 1964 1964 Ford Ford Econoline Econoline Haynes’ van is is something something he he never never wants wants van to sell, sell, and and with with good good reason: reason: It’s It’s to one of of aa kind. kind. one The special special van van is is outfitted outfitted The and wrapped wrapped to to represent represent South South and Carolina in in aa very very unique unique way way Carolina and everywhere everywhere it it goes goes it it draws draws and

Photo courtesy courtesy of of Jack Jack Haynes Haynes Photo

DECEMBER 2019 2019 DECEMBER

attention, particularly particularly on on game game day day attention, with Haynes Haynes blasting blasting “Sandstorm” “Sandstorm” with as he he gets gets closer closer to to Williams-Brice Williams-Brice as Stadium.

Stadium.

For the the passion passion that that is is evident evident For when he he is is driving driving the the van van and and his his when more than than 50 50 years years of of devotion devotion to to more the Gamecock Gamecock Club, Club, Haynes Haynes was was the honored as as the the Legendary Legendary Fan Fan of of the the honored Game prior prior to to the the South South CaorlinaCaorlinaGame Clemson game. game.

Clemson The whole whole experience experience was was “su“suThe per,”” Haynes Haynes said. said. per,

Haynes first first started started attending attending Haynes South Carolina Carolina football football games games when when South he was was just just eight eight years years old. old. he “I attended attended my my first first Gamecock Gamecock “I football game game in in 1953, 1953,”” he he said. said. football “My dad dad had had aa Highway Highway patrolman patrolman “My friend who who would would give give him him two two friend passes for for each each home home game. game.”” passes A few few years years later, later, at 14, at 14, Haynes Haynes A even helped helped as as an an usher usher at at the the stastaeven dium as as aa Boy Boy Scout.

Scout. dium “We would would go go two two hours hours before before “We the game game and and they they would would also also have have the aa box box lunch lunch for for us, us,”” Haynes Haynes said. said. “I “I still have have my my shoulder shoulder patch patch they they still gave me me to to wear. wear.”” gave It was was in in the the late late 1970s 1970s when when It Haynes came came into into possession possession of of the the Haynes special van van that that would would ultimately ultimately alalspecial low him him to to show show his his lifelong lifelong passion passion low for the the Gamecocks.

Gamecocks. for The old old television television repair repair vehicle vehicle The was sold sold to to Haynes’ Haynes’ father, father, who who then then was sold it it aa year year or or so so later later to to his his son son for for sold just $1. $1. The The very very next next day, day, Haynes Haynes just had it it customized. customized. had The Gamecock Gamecock van van has has been been The driven by

by Haynes Haynes to to many many bowl bowl driven games and and other other events events over over the the games

years. It It has has even even been been featured featured in in years. three Gamecock Gamecock national national champichampithree onship parades. parades. onship Wherever the the van van goes, goes, GameGameWherever cock fans want to see it.

Even South cock fans want to see it. Even South Carolina coaches coaches want want their their picture picture Carolina taken with with it. it. taken Haynes notes notes that that his his favorite favorite Haynes Gamecock of of all-time all-time is is George George Gamecock Rogers.

Rogers.

“My wife wife and and II watched watched him him at at “My all of of his his home home games games and and followed followed all him to to most most of of the the out-of-town out-of-town him games during during his his career career because because he he games was so so much much fun fun to to watch, watch,”” Haynes Haynes was said. said.

Just like like the the van van and and Rogers, Rogers, Just Haynes is is aa one one of of aa kind. kind.

Haynes

LEGENDARY FAN FAN •• GAMECOCK GAMECOCK CLUB CLUB LEGENDARY

5 5

Legendary Fan Ken Allen proud to be a Gamecock in the Tar Heel state

By Brian Hand | Contributing writer • Photo by Allen Sharpe

K

en Allen is proud to be a Gamecock, but he is just as proud to be able to show his passion for the University of South Carolina in the Raleigh area of the Tar Heel state.

Allen has been a member of the Gamecock Club for more than 40 years and served for more than 20 as the Raleigh Gamecock Club Chapter President.

For his dedication to his beloved Gamecocks, Allen was honored as the Legendary Fan of the Game before South Carolina’s home game against Appalachian State.

“It was wonderful and a great honor,” Allen said. “It was cold, but great. I had my two sons with me. It was really special for them to be there. It was just all very nice.”

The honor was not something he was expecting, but he was extremely grateful.

“I was coming back from a meeting when [Gamecock Club Executive Director] Patrick McFarland called me,” Allen said. “I was floored and just shocked. It is probably one of the biggest honors I have ever had.”

The son of a World War II veteran who served in the Pacific and later worked for the Department of Defense, Allen first made his way to Gamecock Nation from Virginia in the

1970s and has been a passionate South Carolina fan ever since.

Allen credits his commitment and determination to his parents, who made everything possible with a top-notch education and much more.

Some of Allen’s greatest memories revolve around watching Gamecock basketball legend John Roche. He also loved watching the Gamecocks win back-to-back Outback Bowls and, of course, the baseball national titles.

A two-term member of the South Carolina Board of Visitors, Allen had some of his greatest memories as a Gamecock in the Raleigh area, where he helped host and introduce Gamecock legends like Joe Morrison and George Rogers at events. The Raleigh chapter also hosted Gamecock legend Ed Pitts on numerous occasions.

Joe Morrison came to Raleigh on a Friday night before a game at NC State and had dinner with all of us,” said Allen, who also served on the Gamecock Club Board of Directors. “It was something we all really enjoyed.”

Allen’s commitment to promoting the University of South Carolina in the Raleigh area continues. He also has worked with the South

Carolina Alumni Association and still serves on the host committee for the Darla Moore School of Business.

Raleigh may be ACC country, but Allen’s tireless efforts continue to show that the Gamecocks are loud and proud even in North Carolina.

823 LADY ST COLUMBIA, SC 6

GAMECOCK CLUB • LEGENDARY FAN

DECEMBER 2019

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ATHLE TE OF THE MONTH

ERNEST JONES S

ophomore linebacker Ernest Jones finished the season as arguably South Carolina’s best defensive player, leading the Gamecocks with 97 total tackles, the fourth-best mark in the SEC. Jones also had 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions, five pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Jones played his best football in the final three games of the season in November, collecting a total of 32 tackles in games against Appalachian State, Texas A&M and Clemson.

South Caorlina’s Mike linebacker had one of his best games of the season against App State, collecting 10 tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. He also had his second career interception.

He was outstanding again the following week with 13 total tackles, including a tackle for loss, at Texas A&M. He also forced a fumble.

Jones finished the season strong, collecting nine more tackles in the season finale against rival Clemson.

Firehouse Subs and Firehouse Subs Catering are proud to present the Spurs & Feathers Athlete of the Month!

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ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

DECEMBER 2019

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FOOTBALL

Jaycee Horn (1) and Ernest Jones (53) | Photo by Allen Sharpe 10

DECEMBER 2019

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE Muschamp confident he can turn around struggling program

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By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor s Athletics Director Ray Tanner and university President Bob Caslen pledged their support for Will Muschamp as the 2019 season wound to a close, South Carolina’s head coach promised Gamecock fans he would turn around his struggling program.

“I’m a coach that has been a part of national championships and multiple conference championships and I plan on taking this program where it has never been before,” he said after a 30-6 loss to Texas A&M. After going 22-17 from 2016-18, winning more games than any South Carolina head coach in his first seasons, Muschamp had his worst season in 2019 as the Gamecocks lost five of their last six games and finished 4-8.

After a solid start in his first two seasons, Muschamp has gone 11-14 over the past two years and 5-10 over his last 15 games, leaving fans disgruntled and discouraged.

The poor finish to 2019 prompted Tanner and Caslen to issue a series of statements supporting South Carolina’s head coach and declaring he will return in 2020. Muschamp, in turn, vowed that things will get better. He started the rebuilding process by replacing three assistant coaches after the season and searching for a new offensive coordinator.

“We are not as far off as people seem to think we are,” he said.

What gives him hope?

“The effort that we had throughout the entire season, especially in the latter part of the season when things weren’t going very well,” he said. “The good, young talent that we have recruited, the good, young talent that we have coming. I see a lot of positive things that we are going to be very good. I feel very confident in that.”

Despite losing 26 seniors, including several key starters, Muschamp believes he can quickly make South Carolina an SEC contender again and plans to be around for a long time.

“We have a really good, young roster coming back,” he said. “Do we need to address

DECEMBER 2019

some things in our program? Yes, we will. I look forward to having a long tenure here at the University of South Carolina and coaching here for a long time and getting this thing turned. I look forward to the opportunity and the challenge.”

I see a lot of positive things that we are going to be very good. I feel very confident in that.

– WILL MUSCHAMP Here’s a look at what he will have to work with next season and some key issues facing the 2020 team.

OFFENSE A key question is who will lead an offense that struggled most of the season and was the biggest problem during the late-season losing streak. Muschamp reassigned offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon after the season and was looking for a new play caller.

The Gamecocks averaged just 22 points and 372 yards per game and scored just 24 points combined in its final three games. They were 12th in the SEC and 104th nationally in scoring and 11th and 96th, respectively, in total offense.

Muschamp was hoping that quarterback Jake Bentley would return next year after missing all but one game of his senior season with a broken foot. Bentley announced after the season, however, that he would transfer to another school for his final season, leaving Ryan Hilinski as the starting quarterback.

2020 OUTLOOK 11

The Gamecocks also need a healthy OrTre Smith, who has the size and hands to replace Edwards as a big target. Xavier Legette could also play a key role after getting extensive playing time in the last five games of the season.

