Spurs & Feathers May 2020 - UofSC Gamecock Sports by Spurs & Feathers

MAY 2020 • VOLUME 42 • ISSUE 5

NEXT LEVEL Gamecock stars earn shot at NFL

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Gamecock Club

PUBLISHING

Owens: Muschamp helped make Kinlaw first-rounder............................5

With SC reopening, Tanner planning for football....................... 4

Editor’s Note: The editorial deadline for this issue was May 8.

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Basketball

Blueprint: Staley laying foundation for another title team.................................. 18 Big Addition: Seventh Woods ready to make impact ............................... 20

22 MISSING THE GAME FORMER GAMECOCKS STAYING ACTIVE DURING BASEBALL STOPPAGE

Football

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Perfect Fit: Kinlaw thrilled to be a 49er ...................................................... 6 NFL Draft: Raiders get a steal in Edwards ...........................................8 Good Picks: Brunson, Wonnum drafted, others get chance....................... 10 Comeback Trail: Senior Keir Thomas glad to be back .......................... 12 Coming Home: New RB coach in familiar territory.......................... 14

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Baseball

Fighting Back: Justin Row shares story of victory, hope................... 25

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Helping Hand: SC swimmer helping fight COVID-19.............................. 32 Former Gamecock on the frontlines of pandemic .............................. 34

Column

Hyber: My favorite Gamecock moments ................................. 35

On the Cover: (From left) D.J. Wonnum, Javon Kinlaw, T.J. Brunson and Bryan Edwards Photos by Travis Bell | Design by Caryn Scheving

EDITORIAL

STAFF

16 WELCOME

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

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Tanner encouraged that football, fall sports will return By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photo by Allen Sharpe

outh Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner has been in close contact with university and SEC officials and working hard on a plan for resuming collegiate sports in the fall. “We understand there is great speculation regarding football this fall,” he wrote in a May letter to Gamecock Club members. “We remain encouraged with the progress our communities have shown in the fight against COVID-19. We still have a ways to go, but time is on our side.” A few days later, South Carolina took a big step in that direction when school President Bob Caslen announced that the university will resume on-campus, in-person classes for the fall semester in mid-August. After weeks of planning by an interdisciplinary group led by public health, medical and academic experts from across the university, Caslen outlined strategies for mitigating the effects of COVID-19, including testing for all students, contact tracing, more single-occupancy housing, dining modifications and enhanced social distancing. The plan also includes a phased-in return of some students, faculty and staff during the summer while regular summer courses continue remotely. This will allow the university to begin implementing key mitigation measures prior to the full return of all students. “Every step of the way, our top priority is your health, safety and well-being,” Caslen wrote in a letter to students and faculty. “The in-depth, tireless work of the group has given me a new level of understanding and confidence that in-person instruction can safely begin this fall. As we prepare for August, we recognize that we are embarking on a new normal that will demand from each of us a commitment to public health and safety.” The return of students and reopening of university facilities is the first big step toward the return of athletic activities, including football. Other SEC schools announced similar plans in early May as athletic

conferences around the country continue to evaluate how to resume sports under new health and safety precautions. “The truth of the matter is, the football season is what everyone is most concerned about,” Caslen said during a virtual town hall on May 6. “We’re still in conversation and discussion with both the Southeastern Conference and NCAA. We think the schedule will be determined at that level, not necessarily ours. We’ll have some degree of responsibility for fan attendance and what that fan attendance looks like inside the stadium.” Tanner continues to meet with SEC officials and athletic directors from other schools on when athletic teams can resume meetings, practice and preseason preparations. “We remain in lockstep as far as our fall schedule is concerned, not only with football, but the other fall sports as well,” Tanner said during the town hall. “The health and well-being of our students and our studentathletes, our fans and coaches and everyone involved is of paramount importance. Right now, we’re approximately four months away from kickoff, so we still have a little bit of time to answer some questions.”

4 GAMECOCK CLUB • FALL FOOTBALL

Head football coach Will Muschamp hopes his team can resume practice and normal activity in July or August. He said his team, which was restricted to just five spring practices and limited offseason workouts, needs about eight weeks of training to be ready for a Sept. 5 kickoff. “You’ve got to take the assumption guys haven’t done anything and I think it’ll take at least eight weeks to get guys ready to play,” he said May 7 on ESPN. “The whole first month needs to be dedicated to strength and conditioning and us being able to meet with our guys. Then we can ease into training camp.” When football resumes, it likely will be played before smaller crowds at WilliamsBrice Stadium as Tanner says the university may have to implement social-distancing procedures. “It is likely that social distancing will be in place at Williams-Brice and other venues,” Tanner said. “We are running models currently to determine what kind of attendance we could have. We’re still excited about the opportunity to have live sport again. There is still some time to answer those questions and we will try to

resolve some issues as we move forward.” To help fans prepare for football, the athletic department postponed its season ticket deadline from April 3 to May 8 and launched a series of payment plans to maximize flexibility. Online seat and parking selection has begun and Tanner said the Gamecock Club is open to working with fans on plans that work for each family. “We understand that these are trying times and we will do all that we can to answer your questions and work together,” he said. The university also has a plan for refunds if the season or specific games are canceled. “Gamecock Club membership provides the fuel that South Carolina Athletics runs on and allows us to support our student-athletes as they excel on and off the playing field,” Tanner said in his letter to fans. “As we continue to prioritize the experience of our student-athletes and their education, the support provided by our Gamecock Club members is more vital than ever and we are thankful for your support.” For questions or more information, please contact the Gamecock Club at 803-777-4276.

MAY 2020

Muschamp helps mold Kinlaw into first-round pick By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor

avon Kinlaw will likely feel right at home in San Francisco. Not only will he have a familiar face on the sidelines in former Gamecock teammate Deebo Samuel, he also will have a position coach who reminds him a bit of Will Muschamp. Shortly after being selected 14th overall in the NFL Draft, Kinlaw was asked about 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, a former NFL player known for being loud and vociferous and even yelling at his players in practice. Such prospects didn’t faze the 6-5, 324-pound Kinlaw. “You all must not know who Will Muschamp is,” Kinlaw joked. “Muschamp will put his foot up your behind if he could,” he said. “I’m used to that type of coaching. That’s what I respond to the best anyway.”

Kinlaw was South Carolina’s second first-round pick in three years under Muschamp and the highest-drafted Gamecock since Jadeveon Clowney went first overall in 2014. In all, South Carolina had four players drafted (Bryan Edwards, D.J. Wonnum and T.J. Brunson), while five others signed free agent contracts or were invited to NFL training camps. Though the Gamecocks are coming off two straight disappointing seasons (7-6, 4-8), the draft success is a testament to Muschamp’s ability to recruit talented prospects and develop them into NFL-caliber players. Brunson, Edwards and Wonnum were among the first players Muschamp recruited when he arrived at South Carolina. Four years later, they are in the NFL, along with six others who fought and worked their way to the next level.

There is no better example than Kinlaw, who might be Muschamp’s greatest coaching achievement. Kinlaw’s rags-to-riches story has been well-documented. He grew up on the streets of Washington, D.C., bouncing around from home to home until his mother sent him to Charleston to live with his father. It was there that he was first introduced to football at Goose Creek High School. A giant of a player in high school, the 300-plus-pound Kinlaw was a raw athlete who needed nurturing on and off the field. Though he was initially signed by Steve Spurrier, Muschamp sent Kinlaw to Jones County College in Mississippi, where he worked on his academics, maturity and conditioning. When Kinlaw arrived in Columbia in 2017, he was an overweight, out-of-shape lineman with tremendous upside. In less than a year, he dropped nearly 50 pounds and by season’s end was a force

on the defensive line. He emerged as an impact player the following season and finished his career as a first-team All-American that had NFL scouts drooling. Kinlaw credits Muschamp for taking a chance on him and helping mold him into a dominant player and NFL prospect. He could have jumped to the next level after his junior season, but chose to play one more year out of loyalty to his head coach. “I was loyal to him because he didn’t really have to send me to a JUCO. He didn’t have to do that for me,” he said. But he did, and the result was the development of one of the best defensive players in school history, one who could have a long career in the NFL. Though Muschamp’s program has suffered a setback in wins and losses the last two years, his ability to recruit and develop players has paid off for several Gamecock athletes. If that trend continues, more wins should follow.

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FOOTBALL ing next to guys like that, I think it leaves opportunities for me to get a lot of one-on-ones.” Kinlaw waited just over two hours to hear his name called by San Francisco, but the brief delay was worth it. Turns out, it’s exactly what he wanted.

He’s big enough. He’s strong enough. He’s fast enough. He had the want to, obviously. He’s hungry, literally and figuratively. – FORMER GAMECOCK STAR LANGSTON MOORE

GREAT FIT

Kinlaw joins Deebo, elite defensive line in San Francisco

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Allen Sharpe & Jenny Dilworth ust days before the 2020 NFL Draft, Deebo Samuel called Javon Kinlaw and told his former South Carolina teammate that the latter was going to be chosen by his San Francisco 49ers. On Friday, April 24, the foreshadowing became reality. Kinlaw was taken by San Francisco with the No. 14 overall pick in the first round, becoming the first of four South Carolina players selected. The 6-5, 324-pound defensive tackle became the highest drafted Gamecock since Jadeveon Clowney went No. 1 overall in 2014. “He was actually the first guy on our list that we would’ve taken at 13,” San Francisco general manager John Lynch told reporters. “He’s a guy that we had zeroed in on for a

JAVON KINLAW

while. … We have built a pretty good [defensive line] unit here and we wanted to keep that strong. We thought he was a great fit for that.” Though, as Lynch noted, San Francisco traded down from its original pick, it was still able to add Kinlaw to a fearsome defensive line that includes former first-rounders Nick Bosa (No. 2, 2019), Dee Ford (No. 23, 2014), Arik Armstead (No. 15, 2017) and Solomon Thomas (No. 3, 2017). “I think they might’ve been the best defensive line in football last year,” Kinlaw said. “I’m not just saying that. The way they play, they play the right way. I feel like they play the way the game is supposed to be played. “They just go after it. Penetrating, getting off the ball. … And that’s what I like to do. … Play-

Days before the draft, Kinlaw was asked by a fan during a question-and-answer session with Bleacher Report which team would draft him if he had the choice. “I’d say the 49ers,” he answered. It also turns out Kinlaw’s dad, George, has been a 49ers fan his entire life. George was captured sprawled out on a floor in jubilation after the pick was made. Former NFL GM Charley Casserly called Kinlaw to San Francisco his favorite pick of the first round. “A quick, explosive, perfect fit in that 4-3 defense where you want that penetrating defensive tackle,” the current NFL Network analyst said on NFL Total Access. Former Gamecock defensive lineman Langston Moore (1999-2002) told Spurs & Feathers he expects Kinlaw to thrive at the next level. “I think this is a great fit for him,” the six-year NFL veteran said. “It’s a great group of guys for him to be around where he can learn and flourish, but also be pushed, because a lot of those guys are high-fliers and achievers. And that’s a big thing. “The biggest upside for Kinlaw is that he doesn’t know how good he can be. There is no cap on him. He is so raw and so young. Throwing him into a situation like this, it’s probably going to allow him to go out there and do some things he maybe really didn’t think he could do.” Moore, the former South Carolina sideline reporter, crossed paths with Kinlaw a few times this spring while working out at The Star — the Cowboys’ world-class operations center — in Frisco, Texas, and knew his Low-