Quarterback Hilinski took over in Week 2 and, after a solid start, had a rough freshman season. In 10 starts, he completed just 58 percent of his passes for 2,357 yards and 11 touchdowns. Though he did a good job protecting the ball (just five interceptions), he threw for fewer than 200 yards in six of his 11 starts. Beaten and battered due to a porous offensive line, he was constantly under attack and the victim of too many dropped passes. And with the Gamecocks struggling to establish the run, he had to throw the ball more than 50 times in three games, allowing defenses to tee off on him.

It didn’t help when he lost star receiver Bryan Edwards for parts of the final three games.

Muschamp praised Hilinski for his maturity and toughness throughout the season and said he was thrown into a difficult situation after Bentley was lost for the year.

“He has progressed well.

What we have asked him to do is very difficult,” he said. “There are times we need to play better around him and there are times he needs to play better. The bottom line is overall we need to improve.”

With Bentley gone, Hilinski will enter the offseason as the starting quarterback but will likely compete with other young options in the spring.

Running Back South Carolina loses four seniors in the backfield, including four-year starter Rico Dowdle.

Grad transfer Tavien Feaster gave the Gamecocks a boost last year before missing two games to injury. Backups Mon Denson and A.J. Turner, who missed most of his final season due to injury, have also graduated.

The Gamecocks will return two players who showed flashes of potential in limited action.

Kevin Harris rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns against Charleston Southern and saw his playing time increase late in the season. Deshaun Fenwick rushed for 102 yards in his only significant playing time against Vanderbilt and has two 100-yard games in his first two seasons.

Tight End

Ryan Hilinski (3) | Photo by Jenny Dilworth

Once he was finally ruled eligible, Nick Muse showed flashes of potential and was developing into a reliable pass catcher before tearing his ACL against Vanderbilt. If he is healthy and bounces back strong, he could give the Gamecocks their most dangerous option at tight end since Hayden Hurst.

Freshmen Traevon Kenion and KeShawn Toney both redshirted last year and should be ready to contribute.

Offensive Line

Kevin Harris (20) | Photo by SC Athletics The duo could give South Carolina a solid 1-2 punch next season, while the Gamecocks are expected to get a boost from one of the top high school running backs in the country.

Feaster believes Harris and Fenwick are going to be good.

“Well, I know they have a guy coaching them [running backs coach Thomas Brown] that is going to lay it all on the line every day. He’s going to go out there and demand greatness from them,” he said. “Those three young guys are going to be great.

You see the size and the ability they both have. I know they are going to do great things.”

Wide Receiver Edwards’ value to the offense last season was immeasurable. The school record holder in receptions and receiving yards, he meant as much to the South Caro-

12 FOOTBALL • 2020 OUTLOOK

lina offense as Deebo Samuel did in his senior season in 2018. Fans saw just how crucial Edwards was to the offense when he missed the final two games.

Who will replace him as the go-to receiver?

There are options. Shi Smith, who has 117 career catches for 1,571 yards and nine touchdowns, is the team’s most talented receiver but he had a disappointing junior season with only 43 catches for 489 yards and two touchdowns. He missed two games with a hamstring injury and had just one big game, hauling in 11 passes for 156 yards at Tennessee.

Smith must stay healthy and step up as a senior to give the offense a reliable option and its most explosive weapon.

Josh Vann also battled injuries last year and caught just 19 passes.

He could be poised for a breakout season after getting plenty of reps as a freshman and sophomore.

This is the most important unit on the team after its struggles this year. South Carolina allowed 25 sacks and Gamecock quarterbacks were under heavy pressure from the season opener.

The Gamecocks also struggled to run the ball, ranking ninth in the SEC. South Carolina lost its most reliable offensive lineman in three-year starter Donell Stanley.

Replacing his leadership and play-calling at center will be critical. It gets a boost, however, with the return of senior Sadarius Hutcherson, who decided to return for one more season.

Sophomore Dylan Wonnum, who made the SEC All-Freshman team in 2018, missed five games with injuries this season and struggled when he returned.

A healthy Wonnum will return to the starting lineup at one of the tackle spots. Freshmen tackles Jakai Moore and Jaylen Nichols played well when Wonnum was out and should compete for a starting role next season.

Sophomore Jordan Rhodes and redshirt freshman Jovaughn Gwyn started at guard this year but both big men struggled. So did Eric Douglas, who filled in all across the line. All three should be better with a year of experience. Offensive line coach Eric Wolford also hopes Hank Manos is finally ready to contribute after struggling and battling injuries. There is also hope that another young line-

DECEMBER 2019

man, maybe Vincent Murphy, is ready to play.

The offensive line must shore up its protection issues and open more holes for the running game for South Carolina to make significant progress on offense.

DEFENSE South Carolina’s defense was solid this season, despite getting worn down in several games due to an offense that couldn’t stay on the field. It proved its worth by shutting down Georgia in South Carolina’s 20-17 upset over the No. 3 Bulldogs.

Though the Gamecocks were just 11th in the SEC in total defense, most of that was due to being on the field almost six minutes per game longer than opposing defenses. They allowed 158 yards per game rushing (12th in the SEC), but held opponents to just 35 percent on third down (as opposed to just 32 percent for the South Carolina offense) and had a turnover margin of +5.

But the Gamecocks will lose some of their most outstanding players on defense, including three-year starters in D.J. Wonnum and T.J. Brunson and projected first-round draft pick Javon Kinlaw. How they replace those stalwarts will determine whether it can repeat or improve on this year’s performance.

are going to be as good as they want to be.”

A key will be developing depth behind them. Jabari Ellis saw limited time this year and the Gamecocks could get a big boost from two returning players. Keir Thomas is a two-year starter with 106 career tackles but missed almost all of this season with an infection caused by ankle surgery. He could start at either defensive tackle or defensive end and provide depth at both positions. Junior college transfer Devontae Davis will also be back after missing the season with an injury.

The Gamecocks have depth and talent at defensive end.

Starter Aaron Sterling had six sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season while J.J. Enagbare was also a disruptive force and productive pass rusher. Senior Brad Johnson will also be back after missing much of this season while redshirt freshman Joseph Anderson may be ready to help.

Kinlaw believes the defensive line could be just as good as this season.

“They are going to hold it down. They are going to know what to do when their time comes. They are just young right now,” he said. “They just need time to develop. … The more they play and the more they just lock in and buy into the program, they are going to be alright and hold it down.”

Linebacker The Gamecocks lose a three-year starter in Brunson but return one of the best linebackers in the SEC in Ernest Jones. As a sophomore, Jones led the Gamecocks with 97 tackles, intercepted two passes and did an outstanding job calling the defense as the Mike linebacker.

Sherrod Greene was a parttime starter this season and had 6.5 tackles for loss. He should be poised to take over Brunson’s role. Damani Staley is a veteran who has gotten significant playing time in his first three seasons and Jahmar Brown flashed big-time potential as a freshman.

Rodricus Fitten may also be ready to help after redshirting.

Defensive Line The strength of the team this year, South Carolina will miss Kinlaw and Kobe Smith in the middle and Wonnum on the edge. Kinlaw led the team with six sacks and emerged as one of the best defensive linemen in the country, while Wonnum finished his career ninth in school history in tackles for loss.

Zacch Pickens and Rick Sandidge backed up Kinlaw and Smith and Kinlaw believes the two will be stars at defensive tackle.

“Especially with [Pickens], it’s scary man. He’s going to be as good as he wants to be,” he said. “He’s crazy athletic, fast and powerful. He’s just got to take care of the little things.

The little things are just what’s holding him back. [Sandidge], same thing. Both of those guys

Secondary This may be the strength of the team next year with four returning starters and a wealth of young talent. The secondary allowed 235 yards per game and had some ugly performances (Alabama, Tennessee), but also had nine of the team’s 12 interceptions and four of the team’s top six tacklers.

Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu developed into solid corners. Mukuamu had four picks (three against Georgia) while Horn emerged as the shutdown defender South Carolina needs in the secondary. Developing depth and a nickelback will be key next season.

The Gamecocks lost safety J.T. Ibe but return two players who were solid on the back end in R.J. Roderick, a two-year starter, and freshman Jammie Robinson, who was third on the team in tackles playing both safety and nickel.

South Carolina has three more talented young defensive backs who got some experience in Cam Smith, John Dixon and Shiloh Sanders. All three should be ready to step into key roles next season.

Horn believes the secondary will be much better next season.

“We played the whole season together this year so there’s obviously a lot of chemistry coming back and you’re going to see a lot of familiar faces on the back end,” he said. “Overall, I think it’ll be a great connection, we just need to put in the work.”

Special Teams Rick Sandidge Jr. (90) | Photo by SC Athletics

Parker White, who turned into a reliable kicker (18-of-22 on field goals), will be back for his senior year, but South Carolina must replace one of the best punters in the country in Joseph Charlton.

That will be no easy task.

For the first time in three years, South Carolina did not return a kick for a touchdown last year. Shi Smith had a 60-yarder and Legette had a 50-yarder but neither had many opportunities.

The Gamecocks must also find a reliable replacement for Edwards as the punt returner.

Zacch Pickens (26) | Photo by SC Athletics DECEMBER 2019

2020 OUTLOOK • FOOTBALL 13

Jake Bentley and Will Muschamp | Photo by Jenny Dilworth

SENIOR SUPERLATIVES Muschamp honors special senior class

W

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor

ill Muschamp greeted and hugged each of his 26 seniors as they were honored on the field prior to the Appalachian State game

Nov. 9.

Each of those moments were special for the South Carolina head coach. But none more so than his moment with former starting quarterback Jake Bentley, who was lost for the season with a broken foot he suffered in the season opener. Bentley announced on Dec. 2 that he will not return next season, choosing to transfer to another school after graduating from South Carolina in December.

“Extremely disappointed that his senior year was taken away. I hurt for him and his family [because] he’s done so much for the

14 FOOTBALL • SENIORS

Univeristy of South Carolina and our football program,” Muschamp said. “Jake has been very special to me personally [for] the contributions he has made to this program. … I appreciate everything he has done.”

The 2019 senior class is special to Muschamp because it features 10 players, including Bentley, from his first South Carolina recruiting class. T.J. Brunson and Bryan Edwards were the first two players Muschamp recruited, while Javon Kinlaw, D.J. Wonnum and Rico Dowdle also emerged as stars.

Seven others, including starters Donell Stanley, Kyle Markway and Joseph Charlton, were here when Muschamp arrived. Five of them, including Markway and starting offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson, have a year of eligibility remaining and could return for one more season. Hutcherson announced

the day after the season finale that he would return.

Muschamp also singled out players like Kiel Pollard and A.J. Turner, who, like Bentley, suffered injuries that derailed their senior seasons. Pollard suffered a neck injury in training camp and had to retire from football.

Turner, a key player the past three seasons, also suffered an injury in training camp and was hampered all season by a nagging hamstring injury.

“It just breaks your heart,” he said. “Their senior years have not gone the way they should have, but life’s not fair and you have to handle it and adjust and move on and those three guys have handled things the right way.”

Of the 26 seniors, 22 have already graduated, including 11 in December. The final three will gradaute in May of 2020. Six of them will leave South Carolina with multiple degrees, like defensive end Danny Fennell, who earned his graduate degree from the international business school in December.

“They have all been integral parts of our program in these four years. [They’ve] done a fantatisc job of setting a great example of how we need to do things the right way,” Muschamp said.

This class will always be special to Muschamp because it was his first. He takes great pride in not only their accomplishments on the field — three straight bowl games, a 9-4 record in 2018 — but off the field as well. His team had a cumuluative GPA of 3.0 in backto-back semesters last fall and this spring.

“I appreciate their contributions. A lot of very positive things,” he said. “I’m disappointed from a team standpoint that we haven’t exactly had the year we wanted to have and we anticipated to have. It’s been very inconsistent, and that’s on me, but very proud of their accomplishments here at South Carolina.”

No one appreciates the group and Muschamp more than Kinlaw, who spent a year at a Mississippi junior college before emerging as a star and potential first-round draft pick at South Carolina.

“It’s like a band of brothers,” he said. “I came in with these guys and knowing these guys for so long and just seeing them all the time, they really became my family over time.”

The team’s underclassmen also appreciate this year’s seniors and the leadership they provided during a difficult 4-8 season.

“I look to my left and my right and I won’t see T.J. or I look down and Javon will be gone or D.J. [Wonnum] will be gone,” sophomore linebacker Ernest Jones said. “You just cherish every moment you get with these guys and get to play with them, because before you know it they will be out the door and somebody else will be in their spot.”

DECEMBER 2019

JAVON KINLAW W

hen Javon Kinlaw is asked what motivates him, the 6-6, 310-pound defensive tackle has a quick answer.

“My child,” he said. “Just because I got to provide for her, nobody else can. I just have to make it happen.”

Eden Amara Kinlaw was born in April and is the light of Kinlaw’s life.

The birth of his daughter is what pushed him to have a big senior season, one that earned him an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and has him projected to be a first-round pick in the next NFL Draft.

Kinlaw jokes that he must make it to the NFL to afford to feed her.

“She’s huge,” he said in November. “She just turned seven months, she wears a size 4 shoe, she’s about 22 pounds.”

Kinlaw had a dominant senior season, leading the Gamecock defense in sacks and emerging as one of the best defensive linemen in the country.

But there is nothing he loves more than seeing his daughter at his games. He enjoys taking her on a stroll around Williams-Brice Stadium, especially after a Gamecock victory.

“It’s definitely special, just being able to walk around with her,” he said. “I tell her, ‘You see all these folks who love your daddy.’ That’s what I tell her because where I come from, there’s nothing like that. Just having people tell you ‘good job, good job’ and things like that, it’s really important. I thank all the fans all the time because, shoot, growing up [I did not] have nobody tell you that you’re worth anything.”

— Jeff Owens

Photo by Jenny Dilworth

DECEMBER 2019

SENIORS

• FOOTBALL 15

BRYAN EDWARDS W

ill Muschamp has praised Bryan Edwards so much over the past four years he almost ran out of accolades to bestow on one of the greatest wide receivers in South Carolina history.

“Well, I don’t know what else to say. He is a better young man than he is football player,” Muschamp said late in the 2019 season. “He’s meant a lot to this program. [He’s among] some of the greatest receivers that have ever played the game when you talk in terms of some of the guys that have come through this program. … [He’s] very deserving of any accolades he gets.”

Despite missing the final two games with a knee injury, Edwards led the Gamecocks in receiving with 71 catches for 816 yards and six touchdowns. A four-year starter, he finished his career with 234 receptions for 3,045 yards, both school records. His 22 receiving touchdowns is third on the all-time list. He was one of three Gamecocks invited to play in the prestigious Reese’s Senior Bowl.

As the season wound to a close, the humble Edwards was not concerned about setting another school record or reflecting on his accomplishments, only getting ready for the next game.

“I’ll appreciate it after the season, right now I’m trying to get ready for this week,” he said.

“You see how he’s competing on game day, that’s the way he does in practice, that’s the way he represents himself, our university, our program, his family,” Muschamp said. “He is a first-class teammate, human being and is about all the right things you want at the University of South Carolina.”

Edwards has exemplified that type of focus and professionalism throughout his four-year career.

“I just try to come out here and be myself every day,” he said. “I’m not worried about pressure or what people think or what people say. All I’m doing is controlling what I can control and that’s my effort and how I come to work every day.

“I always take pride in the way I carry myself and the way other people look at me. I’m just constantly being me. I can’t be any other way.”

— Jeff Owens

Photo by Allen Sharpe

16 FOOTBALL • SENIORS

DECEMBER 2019

Photo by SC Athletics

Photo by Jenny Dilworth

DECEMBER 2019

SENIORS

• FOOTBALL 17

A TRUE WINNER Jake Bentley earned respect for the way he played, represented South Carolina

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Travis Bell

J

ake Bentley was struggling. He had completed just six passes for 46 yards in the first half against Texas A&M and South Carolina fans were letting him have it.

With the Gamecocks trailing 13-0 at the half, they booed him unmercifully as he jogged to the locker room, calling for backup Michael Scarnecchia to replace him.

Such is life for a Power 5 quarterback when he doesn’t always live up to expectations. Just ask Georgia’s Jake Fromm. Or former Alabama starter Jalen Hurts. Even Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence has felt the wrath of a fickle fanbase.

But Bentley, battling his way back from a knee injury that had cost him a game, would not be deterred.

Down 16-0 in the third quarter, he began fighting back. Touchdown passes to Shi Smith and Chavis Dawkins, each followed by a 2-point conversion to Bryan Edwards, quickly tied the game. By the third quarter, fans had turned and were cheering him again. Though they lost 26-23 that day, Bentley threw three second-half touchdown passes to bring the Gamecocks back and prove once again he could lead his team.

18 FOOTBALL • JAKE BENTLEY

In the next game, Bentley rallied the Gamecocks again. Down 21-9 to Tennessee, he led South Carolina on two quick touchdown drives. When he scrambled into the end zone for a 2-point conversion to tie the game, he took a brutal hit that left in laying in the South Carolina end zone for more than a minute. But Bentley soon popped up, jogged off the field and led the Gamecocks on the game-winning drive for a 27-24 win at Williams-Brice Stadium.

That was Jake Bentley. He never quit, never gave up and always did whatever it took to try to lead his team to victory.

Seemingly at a crossroads in his career after a tough game at Kentucky, a knee injury and that miserable first half against Texas A&M, Bentley bounced back in 2018 to lead South Carolina to wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss and had the game of his life against rival Clemson.

A three-year starter, Bentley didn’t care about his own stats or even his own body. He didn’t listen to critics and detractors and never let a bad game, injuries or a little adversity get him down. Winning is all that mattered.

“At the end of the day, it’s not going to be Jake Bentley won, it’s going to be South Carolina won, and that’s the most important thing,” Bentley said prior to this season.

Bentley, 19-14 as South Carolina’s starting quarterback, suffered his greatest adversity this season. Poised for a big senior year, he suffered a broken foot in the season opener and missed the rest of the season. But instead of moping and pouting and entering the transfer portal, Bentley was at practice every week and on the sideline every Saturday, helping the team’s young quarterbacks. You can’t help but wonder how this 4-8 season might have turned out had he not gone down.

Now he is moving on, choosing to play his final season of college football at another school. He announced his decision with the same grace and class he demonstrated throughout his South Carolina career, thanking his coaches, teammates and fans.

“South Carolina has developed me into a better football player, but more importantly, it’s developed me into a better person,” he said.

“USC will forever be part of who I am.”

Bentley had plenty of ups and downs at South Carolina, and while some fans will

DECEMBER 2019

choose to remember the losses and struggles, he had more highlights than low points. Will Muschamp won more games in his first three seasons than any head coach in South Carolina history. He would not have done that without the young quarterback who skipped his senior year of high school to play for the Gamecocks.

Bentley took over the team as a 17-year-old freshman and won his first three games, salvaging what looked like another disappointing season and leading the Gamecocks to a bowl game in Muschamp’s first season.

A year later, he led South Carolina to a 9-4 record, winning tough road games at NC State, Missouri and Tennessee and leading the Gamecocks to a thrilling comeback win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl.

In 2018, he led an offense that averaged 30 points and 425 yards a game, reminding fans of Steve Spurrier’s explosive attacks. He threw for 363 yards in a 48-44 win at Ole Miss and passed for a school-record 510 yards and five touchdowns against rival Clemson.

In just three years, Bentley threw for 7,527 yards (fourth in school history), 55 touchdowns (third) and completed 62.5 percent of his passes (second). Had he not gotten injured, he would have broken all the school passing records and likely become just the 10th quarterback in SEC history to pass for more than 10,000 yards.

But what I will remember most about Jake Bentley is the class, professionalism and leader-

ship he demonstrated every step of the way.