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country brethren was ready for the NFL. The Charleston native has had his eye on Kinlaw, a product of Goose Creek, for a while. “Physically, he’s always been a pro-type body,” Moore said. “Even at 18 years old, he could run, had some moves and do some different things. … The biggest thing for me was always having him be comfortable in one position and always playing with great technique. “He’s big enough. He’s strong enough. He’s fast enough. He had the want to, obviously. He’s hungry, literally and figuratively.” Moore, who played for renowned defensive mind Rod Marinelli with the Detroit Lions, believes in Lynch’s theory that a dominant defensive line can skyrocket a team into contention. San Francisco defensive line coach Robert Saleh spent three seasons on Seattle’s defensive staff, one of which ended with the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. “The old cliché is that you win in the trenches,” Moore said. “That’s true for offense and defense. … That’s the same model that San Francisco is trying to put together.” Getting drafted was the culmination of a long and winding road for Kinlaw, who grew up homeless at times in Washington, D.C. As a child, Kinlaw and his brother lived with his mother, who moved from Trinidad to D.C. in 1995 and struggled to make ends meet. He grew up living in rundown apartments with no electricity or running water and sometimes stayed in basements at his friends’ houses. He wore the same clothes daily and wore a hoodie in the cold winter months because he did not own a coat. In the ninth grade Kinlaw moved to be with his dad in Charleston, where he played football for the first time at Goose Creek High School. Though he was a raw player still learning the game, he was offered a scholarship by former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier. When Will Muschamp took over in 2016, he convinced Kinlaw to attend Jones County Junior College in Mississippi to develop as both a player and academically. After a year in Mississippi, Kinlaw arrived at South Carolina with expectations of, in his words, “just being a football player.” He weighed 360 pounds and was just another talented athlete on the Gamecock depth chart. But, under the tutelage of team dietician Kristin Coggin, Kinlaw worked his way into a chiseled 6-6, 310 pounds and made giant leaps on and off the field. Kinlaw had 82 tackles (18 for loss) and 10.5 sacks in his three seasons as a Gamecock. He

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also had 10 passes defended, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. As a senior in 2019 he had 35 tackles and six sacks, tying for the eighth-most in the SEC. He also added four quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one blocked kick. He was named an Associated Press first-team AllAmerican, a second-team All-American by USA TODAY and a first-team All-SEC selection by SEC coaches. The midseason All-American was recognized as the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after South Carolina’s upset win over Georgia after recording four tackles and a sack. Kinlaw shot up draft boards after his dominant performance at Georgia, where he played 95 snaps and refused to come out of the game against the No. 3 Bulldogs. “That’s just who I am as a person. That’s just my makeup,” he said after the draft. “It’s just in my DNA. On the field, off the field, I just want to be that guy. I feel like I was born to be that guy.” Now it’s up to Kinlaw to devote as much time as he can to honing his craft, just like he did at South Carolina. “He used his athleticism and, of course, did all the small things, getting himself in shape and learning the systems — all of this is a tribute to him and all his hard work,” Moore said. It’s also now about consistency — playing against offensive linemen who will use more counter moves than he’s ever seen and playing when tired. Like Moore put it, it’s about adding value, showing up and staying on the field (he’s fully recovered from knee tendinitis that kept him from on-field workouts at the combine) and learning as many possible ways to help his team. “There are not many 6-6, 300-plus pound guys that have his athleticism,” former South Carolina defensive line coach John Scott Jr. said before this past season. “He’s really strong and he’s got something only God can give you, extremely long arms so he can separate off blockers. “If you had to draw up the body type for that league, that’s the body type. With my time with the Jets we had Leonard Williams, a 6-6, 310-pound guy with that kind of athleticism.” Kinlaw’s ability to learn and compete will be more important than ever. “He’s well on his way,” Moore said. Said Kinlaw, “Hands down. I’m ready.”

JAVON KINLAW 7

Added the GM, “Bryan Edwards is a guy that, if you go three-by-one, with three [receivers] on one side and him on the backside, and let him run down the red line, and back-shoulder fade, regular fade, [he can excel at] all the big-bodied throws where you think he can win. He’s big, he’s physical and he’s got great hands.”

We loved his production in the SEC. … We wanted to get more dynamic on offense. … He’s a big, strong, physical guy that can run fast. – LAS VEGAS RAIDERS GM MIKE MAYOCK

A STEAL

Raiders love Bryan Edwards’ edge, physical style

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Jenny Dilworth and Allen Sharpe ryan Edwards will go from wearing garnet and black to wearing silver and black. In the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, at pick No. 81, the Las Vegas Raiders added the former South Carolina receiver to its offensive arsenal. Edwards became the first Gamecock selected by the Raiders since defensive tackle Jimmy Poston

FOOTBALL • NFL DRAFT

was selected by the organization in the 11th round of the 1971 Draft. “We think Bryan Edwards is an outstanding X [receiver], meaning he’s that big, physical, tough, fast wide receiver on the opposite side,” Las Vegas general manager Mike Mayock told reporters on a teleconference after the selection. “We think he can win one-on-one matchups.

“We loved his production in the SEC. … As a whole, we wanted to get more dynamic on offense. … He’s a big, strong, physical guy that can run fast.” Like many NFL scouts, Mayock was intriguied by Edwards' size and physicality. The 6-3, 215-pound receiver used that size to haul in 22 career touchdown passes, the third-most in school history.

During his time at South Carolina, Edwards set school records for career receptions (234), career receiving yards (3,045) and consecutive games with a catch (48). His 22 career touchdown receptions are one behind NFL star Alshon Jeffery and former NFL star Sidney Rice. “He had an unbelievable career here. I can’t say enough about his contributions to South Carolina, and he told me before the game how much it meant to be a Gamecock and how much he enjoyed his time here,” Gamecock head coach Will Muschamp said after his team’s final game this past season. “… You know, in the recruiting process, exactly what I told Bryan was going to happen: You’re gonna walk out of here with every record at the University of South Carolina. I saw that, I envisioned that, and that’s what happened.” Edwards graduated as one of the most highly respected players in school history. Before the 2018 Belk Bowl, Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall,

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one of the nation’s best at his position and a future fifth-round draft pick by the New York Jets, said he would have liked to play against Deebo Samuel in the game but called Edwards “every bit as good.” “I learned [from Deebo] that you’ve got to come to work with your lunch pale and do what the coaches ask of you,” Edwards said. “And not try to do too much. Play in the system and take it one game at a time, one play at a time.” “I think he’s one of the most underrated receivers in the nation,” former South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley said before this past season. “He’s just a workhorse. You never see him not working on some part of his game at the facility.” Edwards will now join former teammate Deebo Samuel, Jeffery, Damiere Byrd and Pharoh Cooper as Gamecock receivers in the NFL. Edwards, who Mayock said impressed Raiders’ brass while on a Zoom teleconference interview, joins fellow Raiders’ draftees Henry Ruggs (receiver, Alabama), Damon Arnette (cornerback, Auburn), Lynn Bowden (running back/

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receiver, Kentucky) and Tanner Muse (linebacker, Clemson). “We got guys with a little edge to them, that love football,” Mayock said about his overall draft haul. “Guys that have some speed, and above all, they love the game and they’re tough kids.” Edwards admits he felt underrated throughout the pre-draft scouting process. For a receiver with a quiet yet productive on-field demeanor, Edwards felt showcasing his on-field abilities at the combine, as well as at a South Carolina Pro Day and individual team workouts, would have helped his stock rise up draft boards. But a lingering foot injury kept him from playing in the Gamecocks’ final two regularseason games and participating in the combine. On top of that, the Pro Day and team workouts were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “But I feel everything worked out for the best,” Edwards said. At the combine the former South Carolina receiver had a sit-down interview with Raiders’ leadership, a group that included Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden. “I’ve just going to come in and work. I’m just going to do

my part and do all I can. That’s all you really can do with competition is just show yourself,” Edwards said. “I just feel like I’m a playmaker. I feel like I can make plays with the ball in my hands. I can win 50-50 balls and I can help the team win.” Several media outlets loved the pick. NBC Sports Raiders’ writer Josh Schrock wrote an article headlined: “Edwards could be a massive steal.” Chris Trapasso at CBS Sports gave the pick an ‘A’ grade. “Edwards is a first-round talent who likely plummeted because of a foot injury during the pre-draft process. Incredibly well-rounded game. Beats press. Crazy ball

skills. Good separation-creator. Deceptive [yards after catch]. Contested-catch stud,” he wrote. Sporting News writer Vinnie Iyer also graded it an ‘A’, writing that Edwards, “projects as a physical possession receiver who can dominate the short to intermediate area.” During his conference call with Las Vegas media, Edwards was reminded by a reporter that he broke a resounding 27 tackles while in college. “It’s just the mindset that I play with. I won’t let one person tackle me,” he said. “I want to get as many yards as I can with the ball in my hands. I want to score every time I touch the ball.”

NFL DRAFT • FOOTBALL 9

GETTING THEIR CHANCE Wonnum, Brunson drafted as nine Gamecocks signed by NFL teams

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Allen Sharpe and Jenny Dilworth hile Javon Kinlaw was the standout on South Carolina’s defense last season, it was D.J. Wonnum and T.J. Brunson who were the

heart and soul. Both were chosen on day three of the 2020 NFL Draft. Wonnum, the Buck linebacker/defensive end, was chosen by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round (No. 117 overall). The 6-5, 260-pounder became the first Gamecock selected by the Vikings since Jasper Brinkley was taken in the fifth round of the 2009 draft. Brunson, the 6-1, 229-pound linebacker, was chosen by the New York Giants, a franchise with a lengthy list of legendary linebackers, with the No. 238 overall pick (seventh round). The four draft picks (Kinlaw, Bryan Edwards, Wonnum and Brunson) are the most selections for South Carolina since the 2015 Draft when A.J. Cann, Mike Davis, Corey Robinson and Rory “Busta” Anderson were taken.