Always backing and praising his teammates.

Setting a positive example for younger players and kids. And, at times, even lending a hand to opponents. When he consoled heartbroken Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano after South Carolina’s last-second win at Tennessee in 2017 it was one of the most inspiring acts of sportsmanship you will ever see.

When he and his team struggled, Bentley was quick to accept responsibility, understanding that as the team’s quarterback, a loss was on him, whether it was his fault or not.

After the season-opening loss to North Carolina, with his broken foot swelling and hurting, he stood before the media and answered every question and took the blame, despite the team’s all-round poor play and a fourth-quarter collapse by the defense.

“It’s really on me. I was given every opportunity by the team to go win the game and I didn’t do it,” he said.

No one on the South Carolina team was more unselfish than its starting quarterback.

Even his last decision was a selfless act. Though transferring to another school may help his NFL Draft stock, Bentley also knew that returning to South Carolina could hinder the development of the program, creating questions and controversy at the position and perhaps stunting the growth of young quarterbacks like Ryan Hilinski.

That was Jake Bentley, always doing and saying the right thing, never giving up and fighting to the bitter end.

Though he had his ups and downs, Bentley will go down as one of the best quarterbacks in South Carolina history, and one that deserves the utmost respect for the way he played the game and represented the Garnet and Black.

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• FOOTBALL 19

APPALACHIAN STATE 20, SOUTH CAROLINA 15

MOST VALUABLE Bryan Edwards not enough to carry injury-depleted offense

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Travis Bell and Jenny Dilworth

B

ryan Edwards had proven all year that he is one of South Carolina’s most valuable players during a record-setting senior season.

Never was that more evident than when the Gamecocks had to play without their best offensive player.

Edwards, South Carolina’s alltime leading receiver, missed part of the first half against Appalachian State with a strained knee.

With starters Shi Smith and Josh Vann and tight end Nick Muse already out and Chavis Dawkins also going down with an injury, the loss of Edwards left South Carolina incredibly thin at wide receiver.

So thin that freshman walk-on Trey Adkins had a catch for 29 yards and former quarterback Jay Urich had his first catch of the season.

20 APP STATE RECAP

But with Edwards out of the game, the Gamecocks struggled with just 148 yards in the first half.

Though Edwards returned in the second half and finished the game with nine receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown, South Carolina struggled on offense in the 20-15 loss to the Mountaineers.

“You become very predictable, obviously, when you don’t have a vertical threat that people have seen,” head coach Will Muschamp said. “It certainly limits you as far as some of the run boxes you’re going to face aren’t going to be very favorable and we’ve got to be able to get people off of us.”

With only Edwards as a reliable receiving option, South Carolina could not run the ball, rushing for only 21 yards, and scored just one touchdown — a 23-yard TD reception by Edwards.

With the running game struggling and the receiving corps decimated by injuries, Ryan Hilinski threw the ball 57 times for 325 yards but was plagued by dropped passes. His lone interception deflected off the hands of freshman Xavier Legette and was intercepted by Nicholas Ross, who returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.

The inability to run the ball doomed the Gamecocks against a hungry App State team.

“When we don’t have the ability to run the football we are going to struggle,” Muschamp said. “We weren’t efficient enough on offense. … We had run the ball well except in three ball games, and we lost all three games.”

With his running mates out, App State was able to focus on Edwards and limit his effectiveness while putting pressure on Hilinski. The freshman quarter-

back overthrew Edwards in the end zone on the final play of the game.

“We just need more bodies, man,” Edwards said. “It’s the end of the year, so everybody’s dealing with something. The more bodies you have, the more fresh everybody can be and the faster we can play.”

The senior receiver and fouryear starter continued to be the big story for South Carolina. With his fourth-quarter touchdown catch, he became the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards, surpassing Gamecock great Alshon Jeffery. Already the all-time leader in receptions, he also caught a pass in a record 48 straight games.

But as usual, the records meant little to Edwards. Not after a loss.

“We still lost,” he said. “I’ll appreciate it after the season.”

DECEMBER 2019

PLAYER OF THE GAME Ernest Jones

NUMBERS THAT MATTER

1

Jones led a defense that held App State to just 202 yards of total offense. The sophomore linebacker had 10 tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. He also had his second career interception to set up a third-quarter field goal.

WR Trey Adkins had his first career reception and LB Sherrod Greene had his first career sack.

3-3

PK Parker White made all three of his fieldgoal attempts, including a career-long 50-yarder.

6

RB Rico Dowdle set a career-high for receptions and receiving yards with six catches for 56 yards.

3,045 With a 23-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter, Bryan Edwards became Carolina’s all-time leader in receiving yards, surpassing Alshon Jeffery.

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TEXAS A&M 30, SOUTH CAROLINA 6

COACH’S CORNER

With school support, Muschamp vows, ‘I plan on taking this program where it has never been before’

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by SC Athletics

C

OLLEGE STATION, Texas — There was not much to say after South Carolina’s 30-6 loss at Texas A&M. Analysis of the game and what went wrong was brief. The numbers told the story.

The Gamecocks played poorly, generating just 260 yards of total offense, converting just 2 of 15 third-down plays and managing only a pair of Parker White field goals. With star wide receiver Bryan Edwards out with a knee injury, South Carolina struggled to run or pass. Carolina rushed for just 45 yards — 10 on a scramble by punter Joseph Charlton — and quarterback Ryan Hilinski completed just 16 of 41 passes for 175 yards.

With its defense worn out from being on the field too long, Texas A&M broke open a 10-point game with a 17-point fourth-quarter, including a 75-yard touchdown run. After standing tall for three quarters, the Gamecock defense gave up 540 yards of total offense

22 TEXAS A&M RECAP

and the 6-3 Aggies held the ball for 41:39 of the 60-minute game.

The poor performance — the second straight for South Carolina — couldn’t have come at a worse time. The seventh loss of the season eliminated the Gamecocks from bowl eligibility and discouraged a fan base frustrated with the team’s struggles during a disappointing 2019 season.

As a result, Will Muschamp’s postgame press conference quickly turned to his future at South Carolina and the direction of the program.

A day before the game, Athletics Director Ray Tanner released a statement pledging support for Muschamp and the program.

“I want to make it clear that Will Muschamp is our football coach and will be our coach going forward,” Tanner said. “President [Bob] Caslen and I are fully supportive of his leadership and his development of student-athletes on and off the field.”

After the game, Muschamp said he has always had the sup-

port of Tanner and the university administration, and that has not wavered during a difficult season.

“From day one, I have had wonderful communications with Coach Tanner and his administration and the president’s office, starting with President [Dr. Harris] Pastides and now with President Caslen, and the board,” he said.

“Everybody has been unbelievably supportive. Publicly, I don’t know what all is out there, but I know that from my standpoint, everybody has been supportive and positive about where we’re headed and what we are doing.”

Muschamp then vowed to turn around the program and declared that he and his staff can lead South Carolina where it wants to go.

“We have had a rough year.

We also are a staff that won more games in three years than any other staff in South Carolina history, so we have done some good things here,” he said. “We have had a very rough year and that’s frustrating.

It’s frustrating for us all. I’m a coach that has been a part of national championships and multiple

conference championships and I plan on taking this program where it has never been before. I really do plan on doing that.”

Muschamp entered the season with a 22-17 record and had led the Gamecocks to three straight bowl games. But they lost five of six games after upsetting Georgia on Oct 12, finishing 3-5 in the SEC and knocking them from bowl eligibility for the first time since Steve Spurrier’s last season in 2015.

“It’s frustrating,” said junior tight end Kyle Markway, who led South Carolina with five receptions for 47 yards at Texas A&M. “I’ve been through it and 2015 was kinda similar. But this team is different. This team comes to work every day and it’s just frustrating that it is not paying off for us.”

“It shouldn’t happen, call it like it is,” said Muschamp, who said he has the resources and support to make South Carolina an SEC contender again.

“We are not as far off as people seem to think we are,” he said.

DECEMBER 2019

PLAYER OF THE GAME Jammie Robinson Jammie Robinson led the Gamecocks with a career-high 15 tackles, including 12 solo stops.

The freshman DB also had a pass breakup in his best game of the season.

NUMBERS THAT MATTER

1.5

DE J.J. Enagbare had a career-high 1.5 sacks, sharing a sack with Javon Kinlaw. Enagbare also had four tackles and two quarterback hurries.

3

The Gamecocks had three players attempt passes in the game. Starting quarterback Ryan Hilinski was 16-of-41 for 175 yards, while backup Dakereon Joyner completed 3 of 4 passes for 40 yards. WR Shi Smith also attempted a pass after taking a lateral from Hilinski.

TE Kyle Markway led the Gamecocks with five receptions for 47 yards.

8

P Joseph Charlton had eight punts in the game, averaging 46 yards per kick with a long of 58 yards. Charlton also made the play of the game for South Carolina, avoiding a blocked punt attempt and rushing for 10 yards for a first down.

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TEXAS A&M RECAP 23

CLEMSON 38, SOUTH CAROLINA 3

‘WE WILL BE BETTER’ Muschamp moves quickly to fix offense after loss to Clemson

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Jenny Dilworth

W

ill Muschamp summed it succinctly as soon as he walked into the media room following South Carolina’s 38-3 loss to rival Clemson.

“Frustrating end to a frustrating year,” he said.

The most frustrating part was South Carolina’s continuing struggles on offense. The Gamecocks gained just 174 yards to Clemson’s 527. They were just 5-of-15 on third down and trailed Clemson in time of possession by more than 10 minutes.

The poor performance continued a trend that saw the South Carolina offense get worse as the season progressed. The Gamecocks scored just 24 points in their final three games — all losses — and failed to score a touchdown in consecutive games for the first time since the 0-11 season in 1999.

Fixing the offense was Muschamp’s top priority. A day after the regular season, word spread that he had dismissed strength and conditioning coach Jeff Dillman and quarterbacks coach Dan Werner. He was searching for a new offensive coordinator to replace Bryan McClendon, who was assigned a different role.

24 CLEMSON RECAP

“I don’t think we are far off, I think we have a good, young, talented roster,” he said. “I think we have some good players in our program, I am extremely frustrated for them. We have to make some changes moving forward … we need to get better. … We will be better moving forward.”

The Gamecocks averaged 22 points and 372 yards per game — numbers inflated by the 7210 win over Charleston Southern. They never scored more than 27 points after the Week 2 outburst and scored only 24, 20 and 24 in their other three wins.

South Carolina ranked 104th in the nation in scoring and 96th in total offense. They were 12th and 11th, respectively, in the SEC. “We’re struggling in a lot of areas,” Muschamp said. “… I don’t have enough fingers to put in the dyke right now. Confidence is a major issue. We are having a hard time in a lot of areas. To sit here and blame one person, I’m not going to do that. At the end of the day, we need to be more productive, and that’s the bottom line.”

The Gamecocks hoped to be able to run the ball against Clemson, but managed just 69 yards rushing. And with wide receiver Bryan

Edwards missing his second straight game with a knee injury, they could not throw the ball down the field. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski completed 16 of 27 passes for just 105 yards and one interception. With backup Dakereon Joyner also missing the game with a concussion, Jay Urich and running back Rico Dowdle also took turns at quarterback.

South Carolina’s longest play was a 30-yard pass to tight end Kyle Markway, its only points a 39-yard field goal by Parker White.

Muschamp continued to be baffled by the offensive struggles a year after his team avaraged 30 points and 425 yards per game under McClendon.

“There are a lot of different areas that are at fault and needs to get fixed, and that’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “Last year was more of what we need to be. … I can list some issues that I think that probably contirubted to that, but that’s called excuses and I’m not going to make excuses. Bottom line, we weren’t productive enough and we need to get better, and we will.”

DECEMBER 2019

PLAYER OF THE GAME Kyle Markway

In what could have been his last game at South Carolina, redshirt-junior tight end Kyle Markway had another solid game, catching three passes for 39 yards and setting up the Gamecocks’ only points.

Markway’s career-long 30-yard reception in the second quarter led to Parker White’s 39-yard field goal.

NUMBERS THAT MATTER

4 9

QB Ryan Hilinski finished the season fourth in school history in pass attempts (406) in a single season and completions (236) in a single season.

S J.T. Ibe had a career-high nine tackles in his final game as a Gamecock.

LB T.J. Brunson had five tackles against Clemson, tying him for 10th all-time with 164 unassited tackles.

K Parker White booted his 18th field goal of the season, tying him for fifth all-time with Elliott Fry.

P Joseph Charlton set a school record, averaging 47.7 yards per punt this season. He also broke his own singlegame record, averaging 46.1 yards per punt vs. Clemson.

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6-11 senior Maik Kotsar leads the way for Martin’s Gamecocks

A

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Jenny Dilworth

s South Carolina slogged toward its first loss of the season, Frank Martin didn’t like what he saw from his struggling team.

While Boston University was loud and enthusiastic as it closed out a 78-70 win in the first round of the Cancun Challenge, Martin’s Gamecocks were moping, pouting and quiet, way too quiet.

“If you can tell me what player on our team you heard, it’s one more than I heard,” Martin said after the game. “That’s a problem we have to address and fix.”

What Martin was looking for was a leader, an energetic Chris Silva-like personality who would give his team a boost on the floor and be a vocal leader off the court and in the game huddle.

“We have to figure all that out right now.

I’m searching really hard,” Martin said.

A few hours later, Maik Kotsar, the only senior and most experienced player on Mar-

26 MAIK KOTSAR

tin’s team, stepped up and took responsibility, vowing that he would be the team leader Martin was looking for.

“That’s mostly on me because I’m the senior, I’m supposed to help everyone else out,” Kotsar said. “I’ve been through it for three years so I should be there. It got a little quiet so I got to be more of a leader. … I’m trying to be more vocal and trying to fix the problem.”

As a three-year starter who played a key role on Martin’s Final Four team in 2016-17, Kotsar was the most natural player to fill that role. The 6-11 forward had a great preseason, dunking the ball, blocking shots at the rim, knocking down 15-foot jumpers and playing solid defense.

“He’s in great spirits, he’s aggressive,” Martin said during preseason. “Maik’s in a good place. I have been tremendously pleased with him.”

Then the season started and Kotsar disappeared. Plagued by inconsistency his whole

career, the big man from Estonia got off to a terrible start. Slowed by a cold that swept through the South Carolina locker room, he was in foul trouble in the first two games and played just 36 minutes in the two games combined. He scored a total of eight points and had more fouls (seven) than rebounds (5).

Kotsar worked with a sports psychologist during the offseason and was more confident, he said, entering the season than he had been in his first three years. But after the miserable start, Martin quipped, “I’m the one who is going to need to see a sports psychologist.”

But with his young team searching for leadership, Kotsar quickly got healthy and finally showed signs of being the player South Carolina desperately needs. In a 90-63 win over Cleveland State, Kotsar scored just five points but hauled down a season-high 12 rebounds, had two steals and played with the energy his team needed on defense.

DECEMBER 2019

In the next game, against Boston U, the offense arrived as Kotsar hit seven of 10 shots and scored 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks.

That started a streak of five straight doublefigure games, a career-high for Kotsar. He had 12 points in both games in Cancun, Mexico, making the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team. When the team returned home, he led the Gamecocks with a season-high 17 points and nine rebounds in a win over George Washington. At UMass later that week, he scored just nine points but had nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.

“He’s growing. He’s battling,” Martin said.

“Maik’s starting to change his demeanor from within, which is allowing him to be more aggressive, which is what we need him to do.”

Though Kotsar played solid defense last season, he didn’t have the confidence to score consistently, and when he missed shots, his confidence waned and he would disappear.

“There were moments last year that I didn’t know how to help him. He was great defensively but he would shrink on offense. He would not allow himself to succeed offensively,” Martin said.

“The way I’m seeing him play right now …

I couldn’t be happier for him. I want him to stay aggressive and not worry about missing shots. … I’m really happy for Maik, and we need him. We need him to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Kotsar says his confidence has soared with his increased leadership responsibilities.

“As a senior, I feel like I need to

DECEMBER 2019

be there for the team every night,” he said. “I feel confident, and the guys are helping me out with that.

His teammates have seen a change in the senior big man. He’s not only been a force during games, but off the court as well.

“He’s talking a lot during timeouts and during the game, just trying to encouraging us more and just doing what seniors do, just being a leader,” leading scorer AJ Lawson said.

“We look to Maik as our leader on and off the court and in practice, so when he is playing well it sets the tone for the team,” point guard Jair Bolden said.

Kotsar, who has averaged seven points and five rebounds the past two seasons, may be South Carolina’s most important player this season. While the Gamecocks have a star in Lawson and plenty of depth in the back court, Kotsar is the only experienced frontcourt player. He must rebound, score in the paint and defend the low post. More importantly, he has to provide leadership to young forwards Alanzo Frink, Jalyn McCreary and Wildens Leveque.

Through nine games, Kotsar was averaging 10 points and six rebounds, while leading the team with 11 blocked shots and 13 steals.

“He doesn’t impress you with stats, but he’s a stabilizer defensively,” Martin said.

A three-year starter, Kotsar is trying to pattern his game after Silva, a two-time AllSEC player and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18. While Silva was a force on the boards and in the low post, he also developed into the team’s emotional and inspirational leader. His energy and effort are big reasons he made the roster of the NBA’s Miami Heat.

“He leads by example, which I am trying to do,” Kotsar said. “A lot of times he comes on the court and gives it his all and brings energy every day on the court and off, plus he just overall is really vocal. Chris really matured over the time he was here and really got to be a better leader over time. That’s what I am trying to do.”

After shaking his early-season struggles, Kotsar is showing he just might be the player and leader South Carolina needs. Martin learned early in the season how valuable his big man can be.

For this team to be as good as it can be, we need him to be the guy we saw [early in the season].

– FRANK MARTIN

“I don’t need him to go AWOL on me,” he said. “For this team to be as good as it can be, we need Maik to be the guy we saw [early in the season].

“He’s playing with confidence but he’s also playing with a desire on offense that’s fun to watch. … I think he is starting to figure it out.”

MAIK KOTSAR 27

A

liyah Boston made her South Carolina regular-season debut on Nov. 5.

On Nov. 15, just 10 days later, Dawn Staley was asked how the freshman compared to where A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates — arguably the two most decorated players in program history and both WNBA first round draft picks — were at that point in their careers.

“I know A’ja and Alaina, they’re probably going to shoot me a mean text after I say this, but [Aliyah’s] ahead of them,” the Gamecock head coach said. “Here’s why: the communication piece. A’ja and Alaina had older players that they took the backseat to.

“Aliyah is just being Aliyah. She’s just calling what she sees.”

That, the coach said, is without factoring in skillset. That, of course, Boston also has.

Through South Carolina’s first nine games (all starts), the center averaged 14.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. By comparison, Wilson averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game through her first nine career games.

She’s just a player that understands that she has to impose her will every single time we step on the floor. No matter what the competition, she doesn’t play down. She’s always going to give 110 percent.

– DAWN STALEY

AHEAD OF THE GAME Freshman Aliyah Boston blossoms into star player

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Jenny Dilworth and Allen Sharpe

28 BASKETBALL • ALIYAH BOSTON

One of 20 nominees for the Lisa Leslie Award — given to the nation’s top center — Boston won three of the first four SEC Freshman of the Week awards. “I thought she should have been Freshman of the Week and Player of the Week,” Staley said after the first of the three conference awards.