10 FOOTBALL • NFL DRAFT

Both day three picks were widely acclaimed. Louis Riddick said Wonnum has the ability to play defensive end and linebacker in the NFL. “He plays with tremendous heavy hands in the run game, and then in the pass game he has tremendous cornering speed,” the ESPN analyst and former NFL scout said. “He has the ability to get to that high-side pad, use his hands and then close on the quarterback. He’s also a guy who you can move around as what they call a Joker in a two-point stance. … He doesn’t always have to be at the end of the line of scrimmage. They can move him inside and have him just stand up over the center and pick his gap. “This is a tremendous value pick in my estimation because of the versatility he gives them.” Former Gamecock defensive lineman Langston Moore (1999-2002), who crossed paths with Wonnum while the latter was training at the EXOS training facility in Frisco,

FREE AGENTS Though not drafted, five former Gamecocks signed rookie freeagent contracts or were invited to a team’s minicamp.

RB RICO DOWDLE Dallas Cowboys

RB TAVIEN FEASTER Jacksonville Jaguars

TE KYLE MARKWAY New York Giants

DT KOBE SMITH Tennessee Titans

C DONELL STANLEY Miami Dolphins

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Texas, told Spurs & Feathers he expects Wonnum to have a “really long” NFL career. “For him, he’s one of those deals where, he’s so big and strong and is such a long guy, he’s got to [practice] putting his movements together,” Moore said. “That should be an easy thing for D.J., because he’s also one of those guys who really wants to learn and wants to become a silent assassin.” A second-team All-SEC selection and South Carolina’s Comeback Player of the Year last year, Wonnum had 37 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss, as a senior. Moore compared him to his former Detroit Lions teammate and former Gamecock Kalimba Edwards, a 6-6, 265-pound defensive end who played seven seasons in the NFL. “Whether it’s a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense, D.J. will go out there and compete,” Moore said. “He’s also of the mindset, too, I think, that he wants to show that Javon Kinlaw wasn’t the only one out there making plays the last couple of years.” Though the odds are long for a seventhround pick to make a team and have a successful career, there’s a chance for Brunson

to make the Giants, a team that ranked 30th out of 32 teams in points against last season. Brunson became the first Gamecock selected by the Giants since tight end Jerell Adams was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. “Brunson was a good pick who finds the football despite not having any elite physical traits,” NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter wrote.

Brunson had 283 career tackles (21 for loss) and six sacks during his time at South Carolina. He also had six passes defended, four fumble recoveries, one interception and one forced fumble. “The guy’s a freaking warrior,” former South Carolina linebackers and special teams coach Coleman Hutzler said before this past season.

WHO’S NEXT

The Gamecocks have several players on this year’s team that could be attractive targets in the 2021 draft:

DB ISRAEL MUKUAMU

A second-team All-SEC corner last year, Mukuamu is already considered a firstround pick in early mock drafts. He led the Gamecocks with four interceptions last year, three vs. No. 3 Georgia.

DB JAYCEE HORN

Though he has yet to record his first career interception, Horn is a lockdown corner who usually draws the defense’s toughest assignment. He matched Mukuamu with nine pass breakups last year.

OL SADARIUS HUTCHERSON A three-year starter and the team’s strongest player, Hutch considered leaving after his junior season. He will return and move back to his natural position at left guard.

TE NICK MUSE

After a big season at William & Mary in 2018, Muse transferred to South Carolina and made an immediate impact before suffering a knee injury. His size (6-4, 250), athleticism and pass-catching ability could make him an attractive target if he has a big senior season.

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OL DYLAN WONNUM

A freshman All-American in 2018, Wonnum missed five games with an ankle injury last year. He’s coming off hip surgery, but if he has a big junior season, he could join brother D.J. in the NFL soon.

WR SHI SMITH

Though he hasn’t lived up to expectations yet, Smith has the skill and experience to have a breakout season in 2020. If he finally reaches his potential, his speed (he’s the fastest player on the team) will be attractive to NFL scouts.

DE AARON STERLING

Sterling had a big junior season with six sacks and a team-leading 10 tackles for loss. Though undersized for a defensive end (6-1, 250), he could have a future as a linebacker or pass-rushing specialist.

DT KEIR THOMAS

The versatile defensive lineman missed most of last season with an ankle injury, but returns with plenty of experience (40 games, 25 starts). Though undersized for a defensive tackle (6-2, 270), he has played both inside and outside in his four-year career. Kobe Smith earned an opportunity with a big senior season. Thomas could do the same.

NFL DRAFT • FOOTBALL 11

HAPPY RETURN

Senior Keir Thomas thrilled to be back — even at practice — after injury-plagued season By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor Photos by SC Athletics, Travis Bell and Jenny Dilworth

12 FOOTBALL • KEIR THOMAS

o one missed spring football practice more than Keir Thomas. For veteran players who have been through it before, spring football is not always the most pleasant time of the year. The early-morning practices. The extra weight lifting and strength and training sessions. The long meetings and film sessions. Adjusting to new coaches and new teammates. But for one South Carolina senior, it was the most fun he’d had in a while. “I missed it, I missed practice,” Thomas said. “I was happy to be back out here at the first practice. It felt great being back out there with my team.” After spring practice was canceled due to the coronavirus, there were few players who missed it more than Thomas, a fifth-year senior who missed almost all of last season while recovering from an infection in his ankle. He played sparingly in just two games, taking a medical redshirt so he could return for one more year. It was a frustrating season for a player who had become a fixture on South Carolina’s defensive line. A versatile defender from Miami, Thomas has played in 40 games in his three-year career with 25 starts. He started all 12 games in 2018 and 11 as a sophomore in 2017, collecting 110 tackles while swinging between defensive end and defensive tackle. But Thomas had ankle surgery after the 2018 season and developed an infection while rehabbing. It took doctors a while to figure out what was wrong with him. Once they did, they put him on strong antibiotics that quickly cured it. Then, right before the start of the 2019 season, he developed a second infection that put him on bed rest as his teammates prepared for the season opener. “It was serious,” he said. “Some people tell me I don’t how serious it was and I’m going to look back on it in a couple of years from now and realize I have been through a lot. I’m just happy to have the support and the training staff that we have that helped me.”

While his team started the season, Thomas was stuck at home recovering, losing weight and unable to work out to maintain his strength. The thing that kept him going was frequent visits by his teammates and coaches. Kobe Smith, his roommate, and fellow defensive linemen D.J. Wonnum and Jabari Ellis visited, as did defensive back Jaycee Horn and others, taking him out to eat or just hanging out to keep his spirits up.

It was a frustrating season for a player who had become a fixture on South Carolina’s defensive line. “I had guys on the team come and just be there with me. It was good,” he said, adding the experience taught him “how strong I was mentally.” Thomas lost about 15-20 pounds while battling the infection and spent most of the season trying to regain his strength. He missed the first nine games before playing against Appalachian State and Texas A&M and sitting out the season finale against Clemson. “There was still hope and I was still trying to fight to get back, but I wasn’t able to at first. Then I started to feel better later on in the season,” he said. “I played in the App State game, but I was still banged up. … At the end of the year, I could have come back, but it was real late. There wasn’t any point in me trying to do that because I was out of shape. I had been sitting around.” After the season, Thomas knew right away he would use a medical redshirt to return for the 2020 season instead of taking a shot at the NFL. His coaches and teammates are thrilled to have him back, especially after the loss of Smith,

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Wonnum and fellow senior Javon Kinlaw, who have all three moved on to the NFL. “That really helps us,” defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said. “That gives us a guy who played multiple spots on the D-line and a guy that has leadership ability. And he’s doing a really good job of doing that.” Sophomore defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, who will be playing alongside Thomas, said “it’s

really been an honor” learning from Thomas during spring practice. “I’m glad he stayed. I was really nervous whether he was going to stay or go because he’s been really good,” Pickens said. “I’ve been trying to stay with him, trying to get some pointers a little bit to up my game like him.” Though he has played defensive end at times throughout his

career, Thomas was playing inside during the early spring and will lead a group of defensive tackles that must step up after the loss of Kinlaw and Smith. He will team with Pickens, Ellis and Rick Sandidge in a group that Robinson and head coach Will Muschamp hope will be as deep as last season. “Keir’s a disruptive guy,” Muschamp said. “He’s been a guy that gets a lot of vertical penetration, so we’re going to play to his strengths. He’s been a very productive player for us.” “I’m just doing inside right now, but wherever coach needs me, I have no problem with that,” Thomas said. “We did lose a lot, but we do have a lot of talent. We’ve got Rick and Zacch and those guys coming along, we just have to play tough and just go.” Due to his illness, Thomas didn’t get to work much last year with defensive line coach John Scott Jr., who was on the coaching staff for only one season. But he loves new D-Line coach Tracy Rocker, who recruited him while coaching at Georgia.

“I love Coach Rocker. He stays on me, he’s a hard coach,” he said. “He’s going to tell me when I’m wrong, he’s going to tell me when I’m right. He’s a good coach.” Thomas believes Rocker, who played in the NFL and has coached at five different SEC schools, will get the most out of young, developing players like Pickens and Sandidge, as well as himself. “You have to attack every day, and coach Rocker is going to get it out of [them]. Coach Rocker is going to get it out of all of us,” he said. After battling his illness and the disappointment of not playing last season, Thomas was excited to be back on the field during spring practice. But he had to be careful to contain his emotions. Those will come when he takes the field for real at the start of the 2020 season. “At the first game,” he said. “I’ve got to be a leader. I can’t just be out here letting that get to me.”

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KEIR THOMAS • FOOTBALL 13

RUN TO WIN

New RB coach Des Kitchings likes what he sees in Gamecock backfield

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos courtesy of SC Athletics ew South Carolina running backs coach Des Kitchings had been on the job for more than a week and he still had not seen or talked football with any of his Gamecock running backs. South Carolina athletes were in the middle of exams when Kitchings was hired in April and not allowed to have the type of video-conference meetings that have now become the new norm in college athletics. Kitchings, who was hired on April 24, was still in Raleigh, waiting for the stay-at-home orders in North and South Carolina to be lifted so he could move to Columbia. 14 FOOTBALL • DES KITCHINGS

But the latest addition to head coach Will Muschamp’s staff is very familiar with South Carolina’s young running backs and was able to watch film of the players he will be working with. He immediately liked what he saw. “Obviously, [freshman] MarShawn [Lloyd] is as advertised, so I look forward to working with him,” he said. “There were only five practices this spring but … you saw some flashes both with Kevin [Harris] and Deshaun [Fenwick] as far as guys coming back. I like what I see there.” He is also intrigued by Colorado State transfer Adam Prentice, a hybrid full back/H-back Kitchings says “will play a big role with our offense.”

“Those are some guys you study and say, ‘OK, they have some skill and ability, now let’s get together and work together to try to refine that.” A native of Wagener, S.C., Kitchings has spent the past eight seasons at NC State, where he produced three straight 1,000-yard rushers from 2016-18. He was also the recruiting coordinator, tight ends coach, co-offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for offense for the Wolfpack. The Furman graduate has also coached at Vanderbilt and Air Force since beginning his 16-year coaching career with his alma mater in 2004. Muschamp began talking to the highly-regarded coach early

this year after the departure of former running backs coach Thomas Brown. Then, after the hiring of new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and assistant coach Joe Cox, Muschamp contacted Kitchings again in April when former offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon left for Oregon. With the addition of Kitchings, Cox moves to wide receivers coach while assistant Bobby Bentley will move back to tight ends. “We’re excited to add Des to the staff,” Muschamp said. “I was impressed by him in the interview process, with his history with running back play and with his ties in the state of North Carolina, which should be a huge asset in recruiting. He was endorsed by everyone he has worked with and we are fortunate to bring him back to his home state.” With his parents still living in Wagener and other family throughout the state, Kitchings is excited to be returning to his home state. But he’s also excited by the potential he sees at South Carolina. “You are just seeing the growth of the program and facilities and the things coach Muschamp is trying to do here and the guys he has brought on with his staff,” said Kitchings, who coached against the Gamecocks in Charlotte in the 2017 season opener. “The SEC speaks for itself as far as the type of competitive conference. As a coach, we all want to be in the most competitive environment we can be in and this allows me the opportunity to do that.” A standout receiver and return specialist at Furman, Kitchings calls himself an “easy-going” but “ultra competitive” coach. “I demand a lot of my guys and push them hard,” he said. “The goal is to make practice harder than what the game would be. From the time we step on the practice field until the time we leave, just demanding the most from them so that on Saturday it’s second nature for them to go out and compete.” Kitchings worked with elite running backs Warren Norman and Zac Stacy at Vanderbilt from 2008-10 and developed 1,000-yard rushers Matthew Dayes, Nyheim Hines and Reggie Gallaspy at NC State. Hines was first-team AllACC after leading the conference

MAY 2020

in all-purpose yards in 2017, while Gallaspy set a school record with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2018. Though he favors physical attributes like size and speed, he prefers backs who are mentally tough and excel at scoring touchdowns. He helped Air Force rank

The goal is to make practice harder than what the game would be ... so that on Saturday it’s second nature for them to go out and compete. – DES KITCHINGS

third in the nation in rushing yards (314.8 yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (43) in 2011. “Bottom line is, as a running back, his objective is to score touchdowns, and if a kid struggles to do that in high school, he’s not going to be able to do it in college. He has to be a guy who has the ability to do that,” he said. “A college running back is the starting point of an offense. I know we talk about quarterbacks, but in this league, when you have to be able to run the ball consistently, you have to have guys who can break tackles and create explosive plays.” He believes the Gamecocks may have that guy in Lloyd, a four-star recruit from Maryland who drew rave reviews in South Carolina’s shortened spring practice. Lloyd has already drawn comparisons to former Gamecock great Marcus Lattimore. “He has some juice in his legs,” Kitchings said. “He’s a kid who makes a cut and gets vertical very fast. You saw him breaking a couple of tackles in very limited pads, there are some untenable things you see there that says this guy has got it. Not to say the others don’t too, but he just flashed on film in those couple of practices this spring.”

MAY 2020

Kitchings says he would have no reservations about making a freshman his lead back. Norman and Stacy both started for him as true freshmen at Vanderbilt. “I have had some success in my past playing true freshmen,” he said. “The challenge will be this year, how much time do we have to get them prepared relative to years prior?” He is also excited about the addition of in-coming freshman Rashad Amos, whom he recruited at NC State, and junior-college transfer ZaQuandre White, whom he coached against when White was at Florida State. He calls White “dynamic.” “You’re talking about a guy who can go score a touchdown for you in a hurry,” he said. Amos, he said, “has some good tools as an athlete, as a ball carrier, a guy who can win in space and be able to score touchdowns. Those two guys are only going to create more depth and competition in that room.” Though Kitchings prefers to have a workhorse, he also favors playing two running backs to keep them both fresh. “Obviously, if you have a guy who can tote the mail, let’s let him tote the mail,” he said. “But you see it across football, even in the NFL, two backs just kinda limits some of the hits on guys and the wear and tear. So I think there is a need for that, especially if you have the depth in your room to do that and keep guys fresh. “But if there is a guy who is in rhythm and he is toting the rock and he’s being productive for us, we are going to ride him and then give him some spells along with that. I like to think we are going to have some depth in our room that we will be able to rotate a couple of guys, and getting guys through the first, second and third quarter, and then the fourth quarter let’s lean on somebody that has really been consistent and productive.” While the Gamecocks have struggled to run the ball in Muschamp’s four seasons, Kitchings says the running game will be a big part of Bobo’s new offense. “That’s any offense. You run to win and you throw to score,” he said. “If you just look at the history of coach Bobo and his offenses, running the ball has been a featured part of it and he’s had tailbacks in the past who could do that. And running the football

and being balanced helps your defense and it helps the team. It helps the physicality of the team in practice. That’s a point of emphasis, so we all have the same beliefs in that.” As a South Carolina native who has spent the past eight years in North Carolina, Kitchings is well aware of South Carolina’s reputation in the Carolinas and throughout the south. He was part of the Gamecocks’ thrilling 35-28 win over NC State in 2017 and relishes the chance to return to the state and the SEC. “The name University of South Carolina does have some

impact in North Carolina as far as recruiting,” he said. “I think they just signed the 18th-ranked class, and that is going to bring some more talent to the program and ascend the program to a championship level. That’s why we are here, to get to a championship level. There is a lot of respect for South Carolina.”

DES KITCHINGS • FOOTBALL 15

BASKETBALL Photo by Artie Walker Jr.

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer ake it seven first-round draft picks in the last six seasons for South Carolina. Make it six first-round picks from the program's 2017 national championship team. On April 17, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Ty Harris became the latest Gamecocks in the WNBA when they were chosen within minutes of each other in the first round of the 2020 draft. Herbert Harrigan was selected sixth

16 WNBA DRAFT

overall by the Minnesota Lynx, while Harris was taken seventh overall by the Dallas Wings. “All season long, Kiki and Ty were focused with a championship mindset. They showed up each day ready to compete and they both reaped the rewards of their hard work [on draft] night,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley told Spurs & Feathers. “The leadership they exhibited last season has left a lasting impact on our team. Our staff and their teammates could not have been more proud watching them fulfill their WNBA dream.”

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Harris, Herbert Harrigan make Staley, South Carolina proud at WNBA Draft

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PAY DAY

Most projections had Herbert Harrigan as a late first-round or early second-round pick, but the 6-2 forward was taken by Minnesota head coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve, Staley’s top assistant with USA Basketball. “Kiki being drafted by Minnesota is a win for both. Kiki will be coached by … one of the best teachers in our game and a proven winner,” Staley said. “The Lynx are adding an exciting, hard-working and soon-to-be fanfavorite player to their winning culture.” “I wasn’t expecting my name to get called that early, but it did and I’m happy for that,” Herbert Harrigan said on a conference call with reporters on draft night. “A lot of people didn’t have her projected this high, and she shocked the world,” Harris said. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called Harris’s name moments later. “I’m super excited. Just excited that my dreams are finally coming to reality,” she said. “To hear her named called by the commissioner at the seventh pick, we can’t explain the excitement level that was in the house. I don’t know if there’s a word to describe the feeling we all had,” Bruce Harris, Ty’s dad, told Spurs & Feathers. “And now she gets to play with the Wings alongside all these great players (including former Gamecock teammates Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray). It’s a dream come true for her.” “Ty being reunited with two of her national championship teammates will make her transition to the WNBA seamless. It’s a great fit for her. Knowing that Kaela and Allisha are there will bring some immediate familiarity,” Staley said. “Brian Agler is a tremendous coach and excellent motivator who will push Ty to use her strengths to become the best version of herself.”

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Photo courtesy of Minnesota Lynx

KIKI GOES TO MINNY For Herbert Harrigan, getting drafted is a giant step toward acting out a bold proclamation she made eight years ago when, as a basketball novice, she told her high school coach she wanted to play in the WNBA. “We’re all very, very, very excited,” Michelle Herbert, Mikiah’s mom, told Spurs & Feathers. “As you know, Kiki is from Anguilla, so she will be the first person from the island to play professional ball, male or female. Instead of history, it’s herstory. Girls don’t even play basketball back home. “The fact she made it this far, the whole island is going crazy. The support is too much. Everyone’s calling and sending love. The chief minister of the island, the governor, everyone’s excited.” Herbert Harrigan averaged 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game this past season and was named the SEC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. “I think Kiki’s stock was rising just throughout the season,” Staley said before the draft. “Her 3-point shooting percent-

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age, her overall [shooting] percentage, her ability to just be efficient. Kiki, the times that she did get a chance to shoot the basketball, more times than not, she made, and they were from all over the place. “That’s appealing to the next level.” At 6-2, Herbert Harrigan may have to adjust from being an interior presence with the ability to stretch the floor to more of a perimeter-oriented player. “I’m open to new challenges, so that won’t be an issue,” she said. Staley said before the draft she had conversations with WNBA personnel about just that. “She showcased her talent in being able to defend on the perimeter while also not losing out on blocking shots,” the coach said. “I think that is what’s making her stock rise, and just her ability to be as versatile as anyone, especially with her height and athleticism. And her scoring ability.” Herbert Harrigan also said she’s open to playing overseas as well as in the WNBA. “If I have the opportunity, I would definitely do both,” she said. “Obviously she had a great season. … Just her athleticism. I think that always makes the transition a little bit easier, and she’s obviously someone that can stroke it,” Phoenix Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello said before the draft. “She’s got a smooth stroke. “I think she will be a handy player in the

The WNBA and their style of play is very beneficial to her style of play. It wouldn’t be surprising to me if she’s up there for Rookie of the Year. – DAWN STALEY ON TY HARRIS

pros and continue to develop her outside shooting. I think she has a lot of upside.” Said ESPN reporter Holly Lowe, “Kiki Herbert Harrigan, I thought she took huge steps forward this year. She’s an athletic post … and is an intriguing prospect, because I don’t think we’ve even seen her best basketball yet.” Rebecca Lobo said she loves Herbert Harrigan’s game.

“I love her fire. She competes,” the ESPN analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer said. “I think she’s a player, who, if we had had an NCAA Tournament … I think she’s a player who could have seen her stock rise because it seems like, in these big moments, she elevates herself and she just has a competitiveness and a will to win that is elite.”

Photo courtesy of Bruce Harris

A TRIO OF GAMECOCKS IN DALLAS For Harris, getting chosen by Dallas means a chance to play with former Gamecock teammates Gray and Davis in the city where the trio won a national title together. “It’s going to be really nice. I’m excited just because we played together for a year and I know them, so I’ll get accustomed really well and they can teach me the ropes,” Harris said. “I really don’t think Ty has reached her full potential. I think the better players Ty is surrounded by, the better she plays,” Staley said before the draft. “… When Ty is able to lead, and when she’s able to be heard, she plays her best … which she will be at the next level. “She’s a big point guard. She can shoot it. She can get to the basket. She can direct. I just think the WNBA, and their style of play, is very beneficial to her style of play. It wouldn’t be surprising to me if she’s up there for Rookie of the Year.” New York head coach Walt Hopkins said before the draft that Liberty executives evaluated “extensively” five college players who were in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick. Harris was one of them. Lobo thought Harris could be selected as high as fourth overall by the Atlanta Dream. “Everybody loves Ty Harris. When you bring up her name to people in the WNBA, it’s nothing but respect to Ty Harris and her game,” she said.