She was also named MVP of the Paradise Jam after scoring a career-high 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds against No. 2 Baylor.

Through eight games Boston was first in the SEC in field goal percentage (.726) and blocked shots (26), nine more than the second-ranked player. She was also the only player at the time to have a triple-double.

Not only was it a triple-double, it was a triple-double in her college debut. Against Alabama State on Nov. 5, Boston led the Gamecocks to a blowout victory with 12 points, 12 rebounds (seven offensive) and 10 blocks. She also had three steals.

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DECEMBER 2019

what she’s heard in scouting reports and what she’s heard in preparation. And she’s able to execute in games.

“And being a great shot blocker isn’t just being in the right place at the right time. It’s knowing you’re in the right place at the right time and not really guessing.”

“It’s just natural for her,” senior Mikiah Herbert Harrigan said.

Staley was asked two days later if she thought Boston would have so much success early in her career.

“No. [But] I knew she was highly intelligent [and] I knew she understood basketball,”

Established 1978

the coach said. “Our conversations were always a little more in-depth than your regular high school player.”

Staley said Boston has been such a vocal leader on the court that it helped the Gamecocks, as a team, perform better on the defensive end.

“She’s pretty much been the ringleader [on defense],” the coach said.

The praise continued as the dominating performances mounted.

Against Appalachian State and its 6-4 center Bayley Plummer, Boston had 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

“She looks at her matchup, she studies it and she sees edges in which she can create an advantage for herself,” Staley said.

Then, 18 points and 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes against USC Upstate.

“She’s a focal point for us, getting her the ball in the paint,” Staley said. “But when we don’t get her the ball in the paint, she rebounds. She’s been very consistent rebounding the ball.

“She’s just a player that understands that she has to impose her will every single time we step on the floor. No matter what the competition, she doesn’t play down. She’s always going to give 110 percent.”

Added the coach after the Maryland performance, “She’s blossoming. … She’s got a promising future. This is just the tip of the iceberg for her.”

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ALIYAH BOSTON

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It was the seventh triple-double in program history and the first by a freshman. It was also the most blocks in a game by a freshman and tied for the most blocks in a game by one player overall.

Boston swatted her 10th block midway through the fourth quarter and left the game moments later to a rousing ovation. “My teammates, they were able to get me the ball and I was able to produce for them,” the center said. “And then everything else just fell into place. “… I had no idea [about a triple-double], and then coach was like, ‘You’re two blocks away.’ And then that happened.”

It wasn’t just a stat-stuffing performance against a lesser opponent.

Five days later on the road against then No. 4 Maryland she had 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in a 63-54 win. “It was exciting. Defensively, I think I was just there,” Boston said after the game. “I think I did great blocking and rebounding.”

Staley and Gamecock point guard Ty Harris, sitting alongside her, laughed.

The 6-5 Boston was then asked about her block total.

“I was just where I needed to be, dropping over where I needed to,” she said. “I think it worked great because we were able to get out in transition and go get easy baskets.”

“I think she has a real sense of the game,” Staley said. “She has real great recollection of

• BASKETBALL 29

SOCCER

ELITE AGAIN

Gamecock soccer has another memorable season, makes second Elite Eight run in three seasons

M

By Josh Hyber and Brandon Alter • Photos by Allen Sharpe

ikayla Krzeczowski thanked her teammates and told the younger ones, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Elexa Bahr did the same.

Grace Fisk pointed out how she couldn’t believe how close-knit the team was and told its returning players how much they have to look forward to.

“I don’t know if I want to talk about that because I’d get too emotional,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said of the scene following her team’s season-ending loss. “It was very touching.

30 NCAA TOURNAMENT

“All of us just thanked each other.”

They had much to be thankful for.

Just this season, South Carolina (19-2-3, 7-0-3 in the SEC) reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, won the SEC Tournament title for the first time in a decade and didn’t lose a single game against an SEC opponent.

“To make it to this point, obviously we fell a little short, but we played longer than a lot of teams,” Smith said. “This is our goal, to put ourselves in these positions, to compete for championships. And this team won an SEC championship, put itself in a position to win a national

championship and gave it their all. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Krzeczowski was named SEC Goalkeeper of the Year and finished her career with 50 shutouts, the third-most in NCAA history, while Fisk earned her third SEC Defender of the Year award.

The season saw the continued brilliance of Krzeczowski and Fisk — program legends who can each make a case to be carved on the program’s Mount Rushmore — as well as the continued improvement of Bahr, Ryan Gareis and Luciana Zullo in the attacking third and the steady play of Lauren Chang in the midfield.

Riley Tanner, Sutton Jones and Jyllissa Harris were intro-

duced as future stars, while transfer Anna Patten came in and was a force alongside Fisk in the central defense.

For South Carolina coaches, players and fans it will be a season they can look back on and remember fondly.

The Gamecocks began the season ranked No. 15 in the country and came from behind to win the season opener against No. 21 NC State. The win sparked a six-game win streak that featured three goals in six minutes to beat William & Mary, a 6-0 rout of Jacksonville State and a sweep of the Purdue Invitational with wins over the Boilermakers and DePaul.

The Gamecocks soared to No. 7 in the national rankings.

Then there was a bit of a low.

South Carolina had its only regular season loss, 1-0, at archrival Clemson, a team that was ranked No. 20 in the country at the time.

Despite the loss, the Gamecocks quickly rebounded with a 3-0 win over Georgia to start SEC play.

Things could have gone downhill fast for the Garnet and Black when they found them-

DECEMBER 2019

This team won an SEC championship, put itself in a position to win a national championship and gave it their all. I couldn’t ask for more.

– SHELLEY SMITH selves down 2-0 at Alabama in its first road SEC game after just 23 minutes. But the Gamecocks responded emphatically and scored five straight goals to win 5-2.

South Carolina allowed just two goals the rest of the way in SEC play.

The Gamecocks then beat No. 13 Arkansas 1-0 at home after a late goal by Harris in what became a preview of the SEC title match.

Maintaining the No. 7 ranking, they played a scoreless draw at home against unranked Vanderbilt. Days later, they let in a goal with 56 seconds left to go from a 1-0 win to a 1-1 draw

DECEMBER 2019

at home against unranked and struggling Tennessee.

Those games changed the season. But for the better.

“I think on our way to the SEC Tournament, I feel like through those challenges, where we had those ties, some teams would be, ‘Ugh, this is where we fall apart.’ I think that is where we really fell together as a team,” Chang said. “And I think that was my favorite part about this whole season.”

While those draws knocked it out of winning the division, South Carolina still had a chance to win the regular-season conference championship heading into the final game. Though the

Ryan Gareis Gamecocks did their job beating Auburn 2-0, they did not get the help they needed to win the SEC. The following week, proved they were the best in the conference by winning the SEC Tournament without allowing a single goal.

Then came three shutout wins in the NCAA Tournament — 3-0 over Samford, 1-0 over Notre

Dame and 2-0 over Kansas — before a 1-0 season-ending overtime loss to Washington State in the Elite Eight.

“It’s a difficult time,” Smith said. “But we always have players working behind [our seniors] to make this program that much better than where they left it.”

NCAA TOURNAMENT 31

SUPER SUB Sutton Jones fills some big shoes during NCAA Tournament run

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Allen Sharpe

W

hen Sutton Jones was defending an opponent one on one during South Carolina’s SEC Tournament opener against Georgia on Nov. 5, she heard a familiar voice from the sideline advise her to apply a bit more pressure.

It was Tatumn Milazzo's.

In a perfect world with no injuries, it would have been Milazzo, South Carolina’s senior outside back, on the field in the crucial postseason game. Instead, because Milazzo suffered a season-ending ACL tear with one game remaining in the regular season, it was Jones on the field at the time and Jones who started the team’s final eight games.

In those eight games, she had a goal and an assist and played

644 of 724 possible minutes (88.95 percent) during a stretch when the Gamecocks (19-2-3) posted seven straight shutouts, won the SEC Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. “[Sutton’s] so good on the ball. She’s composed and can do things out of the back we want to see in our defenders where they get forward, can serve a good ball and can keep it for us,” head coach Shelley Smith said during the NCAA Tournament. “… Having her possess and control and not get flustered in the back is a big piece for us. “… And she’s done a great job of tackling, when needed, and winning balls in the air.”

“She’s such a good player on the ball. Even though she’s not

32 WOMEN'S SOCCER • SUTTON JONES

the most vocal all the time, you can just tell by the way she plays that she knows exactly what she’s doing,” SC defensive midfielder Jyllissa Harris said.

Jones did not start at all before Milazzo’s injury but played considerable minutes in an outside back rotation with Sarah Eskew and Paige Mikula.

“Having to fill the shoes of Tatumn, she was such a great player, I just want to be able to [play well] for her and the team, because I know how hard we’ve worked all season,” Jones said.

But the sophomore was no stranger to suddenly being thrust into the starting lineup. Last season, after incumbent starter Jackie Schaefer suffered a careerending concussion with just one game to go in the regular season, Jones started the season’s final four games.

This season, like last, she did not miss a beat.

With three-time SEC Defender of the Year Grace Fisk, SEC Goalkeeper of the Year Mikayla Krzeczowski and two-time SEC Defender of the Week Anna Patten alongside her, Jones fit in seamlessly with one of the nation’s best defenses.

Jones said before the NCAA Tournament she was having “a lot of fun.” “[But] it’s also pretty nerve wracking, honestly,” she admitted.

“Stepping into such big shoes. But my team has been super helpful along the way. They’ve been confident in me, and that’s helped me be confident in myself. Definitely having so much experience back there, with Grace and Anna and Skew and Mik, has been super helpful.”

Jones earned SEC All-Tournament honors after scoring to give the Gamecocks a first-half lead in the team’s semifinal matchup against Vanderbilt. “… After I scored, honestly, I don’t remember much. I just remember feeling a feeling I’ve never felt before,” she said. “I was so happy and just proud I could do that for my team.”