WNBA DRAFT 17

‘OUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT’ Staley developing blueprint for another championship team

By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Artie Walker Jr. and Jenny Dilworth

awn Staley has had mature players and mature teams over the course of her 12-plus seasons at South Carolina, but there was something special — something unique — about her 2019-20 group. The head coach talked multiple times throughout the year about the team’s professionalism and positive attitude, both on and off the court. “It’s definitely been a breath of fresh air having the players that we have,” Staley told 18 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL • THE FUTURE

fans at the My Carolina Coaches Dinner before the season began. The coach even, for the first time, let players have a say in team rules for the season. On-court success — mixed with the team’s dynamic skill set, of course — followed as the Gamecocks finished the season 32-1 and were undefeated in winning the SEC regular-season championship and the SEC Tournament. They were ranked No. 1 in the nation when the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus.

“Our future is bright. We’re in a great place. I’ve never been part of a collection of human beings that really get it,” Staley said in a Zoom teleconference with reporters in midApril. “… I’m the one that’s supposed to be there checking on them and just making sure they’re OK and they’re in a good place. “But a lot of them have reached out and asked if I’m alright. That’s really never happened before. … It has with some players [like Aleighsha Welch and A’ja Wilson], but now it’s multiple players.” Something the players are also doing? Expressing a desire to get back to Columbia to start on-court preparations for the 2020-21 season. “They’re missing it. They’re missing being in Columbia, South Carolina,” Staley said, alluding to South Carolina’s campus shutdown because of COVID-19. But the blueprints for the 2020-21 season are already being drawn. Staley and her coaching staff have a weekly meeting to discuss recruiting and the state of the program. They then have another call with additional staffers and the team’s entire roster. “I’m trying to utilize this time we have now to just think, to think about the possibilities we have next year,” Staley said. “Just trying to create championship behavior through virtual meetings. We’re talking a lot with our staff.” In late March, Staley and her team closed the book on its 2019-20 season. In the meeting she asked her players three questions: What do you want in the future? What are you worried about? What are you working on? A lot were worried about when they could come back to campus. Staley called her team resilient. They have dealt with the stipulations that come with the campus shutdown and gyms in their hometowns that are also closed down. At the end of all this, there will be basketball. Eventually. But right now there’s a hole in the days of coaches and players who have dedicated their lives to the sport. “I’m always going to appreciate the game. … I love basketball. I mean, it is my passion. I’ve built my entire life around it,” Staley said. “… It is the driving force behind what I do every single day. And still is. But sometimes you’ve got to pivot, and you’ve got to think about the impact of what’s really happening out there in the world. “And it’s OK to slide [basketball] to the side to make sure everyone’s loved ones are in a good place and not impacted, health-wise. Mentally, I think it takes a toll on all of us. “But the game will come back in at some point. I don’t know in what capacity, but it will come back and we will love on it like we have. But I hope it happens soon.”

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NEW LEADERSHIP South Carolina will have just one senior next season — LeLe Grissett — with Ty Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan having graduated and moved on to the WNBA (see pages 16-17). But Staley said returning captain Victaria Saxton — who averaged 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game — has led the team through its early offseason. “She is leading the young group, but the young group is very aware,” the coach said. “They are very aware of what needs to take place. Overall, this team, it’s quite incredible. I wish I could document what’s happening. … Just the conversations that they have with each other, the conversations that they have with our coaching staff and everyone that makes up our program. “They just say things that you just don’t think young people should know or be aware of at this stage of the game. All of that is intact.” Staley pointed to Saxton as the team’s leader this past summer when Harris was at the Pan-Am Games playing for USA Basketball. “She was our captain. She was our leader,” she said. Though recruiting has been “very difficult” with coronavirus restrictions, Staley

Victaria Saxton

and her staff do “a lot of FaceTiming” and “a lot of texting” and, of course, make tons of phone calls. Staley said it’s “unpredictable” whether or not recruits will be allowed to make official visits to South Carolina to see the basketball facilities and campus. One of her biggest recruiting tools is having players on her current roster interact in-person and on social media

with incoming recruits, and now that won’t happen. Luckily for South Carolina, most of the players the team is recruiting on the transfer wire are players Staley recruited out of high school and already have a relationship with. “We are in the market for some players we feel could fit on our roster and on our team,” Staley said.

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THE FUTURE • WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 19

STARS ALIGN Seventh Woods finally ready to make an impact at South Carolina

By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Allen Sharpe

eventh Woods had been a basketball star since he was 12 years old. When he was a high school freshman, a video on YouTube proclaimed him “The BEST 14 Year Old In The Country!” The highlight

reel of spectacular dunks and amazing plays attracted nearly 16 million views. Frank Martin once compared him to Zion Williamson, saying he was “Zion before Zion.” By the time he was a senior at Hammond School in Columbia,

20 BASKETBALL • SEVENTH WOODS

Woods was considered the best contributions to a young group high school point guard in the that upset three top-10 teams country. and meshed into a dangerous So you can imagine how unit despite dealing with a incredibly difficult it was for host of injuries to key players. Woods to sit on the bench for Woods’ leadership and team-first three seasons at North Carolina attitude was no surprise to Marand then sit out as a redshirt last tin, who recruited him heavily in year after transferring to South high school. Carolina. “The part no one ever wanted “I love to play basketball, to talk about is what a great so any time I am sitting on the teammate he is,” Martin said. “I bench and I can’t check into the remember going to Hammond game, it’s definitely tough for and here’s this kid that everyone is me,” Woods said prior to last telling the world how great he is, season. “But it’s about staying yet his teammates and his coaches focused and staying confident just really, really enjoyed being and staying patient.” around him. That’s the thing that That was Woods’ approach attracted me the most to him. last season as he served as a valuIt wasn’t his talent, it wasn’t his able role model for his younger jumping, it wasn’t his dunking, teammates. After transferring, it wasn’t his YouTube videos, it Martin encouraged him to sit wasn’t passing and shooting. It out last season, was a combinalearn Martin’s tion of all those system and things and who prepare for his was as a teamThe last month he senior season in mate. That’s what 2020-21. Martin got me excited of the season, believed the about him. he was starting highly recruited “And it’s been star and former to practice at a no different since Tar Heel needed he got here. Our high, high level younger players to get away from the spotlight, reagain and I was really, really group and “just respect him and excited for what he’s developed be at peace with his team.” I was seeing and real good relaWoods tionships with the confidence embraced that his teammates.” approach. After he was starting choosing “We wanted North to show every to sit out and just Carolina over focus on me getGamecocks, day on the court. the ting back into a Woods’ career in groove,” he said. the ACC did not – FRANK MARTIN “Coming in and go as expected. learning a new He played in all system, we didn’t 40 games as a want to rush freshman, but anything, so just use this year as averaged just eight minutes per a sit-out year and rebuilding year game. As a sophomore, he missed and come out next year and give 17 games with a broken bone it all I’ve got.” in his right foot. In three years, So Woods spent the season Woods averaged just 1.8 points sitting, learning and leading. and 1.5 assists in 8.7 minutes per His focus was not only learngame while backing up two NBA ing Martin’s system but helping lottery picks at point guard. lead a young team that finished After transferring, Woods 18-13 (10-8 in the SEC) and was spent last season mimicking the fighting for a spot in the NCAA point guard or top-scoring guard Tournament before the postseaon rival teams during practice to son tournaments were canceled help his team prepare for upcomdue to the coronavirus. ing games. A three-year veteran, When the season was over, he was often a coach on the floor, Woods drew high praise for his helping young players figure out

MAY 2020

where they needed to be and what to do in certain situations. Toward the end of the season, he started to flash the talent and promise that made him one of the top high school players in the nation. “The last month of the season, he was starting to practice at a high, high level again and I was excited for what I was seeing and the confidence he was starting to show every day on the court and the aggression he was playing with,” Martin said. Woods’ adjustment and development has Martin excited about the team he has returning next season. It could feature one of the deepest and most dynamic backcourts in the country. Though senior Jair Bolden decided to transfer, Woods will join point Jermaine Couisnard, who made the SEC All-Freshman team, and possibly leading scorer and junior AJ Lawson, who declared for the NBA Draft but could still return next season. TJ Moss and Trae Hannibal were valuable backups who showed a lot of growth last season.

Woods could push Couisnard to shooting guard, giving the Gamecocks their first true point guard since the 2016-17 Final Four team, or combine with Couisnard and Lawson to give them a strong three-guard rotation. “Offensively, he’s going to give us another guy, much like Jermaine, who can play off the dribble and get in the lane and make plays for others,” Martin said. “He’s a pass-first guy, always has been. So we have to work really hard at getting him … he had

lost his aggressiveness to score. When he got here last June he had lost that passion to go get a basket, but over the last month of the season, in practice, he was coming downhill and being aggressive, starting to make jump shots, which as he continues to trust that, it’s going to allow him to be even better because people are going to have to come out and guard him and then he can use that feel and athleticism to get by people.” More importantly, Martin believes Woods will be a strong

defender, a prerequisite to earning minutes and playing a key role on his team. “I always thought Seventh could be an unbelievably good on-ball defender cause he has unbelievable athleticism,” Martin said. “He has instincts and he has toughness and now after having him practice for a year, my thoughts and my visions have been reinforced. I think he is going to be a great defender.” After three years at North Carolina, Woods is glad to be home again, surrounding himself with family and friends and playing for a coach he says he trusts. (“I trust him and he trust me, and that was big for me.”) He hopes to resurrect his career and reputation and earn an opportunity to play at the next level. His approach and goals for next season are simple. “Just be the best version of me,” he said. “Not sure what that entails, but just go out there and play freely and with a free mind and with confidence at the highest level and just go out there and produce.”

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SEVENTH WOODS • BASKETBALL 21

BASEBALL All Baseball content sponsored by:

Luke Berry hill TJ Hopkins

Madison Stokes

MISSING THE GAME

Former Gamecock stars missing baseball, staying active during postponed season By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Allen Sharpe & Jenny Dilworth

Hopkins had already been at spring training in Arizona for a month, building on a strong finish to the 2019 season and preparing for his first full season of professional baseball. Teammate Luke Berryhill had been in Arizona even longer, reporting to Cincinnati Reds camp with pitchers and catchers in early February. After an injury-plagued summer after being drafted, he had rehabbed and worked hard during the offseason to prepare for his quest to become the Reds’ catcher of the future. Madison Stokes had played winter ball in Colombia, South America, was in the best shape of his career and poised for a big season when he reported to the Phillies spring training complex in Clearwater, Fla. He was even 22 MISSING THE GAME

looking forward to a possible switch back to shortstop after playing first, second, third and some outfield during his first full pro season. But over the course of 24 hours on March 12-13, their lives would change dramatically as Major League Baseball canceled all spring training games and then closed training camps and sent players home. Suddenly, thousands of big-league and minor-league players had their lives disrupted and joined the rest of the population in the battle against the COVID-19 coronavirus. South Carolina currently has eight former players in the major leagues, while Hopkins, Stokes and Berryhill are among 34 former Gamecocks that played in the minors last season and were preparing for another pro season

when spring training was shut down. They should all be two months into the 2020 season by now. Instead, they are home, doing their part to keep themselves and their families healthy and safe, and wondering when they will get to resume their baseball careers. “It’s crazy, man. It’s hard,” Hopkins said from his home in Summerville, S.C. When the virus first started to spread in the United States, major league teams began taking safety precautions at spring training complexes throughout Arizona and Florida. Media were prohibited from entering the clubhouse. Players were encouraged to use hand sanitizer, which was readily available at every field and work station. Teams began scrubbing the clubhouse

after every workout and portions of the facilities were closed off. They held frequent team meetings to give players updates on the virus and provide tips on health and hygiene. Eventually, workouts were cut short and players were told to stay in their hotel rooms or apartments when not at the complex. Finally, on March 12, they were told that the remainder of spring training had been canceled and the start of the majorleague season would be delayed by at least two weeks. Then, on March 13, they were given travel money and sent home. Players like Hopkins (201619), Stokes (2015-18) and Berryhill (2019) couldn’t believe it. “That was really wild, it was really the last thing I expected,” Berryhill said. “I had heard a little bit about the spread of the

MAY 2020

virus but I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it would â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no way,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; because be anything serious. â&#x20AC;Ś And then our season hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even started they called us all back into the yet,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And then a couple facility and told us, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the of days later they said we have to deal, go see the people inside and send you guys home, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get you packed up and sent safest thing to do right now.â&#x20AC;? out.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It was Stokes, really weird, it who played all happened with Hopkins really fast.â&#x20AC;? on the 2018 They should all Hopkins, Super Regional a four-year be two months into team, said he starter and his teamthe 2020 season for South mates were Carolina, had jokingly makby now. Instead, gone out to ing predictions they are home ... eat with some on how many teammates MLB games wondering when when the NBA would be postthey will get to announced it poned when had canceled the NBA anresume their its season after nounced that a baseball careers. player Rudy second player, Gobert tested Gobert teampositive for mate Donovan the virus. They Mitchell, had were joking, tested positive. he said, about baseball being â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it would get postponed but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe it this serious,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś Then would actually happen. we get to the field and they call

for a meeting and they basically explained what is going on. That was a short day of practice, and then the next day we came in for an early meeting and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when they told us the news. â&#x20AC;Ś They called us in and explained the whole situation, how everybody was getting home and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how long you guys are going to be home for. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I packed my bags and drove home that day.â&#x20AC;? For each player, the news was a shock that triggered a series of mixed emotions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had prepared for about six months just to try to play my first full professional season and to hear it get ripped out from under me, that really sucked,â&#x20AC;? Berryhill said. Stokes was also disappointed. He had climbed three levels, from rookie ball to high-A, in 2018, had a solid 2019 season (10 home runs and 42 RBI in 418 at-bats) and was looking forward to continuing his climb in 2020.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Part of me, as bad as it sounds, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to go home because I had prepared and trained all fall for this,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was just really hungry for the season and had high expectations for myself. We were just starting to get into game mode, getting our bodies in shape to play games and I was all excited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to come home because I was so ready to play the season and get sent to an affiliate. Then I was like, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything about it and it will be good to spend time with family, but the baseball side of me and the competitive side of me was like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nah, I want to stay here and compete.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Hopkins was equally disappointed. He was packing to head home to Summerville when he realized how fortunate he was. While most minor league players are being paid $400 per week, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a lot of money for older, more established players with families.

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MISSING THE GAME 23

“I have a few friends who have a family and they have only $400 coming in right now, and that’s what I started thinking about,” he said. “I feel bad for guys like that that are still in the minor leagues and they are 25 and they have a family they have to provide for. It’s just hard.”

LIFE WITHOUT BASEBALL While most minor leaguers are working odd jobs to help make ends meet, they are also keeping their minds on baseball and preparing for when the season resumes. Hopkins, Berryhill and Stokes were all working out at local gyms until those too were closed. Now they are developing their own routines, whether it’s lifting weights and training at home or hitting and throwing at local fields. Hopkins, an outfielder for the Reds, continues to train every day, whether it’s going for a run, lifting weights or finding a place to hit. “I have to do at least something because I can’t go to sleep at night if I don’t do anything, because I just feel terrible about myself,” he said. “I make myself do at least something baseballrelated each day. … I have to do something like that so my mind can take a break because we are supposed to be playing baseball right now so I’m still trying to be in that baseball mindset.” Stokes is staying at his parents lake house in Winnsboro, S.C. and has had to get creative with his workouts. He hits balls into a net or takes batting practice with his brother and goes to a local field where his dad hits him ground balls. When he travels to Raleigh to visit his girlfriend, he goes to a church field where he throws and hits into the fence. “I can’t really throw that hard to my girlfriend, so I have been throwing to a fence, and the fence isn’t that great at throwing back,” he said. His mission is to stay as prepared as possible for when the call comes to return to baseball activity. “I’m training as if I was in spring training and as if I was

going to play next weekend,” he said. “It’s not a super-intense workout but I am doing something every single day just to stay in really good shape and stay in baseball shape. That way I am prepared regardless of when they tell us to come back. “I am doing everyLuke Berryhill thing I can with what I have, which is enough.” The biggest challenge is staying sharp mentally and not getting down while waiting for their athlittle letic careers to resume. Most are unmotivated because working odd jobs and trying to you have already worked for so stay busy during their spare time. many months with a deadline When he’s not working or and now you don’t know if the working out, Hopkins goes fishseason is even going to come at ing and watches classic baseball this point,” Berryhill said. “I’m games and sporting events on doing my best to stay motivated TV. Berryhill, who is also an asbut those thoughts are starting to piring country music singer, has creep in a little bit.” been playing guitar and writing Stokes likes to read and listen a few songs. He’s even played a to podcasts but also plays whiffle few gigs around his Canton, Ga. ball, ping pong or shoot pool, home. anything to stay competitive. “Whenever I am doing some kind of activity, I try to make it as competitive as possible,” he I had prepared said. “My family and friends might not like it, but it helps me for about six keep my edge.” months just to Stokes says having a daily routine is also important. A detry to play vout Christian, he starts his day my first full with meditation and Bible study. “As soon as I wake up, I get professional on my knees and it’s that first act season and to of praying that just really sets the tone for the day,” he said. “Then hear it get ripped I make my bed and complete a out from under task. Within 10 minutes of waking up I have already prayed and me, that really completed a task, and something as simple as that sets the tone sucked. and sets your mind right.” Though they are doing every– LUKE BERRYHILL thing they can to stay in shape and stay active, it’s hard not to think about baseball and what they would be doing right now They all play video games if not for the pandemic that has to stay mentally sharp and as a affected every aspect of life. They way to stay connected with their dream of the day, hopefully soon, teammates and friends. Such when they will be able to return activities are important to keep to the game they love. their minds occupied and their “I miss it a lot,” Hopkins spirits up. said. “I was right in the swing of “Knowing that it’s probably things. We were already playing going to be at least a few months games and I was just getting away, it kinda starts to get you a pumped up because it was my

24 BASEBALL • MISSING THE GAME

TJ Hopkins

Madison Stokes

first spring training and I already had experienced some of it. … We weren’t around the big-league guys but we would be working out and they would come up and introduce themselves. It was just cool to be around all that.” “I miss it every single day when I wake up,” Stokes said. “I’m used to waking up at spring training and going straight to the field. Some days I wake up and I’m like, ‘Gosh, this stinks, I can’t do anything and can’t go play baseball.’ I 100 percent miss the competitive side of it.” For Berryhill, he’s missing more than just the game and the daily routine. “I really miss being around my teammates and the guys that I have built up friendships with,” he said. “Not being able to really see many people, it gets kinda lonely at times.”

MAY 2020

‘NEVER GIVE UP’ Justin Row shares message of hope, perseverance after beating cancer By Justin Row | Photo Courtesy of SC Athletics

n December 19, 2019, former South Carolina infielder (2017-2018) and student assistant coach (2019) Justin Row was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. On March 13 of this year, he was told he was in remission. After a recent treatment, Row shared what was going through his mind during that tough 86day stretch, and what’s on deck as he looks to take the next step in life.

I’ve thought about ‘what if it comes back’ and my mindset towards it is the same as it was when I was diagnosed originally; figure out what’s going on and beat it! There are no other options. I found out I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma while playing baseball in Australia. I am extremely lucky in regard to how I found

MAY 2020

out. My roommate’s girlfriend actually saw the bump [on my arm] and told me I needed to get it checked out. Granted she is a physical trainer, so I thought she knew what she was talking about. I went to the doctor and she ordered blood work and an ultrasound to see what was going on. The blood work came back troublesome, so a biopsy was immediately ordered and the next day I went and did that. They said this would tell us exactly what was wrong. Once the results came back from the biopsy the diagnosis was clear that I had cancer. I was more in shock than anything when the doctor told me. I did not cry. I did not yell. I just kind of sat there. The doctor handed me tissues expecting me to start crying, but I honestly did not know what to do. I have lived such a healthy and fit lifestyle up to that point, I honestly

didn’t believe it could happen to me. Obviously when someone tells you that you have cancer in any form, it’s terrifying. Luckily for me, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers out there, so my doctors were extremely confident in curing me. Plus, we had caught it in such an early stage, which made them even more confident. Treatments are long and not too much fun. I get them every two weeks. … The day after I’m usually OK due to the steroids being in my system, but the following 3-4 days after are pretty tough. The response I got was so uplifting and positive. I could never imagine having that much support across a nation. It meant a lot because I was really down in the dumps when it hit the internet, and all the positive feedback really helped me and made me

push through it and get through the dark times of this process. The support of Gamecock nation, my teammates, my friends, coaches, staff, fans — just everyone showed their love and I couldn’t express enough my gratitude and appreciation for them. It truly shows the special nature and culture that the university has created for every single Gamecock that goes to school there. But if I had to choose one moment, it was when JBJ (Jackie Bradley, Jr.) called me. To me, that was pretty special. I knew the treatment was working because the bumps on my body were either gone or much smaller than before. But the actual day they told me the treatment was working was March 13, which was the day I was told I was in remission. It was amazing to hear that. My parents were with me, and they immediately started crying, which was fun to see those tears because it was tears of joy. I think about my time at South Carolina every day. Some of the best experiences of my life were while I was there. Being with the team day in and day out, playing in big games every single weekend, the intensity of it all, going to watch other sports, becoming friends with people from Oregon to New Jersey to overseas. Many of the memories created are forever with me and I will never forget it. Now I’m working on getting a job and joining the working world. It’s difficult right now given the current state of the world. I know I want to stay in sports and especially baseball. To anyone that is struggling with something, I would say, never ever give up. I know this is a difficult time and even tougher times lie ahead, but you can do this. The mindset with this is 80 percent of the battle. Have people around you who are positive and you enjoy being around. Always know that you have someone to talk to. We may not know each other, but I am here and will always be there to help.