She then assisted on Ryan Gareis’s game-winner in the championship game against Arkansas.

“She was great. … I think she’s really stepped into the role,” Fisk said. “Obviously, it’s a big responsibility filling Tatumn’s shoes, but she’s really stepped into it and done well.”

“She’s stepped it up, for sure,” Krzeczowski added. “And she understands the shoes she’s filling. … With the ball at her feet, she’s looking up and making sure she connects passes. And defensively, she has gotten tougher and better at reading the game. I feel like she can only get better from here.”

Jones credits the players around her.

“Mik especially, she’s always talking and always looking to help me out and kind of guide me in the right direction,” Jones said.

“And Anna and Grace, they’re such great leaders. They’re so calm on the ball and great with communication.

“That all just calms my nerves and helps me play.”

With Fisk and Milazzo set to graduate, Jones won’t have to wait for another injury to get her chance in the starting lineup.

She’ll be there from day one next year.

DECEMBER 2019

SHOW STOPPER Riley Tanner gives Gamecocks spark in NCAA Tournament

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photo by Allen Sharpe

R

iley Tanner accepted Rebecca Koch’s lead pass deep in the southeast corner of the field at Stone Stadium and did what South Carolina women’s soccer fans have become accustomed to, what the dynamic Riley Tanner does.

Her first touch, with her left foot, slid between the feet of Kansas defender Isabella Cavalcante — a move, in soccer circles, known as a nutmeg. As the ball crossed into the 18-yard box, Tanner did it again, sliding the ball between the feet of Jayhawk defender Grace Wiltgen.

Before she took on another defender, Tanner trickled a close-range shot by keeper Sarah

DECEMBER 2019

Peters and into the right side of the net.

“The first girl was coming right at me, so the only thing I could do was put it through her legs,” Tanner told Gamecocks Online. “The next girl was coming hard, and I had to cut through her, too. From there, I got my head up and saw the goal and finished.”

The goal in South Carolina’s Sweet 16 victory over Kansas was the continuation of Tanner’s sensational NCAA Tournament, which ended for the Gamecocks (19-2-3) in the Elite Eight.

“We’ve known what Riley’s capable of,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “…

You watch her finish those goals, she’s excellent. Composed. If she can put herself in those spots, we have confidence in her that she’s going to put the ball in the back of the net.”

Tanner was a sensation for South Carolina during its NCAA Tournament run. She scored just two goals during the regular season, but scored three and assisted on another during the tournament.

“She’s been really, really good recently coming off the bench and giving us that spark,” Gamecock defender Grace Fisk said during the tournament. “…

When [starter Ryan Gareis] gets tired, Riley can come in and

really show out for us. I think that’s shown sort of her quality.”

Added midfielder Lauren Chang, “She has a new swagger, and new confidence to her, and it shows. Because when we get her in wide positions and it’s just her and an outside back, I run for the box, because I know she’s going to beat that player.

“I’m very confident in her and our wingers’ ability to beat outside backs. That’s been a really integral part to our attack, and it’s been working well.”

Other than former South Carolina All-American Savannah McCaskill (2014-2017), Tanner became the only Gamecock to score goals in three straight games since 2013.

“Savannah was the face of this program,” Tanner told Gamecocks Online. “I always watched all those games and loved to watch her play. Coming in here, I wanted to be like her.

“The best part of the last couple weeks is the confidence it has given me. It’s made me mentally strong, which is very nice. I feel good. Confidence is so big for me.”

That confidence grew more and more with each game, especially since Oct. 27, when she scored in the 83rd minute against rival Florida, the No. 20 team in the country at the time, in Gainesville, to tie the score at 1-1 and allow the Gamecocks to remain undefeated in SEC play.

After she assisted on South Carolina’s first goal of the NCAA Tournament — in its 3-0 win over Samford — she scored in the 81st minute on an assist from Lauren Chang.

She then scored the team’s lone goal in its Round of 32 win over Notre Dame.

“She’s got that forward mentality,” Smith said. “And she’s going to have another great year next year.”

Next year, with the graduation of the team’s striker, Elexa Bahr, Tanner could slot into a starting position. Smith said before the Elite Eight that Tanner could “easily start for us up there.”

“She’s proven to be one of our best finishers,” the coach said. “… She’ll continue to do that for us. Next year, we’ll see, but she has a bright future.”

RILEY TANNER

• WOMEN'S SOCCER 33

LASTING IMPRESSION Monheimer leaves legacy of hard work, senior leadership

By Brandon Alter | Contributing writer • Photo by Allen Sharpe

M

ark Berson has been the head coach of South Carolina men’s soccer team since the program’s inception more than 40 years ago. While there have been ups and downs, there has always been one constant: the culture of the program.

From this year’s squad, senior forward Tucker Monheimer was the epitome of that culture.

From overtime heroics, to never giving up on a play, to taking younger players under his wing, Monheimer encapsulated what it means to be a Gamecock and play for Berson. The forward from Louisville, Ky. was second for South Carolina (7-9-2) in

points (11) and goals (five) and led the team in game-winning goals with three.

Monheimer, who spent his freshman season at Northern Kentucky, credits the guys he looked up to when he first arrived for his commitment to the culture.

Berson saw Monheimer embrace the program’s culture and grow over the past three years, mostly through hard work.

“This is a guy that came in and had a lot to learn. Through his work ethic, and through how hard he’s worked on the field, he’s been able to really do well,” Berson said.

“Each player that comes through our program leaves some type

34 MEN'S SOCCER • TUCKER MONHEIMER

of impression. And the lasting impression of what Tucker is is hard work.”

Monheimer’s effort paid off.

He tied for third in Conference USA in game-winning goals, tied for 10th in goals scored and ranked 10th in shots per game. He scored two goals in a game against Furman.

“He’s making better decisions.

He’s finishing balls with more accuracy,” Berson said in October.

“He knows what we want to do on the field, he knows our system, and I think things are starting to click for him.”

Monheimer’s three gamewinners included two in overtime

against Gardner-Webb and Mercer, home games that were played eight days apart.

“One of the things Tucker has always had is a good work ethic,” Berson said. “He doesn’t give up on any half chances or any partial opportunities. You can count on him to run down those types of things.

“In those overtime gamewinning goals, he was in the right place at the right time, because he didn’t give up on a half chance. He pushed to the end and then he was rewarded.”

“I’ve learned a lot the last few years. I’m just trying to implement that, playing the best I can,” Monheimer said in October. “[It’s the] last year I have, and I want to end on a good note.”

Along the way Monheimer developed a bond with freshman Brian Banahan, a fellow Kentuckian.

“We got that Kentucky chemistry,” Monheimer said. “Coming from the same place, we kind of connected off that. Then it played into the soccer field. We kind of know each other’s movements.”

“Right when we came here, we felt like there was chemistry already,” Banahan said. “It’s helped during the season. We play off each other really well.”

Banahan wasn’t the only player Monheimer connected with. He believes that as a senior it was his responsibility to show the younger guys on the team the way older players showed him.

“Culture is our biggest thing this year,” he said. “Setting a path for the rest of the guys coming in.

As a senior, setting that culture is really important to me, let alone just playing well and stuff like that, but also the chemistry. Being able to play together, and win together, and lose together as a team.

Just building that culture that is something to be proud of.”

“Tucker’s my dad,” joked Banahan from a few feet away.

Monheimer, like any senior, wants to leave a lasting legacy.

But he doesn’t have to wait until he graduates to see the impact he had on the team. His presence has already left a mark.

“I definitely look up to him.

Four years from now, I would like to see myself fill his shoes,” Banahan said. “I know those are big shoes to fill, but he’s a really good player, and everyone in the locker room looks up to him.”

DECEMBER 2019

VOLLEYBALL have built this program so much, and for them to get a chance to keep going and make the NCAA Tournament and put another banner in the gym, I think those are things we’re all pretty excited about.”

ALL-SEC PICKS

Mikayla Shields

PROGRAM CHANGERS

Shields, Robinson lead way as Mendoza’s Gamecocks return to NCAA Tournament

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photo by SC Athletics

W

hen it was announced that South Carolina made the NCAA Tournament last season, its players leaped in the air and cheered wildly. The team held a watch party in a suite at Williams-Brice Stadium and invited media to cover the expected celebration.

This year there was no party.

The Gamecocks sat firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

“Obviously we felt like it was going to be really close. We liked our résumé,” Gamecock head coach Tom Mendoza said.

On Dec. 1, the day of the selection show, senior Courtney

DECEMBER 2019

Koehler’s mind kept coming back to her team’s impending fate.

“I would literally start thinking about volleyball and would get really tense and start shaking,” she said. “I was super nervous.”

For senior Mikayla Shields, nerves built up in the last half hour before the selection show.

“All those worries and angst, but also excitement,” she said.

After only nine minutes of waiting, the team learned its résumé was good enough for the bubble not to burst. The team celebrated when its name was announced for a second straight year, albeit this time with a few more

hands covering mouths in excited shock.

The Gamecocks — 19-11 and 11-7 in the SEC — earned a trip to Seattle to face Colorado State on Dec. 6. The 11 conference wins are the most for the program since 2008.

“I’m incredibly thrilled for our group,” Mendoza said. “It’s a group that likes to come into the gym every day and get to spend time together. So the fact that we get an extra week that they earned is incredibly rewarding and what we set out at the beginning of the year to try to accomplish.

“I’m thrilled, especially for our upperclassmen and seniors who

Two of those upperclassmen — senior Mikayla Shields and junior Mikayla Robinson — earned All-SEC honors. Shields became the first three-time honoree for the Gamecocks since now assistant coach Shonda Cole Wallace in 2006, and Robinson made the team for the second consecutive season. It’s the first time since 2002 South Carolina had multiple honorees in back-to-back seasons.