JUSTIN ROW • BASEBALL 25

THE UNDERDOG(S) Blake Cooper relives magical 2010 season, Gamecocks’ first national championship By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Allen Sharpe

hen South Carolina won the College World Series for the first time in 2010, there were several heroes on the national championship team. Michael Roth. Whit Merrifield. Scott Wingo. Christian Walker. MVP Jackie Bradley Jr. But no one played a bigger role in 2010 than Friday night starter Blake Cooper. A 5-10 senior from Neeses, S.C., Cooper had a phenomenal season, earning first-team All-SEC with a 13-2 record and 2.76 ERA over 20 starts and 137 innings pitched. His biggest start was his last one, when he allowed just three hits and had 10 strikeouts in eight innings in a 7-1 win over UCLA in Game 1 of the national championship series. The opposing pitcher that day? All-American Gerrit Cole. Cooper, a third-team All-American, finished his career with a 34-14 record and 3.72 ERA in 62 starts and 377 innings. He was drafted in the 12th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and pitched six years in the minor leagues, climbing to Triple-A before finishing his career with a 23-20 record and 3.05 ERA with 22 saves. Now the pitching coach at the The Citadel, Cooper returned to Founders Park on March 10 and threw out the first pitch prior to what would be South Carolina’s final game of the season. As we continue to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the national championship season, Cooper spoke with Spurs & Feathers about the 2010 team and the 2010 College World Series.

26 BASEBALL • BLAKE COOPER

What was that moment like when you guys finally won the College World Series? “It was a situation to where it was so many highs and lows through that world series just because we lost the first game. We were down in the third game against Oklahoma and I’m sitting there and I can remember being in that dugout thinking, ‘You know what, this could be it.’ Jackie [Bradly Jr.] is up and it’s a 3-2 count and this could be it, and he comes through with a hit. It was a situation where you are really high going into Omaha and you lose the first game. Now you are really low and you are trying to pick yourself back up, you win a big game against Arizona State and you go into Oklahoma and it goes to extra innings and you are one pitch away from being out of it. And then all of a sudden you get a hit and you are back in it. It was crazy the emotions that run through you during that run.”

What made that team so special? “That was a team that was extremely resilient. For some reason, if you look at it now and you look at the talent that was on that team, you see it all through the minor leagues and professional baseball and the big leagues. You talk about guys like Sam Dyson, who has been in the big leagues for a while, Jackie Bradley, Whit Merrifield, Christian Walker. Not just major league players but they are making some noise at the major-league level. Whit has been the best hitter the last three years in the big leagues. We are on a team to where we are so grounded as baseball players, we always thought we were the underdog for some reason. But I think that was a job that coach Tanner did to keep us levelheaded and keep us fighting and grinding. I think that was one thing he

MAY 2020

was really good at, making all his teams feel like they had a chip on their shoulder. For us, we were a group of guys who played well together, we loved each other, we worked hard but we held each other accountable, all the things I am trying to teach now as a coach. That really stuck out to me looking back at the guys on the team and the things we did and the reasons why things happened the way they did. That’s the reason that was a special team, because there was a bunch of leadership on that team and guys held each other accountable. When you are a coach, you talk about those things, but a team really takes off when those guys start holding each other accountable and it’s not just the coaches doing it themselves.”

Do you have a favorite moment from that season? Is there a moment that really sticks out for you? “One of the plays I can remember as a pitcher was going into Coastal Carolina and I remember going over the scouting report with Coach [Mark] Calvi, which is one of the most unbelievable coaches there is as far as getting his players ready to play and the mentality and all that. We were going over the scouting report, and I think Coastal was undefeated in their conference that year but coaches kept saying they don’t play in the SEC. You have to really pitch to your potential, but obviously they haven’t faced who we faced all year. I can remember going through that scouting report, me and Adam Westmoreland stayed up that night and we kinda wrote our own scouting report and we went to Coach Calvi’s room and he looked over it and everything pretty much looked the same, just because of what I had done with him and I know how he thinks. Moving into Coastal, we were late in the game and it was a tie game and there was a ball hit up the middle off me. … I think the bases were loaded, one out and it goes up the middle and [second baseman] Scott Wingo dives over the bag. He’s laying on the bag and turns a double play and we get out of the inning. For me, that was the biggest play of the season. Obviously, there were a ton of them but that was the opening game and it kept us right there. I believe we were tied or up by one, but if he doesn’t make that play, they probably take the lead and who knows what happens after that. I played professional ball up to the Triple-A level and Scott Wingo was one of the best defenders I have ever played with.”

What was your approach and mindset going into your start in Game 1 of the championship series against UCLA? “Coach Tanner did an unbelievable job of making all of us feel comfortable when we were on the field. He really practiced us hard at times, but when it was time to play a game, it was a playground for us and he let us go. For us, we always had fun, we kept our nose down and our eyes down and we competed. Going into that game, honestly, for us, it

felt like just another game. I think that was kinda the personality of that team. I don’t know if it was a situation where the staff recruited that way or it was just our personality or it was a deal where every day we were just told to compete and do your best, work hard and everything will fall into place. He really let us play the game. But going into that game, I honestly kinda went off what I said … we kinda played every game and we tried to do what we could do best, control what we could control. We didn’t play the opponent. I remember Coach Calvi used to tell me all the time, and one thing I talk to my pitchers about, is you are pitching against yourself, you are not pitching against the other pitcher or the other team. So if you can control those emotions and you can control what you can control and you can really pitch to your ability, you are going to be fine. If you have a plan and you execute what you can do, you are going to be fine. For that game, looking at it now, I can see the magnitude of it, but we were so incapsulated in the moment, we really didn’t feel that during that time.”

Did you realize you were pitching against one of the best pitchers in the country in Gerrit Cole? “I didn’t know who Gerrit Cole was at the time, and that is the honest truth. I had no idea about their team or their pitching staff.”

Looking back on it now, do you take great pride in the fact that you beat a guy who is now one of the best pitchers in the major leagues? “There are people who crack jokes and make memes and all those things, but it was a situation where I honestly didn’t realize who he was until he got to the big leagues. Obviously I saw he was drafted high and all those things, but going into that game, we are playing a west coast offense, a team that when they get on the base paths, they are going to bunt, they are going to try to steal, they are going to hit-and-run, they are going to do all those things, and honestly, my thought process against teams was their approach, not actually their personnel. For me, I was playing the 1-2-3-4 guys and the 7-8-9 guys. I was going to pitch to those positions in that batting order as far as whether I can pitch inside, do I need to spin it more, do I need to pitch behind in the count with off-speed pitches, just depending on their position in the lineup. … One thing that Coach Calvi and coach Tanner really taught us was, play the game, not the opponent.”

We always thought we were the underdog … That was a job that coach Tanner did to keep us level-headed and keep us fighting and grinding. That was one thing he was really good at, making all his teams feel like they had a chip on their shoulder. MAY 2020

You were 13-2 that year, but was that your best start of the season? “I would say it probably was, just because … I was pretty much burned out. I had pitched 19 or 20 innings in seven days. I started game one and then game three and then game one of the championship game. For me, I can remember going out and … usually I was a guy who liked to long toss and stretch it out before the game and I like to go out on the field an hour before and take in the atmosphere and try to get acclimated to my surroundings and kinda calm my nerves and be in the moment a little bit. In that game, I can remember leading up to it and I was in the training room twice a day getting a massage, trying to get the soreness out and all those things. “Going into that game, I didn’t have my best stuff. I knew it whenever I started tossing. I kinda felt fatigued and I could remember Coach Calvi coming up to me and I was out to be about 120 feet and he looked at me and said, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t really feel the best.’ And he said, ‘It doesn’t matter how you feel, it only matters how you perform.’ He said the great ones produce when they are not at their best. That was a situation where I knew I wasn’t going to rear back unless I had to. I pitched mostly 85-86-87, and then when I got two strikes or I was behind in the count and I wanted to throw a fastball, I could jump it up to around 90. I pitched backward a ton, and they were a team that didn’t adjust to it. From inning one, it was breaking ball, breaking ball, breaking ball. For me, that was my bread and butter in college and it really played into what I did all year.”

like, how in the world am I going to make this team? For me, my craft really started as a senior. I was a guy who could run it up to 90-92, but my off-speed pitches was the thing that was really my comfort zone for me. If it was 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, I could really throw breaking balls for strikes. When you pitch in the SEC, those guys are really geared to hit fastballs. It was a situation where I was 5-10, didn’t have a lot of downward plane, so I had to pitch off my off-speed a lot in college. Once I got to pro ball, it was obviously shorter stints so I could throw more fastballs and I actually got more sink and a changeup when I got to pro ball. But for college, I really learned to pitch backward and control the counts. It was almost better for me when I got behind in counts, because I could get easy outs with off-speed pitches. “As far as trying to teach that to our guys, it has a lot to do with who the person is. I’m not going to make our entire staff that way, but if it’s a guy who has an average fastball but has a really good breaking ball, you probably need to use that breaking ball a little more, especially in counts where guys are swinging. You have to know the count and know the hitter and just play the game and things like that work out. For me, that’s kinda who I was and really worked on it all the time.”

You pitched in the minor leagues and had a pretty good career. What was your professional experience like? “It was a little different coming from college and going straight to the bullpen. For me, at first it was tough just because I was trying to figure out my routine and all those things. But it was a situation where I could really go out and turn it loose instead of trying to pace myself throughout a game. SEC baseball is probably comparable to Double-A baseball. The lower-level guys are really taking hacks and it doesn’t matter the pitch, but once you get to DoubleA, it kinda gets you back to SEC ball where if you throw a little breaking ball, a lot of times they will take it. … I definitely feel like the SEC really trained me for at least Double-A ball. “Once I got to Triple-A it was a little different. You look up and there are seven to nine guys who have either been in the big leagues or are getting ready to be in the big leagues, so that’s a different scenario. I had success there, but for me, it was about going back to school and finishing and starting a family and I really wanted to coach, so that was the decision I made. I had a lot of success but I didn’t really think that going up and down the minor leagues and big leagues was something I wanted to do.”

It felt really good to go back and still hear the chants from the crowd and people still remember who you are and you get to be around some of the people you haven’t seen in a while.