Shields ranked ninth in the SEC in hitting percentage and tenth in kills, making her the only hitter in the conference to rank in the top ten in both categories. The Orlando, Fla. native ranked third in the SEC in aces, seventh in points and 11th in double-doubles.

Despite attempting over 200 more attacks than any other player on the roster this season, her .324 hitting percentage was sixth highest in the program in the rally-scoring era. In the program’s all-time history, Shields ranks in the top 10 in kills, attacks, hitting percentage and points. She also cracked the 1,500 career kill milestone in the team’s regular-season finale.

“I think last year was a lesson in, ‘This is what we can do,’ and this year was a lesson in, ‘Let’s see how far we can go,’” she said. “…

We turned this program around as a team and as a group.”

Robinson enjoyed a career year on offense and defense, totaling 2.42 kills and 1.24 blocks per set with a .338 hitting percentage. The junior’s 130 total blocks (26 solo) are second-most in the rally-scoring era and ranked 45th nationally.

Her 26 solo blocks were the most in the SEC. Her 96 total blocks in SEC play led the conference despite South Carolina playing the second-fewest sets (61) in SEC play. On offense, her .338 hitting percentage is fourthhighest for a single season in the program’s rally-scoring era and the highest since 2008.

NCAA TOURNAMENT 35

NEWS & NOTES

GAMECOCK NEWS & NOTES SWIMMING AND DIVING Sophomore diver ANTON DOWN-JENKINS had a dominant fall, winning the 3-meter dive at the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational and earning SEC Diver of the Week twice. His 3-meter score of 437.55 vs. North Carolina was the top score in the SEC this season.

Senior Albury Higgs won the 200 breaststroke at Georgia Tech, while seniors Christina Lappin and Lionel Khoo led the Gamecocks with five individual wins this fall.

CROSS COUNTRY The South Carolina women’s cross country team finished 15th at the NCAA Southeast Regional, the team’s highest finish since 2013.

ANNA KATHRYN STODDARD led the Gamecocks, finishing 41st with a time of 21:6.5, while Heather Stone finished 46th.

WOMEN'S GOLF After a stellar start to her South Carolina career, freshman golfer PAULINE ROUSSINBOUCHARD was named to the fall ANNIKA Award Watch List. The Carqueiranne, France native made an immediate impact, helping the Gamecocks win the Windy City Collegiate Classic and the Landfall Tradition. She took the top individual honor at Windy City and tied for third at Landfall.

36 SC ATHLETICS

DECEMBER 2019

EQUESTRIAN Sophomore GRADY LYMAN earned three Most Outstanding Player honors in November, winning the equitation on the flat events against No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 9 UT Martin.

Carolina Gute, McKenzie Duncan, Gabby Brassard, Jordan Allen, Carolina Bald and freshman Madeline Schaefer also earned M.O.P. honors during the fall season, while Gute was named SEC Co-Reining Rider of the Month in October.

MEN’S SOCCER Brian Banahan, Frano Buhovac and LOGAN HITZEMAN all made the Conference USA all-conference team.

Banaham led the Gamecocks with six goals and 13 points. Buhovac played 1,088 minutes on the backline, while Hitzeman played 1,199 minutes at midfield and had two assists and four shots.

WOMEN’S TENNIS South Carolina’s women’s tennis team placed four players in the ITA Fall National Rankings, with senior Mia Horvit climbing to No. 27 and MEGAN DAVIES jumping nearly 100 spots to No. 28 after reaching the semifinals of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. The team of Silvia Chinellato and freshman Emma Shelton are ranked No. 18 in doubles.

MEN’S TENNIS The Gamecock men’s team placed five players in the ITA Fall National Rankings. Sophomores Daniel Rodrigues and RAPHAEL LAMBLING both made big jumps, with Rodrigues climbing 14 spots to No. 35 and Lambling rising from No. 110 to No. 39. Freshman Connor Thomson is ranked No. 106, while the doubles tandem of Rodrigues and Lambling are ranked No. 39 and Beau Pelletier and Thomas Brown No. 56.

DECEMBER 2019

SC ATHLETICS 37

A pep talk for disappointed Gamecock fans

By Bill Gunter | Contributing writer

I

try to be as positive as anyone when it comes to South Carolina athletics. At the end of the day, it is just sports, and it is not what defines my life. I have children and other things that are more important than the outcome of a sporting event.

With that said, what a rough year for Gamecock fans.

One of the first things I was told when I got into the sports talk industry was, “do not try to trick your listener into believing something that is simply not happening.” We all know it was a tough stretch from last year’s Belk Bowl through the Clemson game Nov. 30. There were some bright spots but it was a tough year for men’s basketball, baseball and football.

Still, one thing I have learned is, you can never give up. A new year is upon us and all we can do is hope for a better year in 2020.

There seemed to be a weird stretch of injuries that affected each team. It’s easy to blame someone, but honestly, I do not

know how you blame Frank Martin for AJ Lawson rolling his ankle driving for a layup in a tight game against Alabama late in the season.

That one play kind of sums up the basketball season. If Lawson does not step on a player’s foot, then I believe the Gamecocks go on to win that game and would have likely won the following game against Missouri. Two more league wins would have given them 13, which I think gets them into the NCAA Tournament. How do you blame Martin for a freak injury like that?

Fast forward to the opening of football season and the injury to quarterback Jake Bentley at the end of the first game. It’s easy to blame Will Muschamp or strength and conditioning coach Jeff Dillman, but I am not sure how they are at fault for something as freakish as a player having a defender fall on his foot.

We will never know just how much that injury affected the 2019 season. Having a senior quarter-

back with more than 30 starts under his belt would have been entirely different than a true freshman playing against the toughest competition in college football.

So what do we do? Well first, I suggest enjoying Christmas with your family. Then, after a lovely Christmas meal, put your garnet and black back on and start pulling like crazy for Gamecock basketball.

Dawn Staley’s team is fun to watch and looks to be a national title contender again, while Martin has one of the most intriguing teams I have seen in a long time. It will be fun to see how far Staley’s team can go and how Martin’s team positions itself come tournament time.

Baseball gets going in February and Gamecock fans are known for their passionate support. The atmosphere at Founders Park is made possible by a loyal fan base, and even in disappointing times, opponents know coming in for a weekend series will not be easy.

Then spring football returns and regardless of how disappointed you were in November, maybe you can be excited about the new group of recruits. And in August we will see what the current changes produce for Muschamp and his program.

If you made it this far, I have tried my hardest to give you a pep talk because I truly do get it. It has been a tough year, but if you read this far, you have probably been a Carolina fan for a long time and have seen worse. Now is not the time to give up on the Gamecocks.

Bill Gunter is the co-host of the Early Game on 107.5 The Game in Columbia.

Follow him on Twitter @WillGunter.

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DECEMBER 2019

History shows there’s always hope for Gamecock football

By Ed Girardeau | Contributing writer

GAMECOCK MARKETPLACE DECEMBER 2019

The 1982 season stands out for me. That was Richard Bell’s one season as head coach. Four wins and a loss to Furman. It was dismal.

In 1986, SC went 3-6-2. That was Todd Ellis’s freshman year.

You could tell there were better days ahead, and the 1987 and ’88 seasons brought that to bear with back-to-back 8-4 marks.

The 90s and 2000s had its share of three- and four-win seasons.

Quite frankly, the worst was 2015 with Coach Spurrier “resigning” at midseason. Three wins and a loss to The Citadel. Hope was a goalkeeper for the USA Women’s Soccer team as we certainly had none in football at the time.

All of that is a reminder that there is always hope. Things did get better in each of those situations.

Firing the coach is not always the right decision. After a poor season, that would be an easy choice. Nobody is happy with the results. We knew coming in this could be a tough season.

We have had a habit of firing coaches with a relatively poor result for it.

Going back to 1966, Paul Dietzel, who came from LSU with a national championship on his resume, was hired. He coached nine seasons and won South Carolina’s only championship in 1969 by going undefeated in the ACC. But after a 7-4 season in 1973, 74 opened with five straight losses and he resigned.

Jim Carlen coached seven seasons and was fired.

After Bell’s one year, Joe Morrison had six seasons before his untimely death.

That was followed by Sparky Woods’ five seasons and Brad Scott’s five. Lou Holtz lasted six seasons before being replaced by Spurrier.

Spurrier was pretty mediocre in his first five years. He had 7, 8, 6, 7, and 7 wins. I won’t bore you with the comparison with the current staff. Yes, it’s similar, but the point is, there were those who wanted to replace Spurrier. Fortu-

nately, that didn’t happen and we know the glory years followed.

Sometimes, the best bet is to stick with what you have.

Firing the coach would admit defeat and mean going back to square one. We’re going to stay the course, and here’s hoping Coach Muschamp can get the offense turned around. Last year, the defense was one of the worst in the country. This year, it showed marked improvement.

Here’s hoping the offense can do the same.

With loyal devotion, remembering the days …

Ed Girardeau is a 1982 South Carolina graduate and has been a columnist for Spurs & Feathers since 2012. You can reach him at edgirardeau@spursandfeathers.com.

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s football seasons go, some seasons are worse than others. 2019 will go down as a mostly forgettable year, particularly the final few weeks.

It had its moments. Obviously, beating No. 3 Georgia will always be remembered. Years from now, we’ll remember pulling off the upset and not remember necessarily that the season was otherwise lost.

We will always remember Bryan Edwards. He goes down as one of the best wide receivers in school history alongside Sterling Sharpe, Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffrey, just to name a few.

Of course, in the moment, it would seem that this is the worst it’s ever been at South Carolina.

By comparison, 1998 (1-10) was worse. I’m hard pressed to think of anything good about that year.

Sure, 1999 was 0-11, but it was Lou Holtz’s first year and there was hope, which paid off in the next two seasons.

The years are littered with mediocre and bad seasons. There were some awful teams in the 60s.

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DECEMBER 2019