What was your basic pitching philosophy then and how much of that do you pass along to your pitchers now? “When I was in high school, I went to a small AA high school and I had a good arm. I was 88-90 and touched 92 and had some sink and could probably throw a breaking ball with my eyes closed. I asked Coach Calvi, ‘Why did you recruit a 5-10 kid from Neeses, S.C. and a AA high school that threw 88 mph? And he said, ‘You had really good fastball command and you can throw your breaking ball with your eyes closed.’ That was a situation where when I got to school, there were probably 25 guys on the pitching staff and I sat there looking

28 BASEBALL • BLAKE COOPER

You came back to South Carolina as a student assistant coach in 2016. Did that kind of give you a taste for wanting to coach at the collegiate level? “At the university, they give you an opportunity to come back and they will pay for your school if you work within the athletic department. For me, I chose to work with the baseball team because I wanted to coach. In pro ball, I did a ton of pitching lessons in the offseason from like 2011 to probably 2015 and I started gaining an interest in seeing kids’ development and understanding their happiness and things they got excited about when they started to move forward and progress. That was one of the things I started to fall in love with, seeing

MAY 2020

the excitement on kids’ face when they started progressing and getting better. I started getting some interest in it and I got toward the end of the road [in professional baseball] and had to make a decision on whether I was going to continue to play or move forward, and I had to get my degree still, I had two semesters left to finish school. So that’s why I did what I did. And I’m glad I did it because obviously coach [Fred] Jordan retired at The Citadel, they hired Tony Skole and once again it was just right place, right time. Every decision you make in life is going to really lead you one way or the other. I have been fortunate to make two right decisions there.”

Before the season was canceled, The Citadel played at Founders Park and you got to throw out the first pitch before the game. How special was that for you? “It was definitely a special moment. You get to go back to the place where so many memories were made. Obviously I met my wife there, I got my degree from there. The university has given me so much. There have been a lot of things that happened on that field that brought joy and there has been a lot of things that happened on that field that kinda put you in a direction to really want to work harder. “I can remember my first three years, I was just OK. I was really good out of the gate as a freshman and then I just sort of settled in and I was just OK with a 4.00 ERA and stuff. Moving into my senior year, I really worked hard that summer and Coach Calvi was there with me and I just had a chip on my shoulder and it was my last go-around and I was ready to make a point and prove to myself and everybody else that I could really make a jump.

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“A lot of memories in that stadium. I used to run that stadium every day through those bleachers. I spent a ton of time there and had a lot of good memories and won a lot of games and my entire college career was right there and that’s where I shared a ton of memories with my teammates. It felt really good to go back and still hear the chants from the crowd and people still remember who you are and you get to be around some of the people you haven’t seen in a while and the coaching staff and fans I hadn’t seen in probably 10 years. It was a really good feeling because there were a lot of surreal moments that happened right there on that turf. It’s all about the relationships, especially in the coaching industry, and just going back there, I had my two kids on the field and my wife and my family as well. It was a real special moment and I look forward to going back again next year.”

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BLAKE COOPER • BASEBALL 29

VOLLEYBALL

ADVENTURES ABROAD Former Gamecock volleyball players endure canceled seasons, hectic travel during pandemic

By Brad Muller | SC Athletics • Photos by SC Athletics

he COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people in different ways. For former South Carolina volleyball student-athletes who were playing professionally overseas, not only were their jobs put on hold, but their ability to get home was an adventure as well. Fortunately, the former Gamecocks are safe, and like the rest of us, they’re taking stock in all that has transpired. “We were just about to go into our playoffs season,” said Mikayla Shields (20162019), who was playing in Finland. “Everything went downhill pretty quickly. We were on the bus on the road for a game, and as we were driving, we found out it had been canceled. A couple of days later, the whole league was shut down. That’s about the time that everything around the world was happening really fast.” “There was an announcement made through the Greek Volleyball Federation web page saying it was suspended,” said Dessaa Legros (2013-2016), who was playing in

30 COVID-19

Greece. “Then the girls from my team translated the message to all of the non-Greek speakers. I was currently recovering from surgery, I had recently torn my Achilles, but I had an idea our season would be cut short because I had friends in other leagues whose club had canceled playing earlier.”

For Sarah Blomgren (2012-2015), different decisions had to be made, at least initially. Playing professionally in Spain, she

had two weeks left in her season as well as the playoffs. “As things got worse and more diagnoses were happening in Spain, the Spanish Volleyball Federation decided to allow matches to be played without access to the public, so no spectators, only essential personnel,” Blomgren said. “A few days after that decision was made, we had a team meeting with our club director discussing talks of postponing the Spanish league. At this point, staying and finishing the season was my last priority as I was thinking about possible travel bans from all of Europe to the U.S.” Blomgren’s reasoning was sound as President Donald Trump announced a travel ban on Europe on Wednesday, March 11 that would go into effect just a couple of days later. “At 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, I booked a Friday flight home just before the ban went into effect,” Blomgren said. “It was a whirlwind of a week as things progressed rapidly. I couldn’t get ahold of my club that night and flights were being snatched up, so I

MAY 2020

Due to being hurt and alone during this pandemic, it’s been a combination of being mentally and physically tough … so it’s helped me to focus on what I can control and to just enjoy the now. – FORMER GAMECOCK VOLLEYBALL PLAYER DESSAA LEGROS

made the decision to book a flight and tell my club the next day that I was leaving. “They understood as it wasn’t an ideal situation for me to be stranded in Spain for however long. The day I flew home, the Spanish Federation announced that our season was officially canceled. Because I left before any of the craziness, it was extremely easy to travel back home. I flew from Barcelona to Los Angeles and when my plane touched down in L.A., the airport was a ghost town. It took me a total of seven minutes to deboard the plane and get to baggage claim. There were no safety precautions or screenings in place yet, so I was extremely lucky to not wait in seven-hour lines like some of my other friends that flew home a few days after the ban. They had some really crazy airport, flight cancelation and layover stories.”

“My only challenge now is finding an affordable ticket where I am and also one that won’t require me to spend 17 hours in an airport. I can’t fully walk at the moment so it would be difficult for me to navigate these airports that are working at half-staff and be self-sufficient.” Meanwhile, Legros also has to keep a close eye on finances in these uncertain times. “The team here ran into financial problems, and I actually haven’t gotten a real salary since January,” Legros said. “With my contract they were required to provide me food, so every Monday they bring me veggies and meat. I will say it has prevented me from being as independent as I’d like and to be way more conscious of my spending habits than before, since I don’t know when I will head home.”

Legros was not able to get home quickly for different reasons. Because she was recovering from surgery, it was not safe for her to fly and she was still on the island in Greece in late April. “They restricted travel to the UK, Turkey, Netherlands and Germany so it’s difficult trying to find manageable flights in my condition,” she said. “Usually there would be some direct flights back to the States or atleast one connection, but now a trip that was once 14 hours turns into 24-72 hours with multiple connections and layovers.

Shields was able to return to her native Florida, but not directly. “I remember calling my parents after they canceled our first game, and they hadn’t canceled the season yet, but they said we should go ahead and get a flight home for if and when the season does get canceled,” Shields said. “That way I’d have a way to get home. There were a lot of players who had a hard time getting home because a lot of places in Europe weren’t allowing you to fly anywhere. I was fortunate that my parents had the foresight to get me a flight back home. If I had waited a couple more days, I probably

MAY 2020

would have had a much harder time getting home. The day after I flew home, they closed the airport that I had flown out of. “Once I got back, I was in a two-week quarantine since I had come home from Europe.” As the COVID-19 pandemic continues around the world, the former Gamecocks have time to reflect on how the situations were handled in different countries. “I think everybody had a couple of days of panic,” Shields said. “Everyone was closing their borders, so it was really hectic.” “I think Greece did a great job,” Legros said. “As soon as they had the first cases, they put a curfew for the first week. Once that didn’t slow it down, we were and have been on quarantine going on almost two months. We have to have documentation on us at all times, limited to being outside for an hour and suspended public transportation. You can only move about if you have proper paperwork. If caught, it’s a fine of 300 euros and your license is suspended for 60 days.” “I think they downplayed it in the beginning, and did not react hastily in their decision making,” Blomgren said. “There wasn’t much unity between the federation and some of the clubs in Spain, as the decision to continue to play was left up to the teams in the beginning. Overall, I’m glad I left when I did. “My contract would have been up at the end of March anyway, so they paid half of my last month’s check and my flight home.” With their athletics careers on hold, the former Gamecocks are thinking about their future. “This pandemic has reminded me of the frailty of humanity and how, now, like always, God is still in control and is still trustworthy,” Blomgren said. “I was already planning on this being my last season overseas, so although this season didn’t end the way I expected it to, I still feel confident in my decision to retire from professional volleyball. I decided that it has been a fun run, but I’m ready to get to the real world and start a career in the USA and be closer to my family. Right now, I’m looking into medical device sales.” “Due to being hurt and alone during this pandemic, it’s been a combination of being mentally and physically tough, but life here on the island is peaceful, so it’s helped me to focus on what I can control and to just enjoy the now,” Legros said. “I wouldn’t say it changed me, but it taught me and showed me that I’m more resilient than I thought I was.”

COVID-19 31

SWIMMING & DIVING

EYING WAYS TO HELP

Nursing student Megan Jones spearheads campaign to help health care workers

By Brad Muller | SC Athletics • Photos by SC Athletics hrow a challenge at Megan Jones and you will likely hear, “challenge accepted.” The senior South Carolina swimmer is not only set to graduate with her nursing degree, but she is spearheading an effort to secure protective eyewear for health care workers and also volunteering to be on the frontlines in treating COVID-19 patients. “When I look back at my life, I want to be able to say that I helped people in some way,” Jones said. “Now that I’ve been in a hospital setting, it’s really cool to see the impact we can have. “I would love to be a role model for our student-athletes, not just our swimmers, that you can do nursing and be an athlete for four years.” A native of Suwanee, Ga., Jones remained in Columbia after the COVID-19 outbreak to try to get her required clinical hours for nursing. But when those plans were put on hold, she didn’t shy away from getting involved. An email from a summer-league swim team she coaches inspired her to track down “gently used” goggles from various swimming com-

32 MEGAN JONES

munities to be used as protective eyewear for health care workers. “One of our families had been in contact with Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, and they were starting to run low on the PPE goggles,” Jones said. “One of the members of the board of directors is a family friend, whose kids all swam. He suggested that we use swim goggles. He sent a message out to the Atlanta community, and I know we have a lot of goggles in our storage room that we use as a team here.” After reaching out to head coach McGee Moody to see if they could donate some of the extra team goggles, she went on social media to enlist help from other schools. “We’re donating our extra goggles, and I had a lot of alumni and pro swimmers retweet it,” Jones said. “There was a swim team in Georgia that donated 150 pairs of brandnew goggles, and then other teams contacted me about shipping goggles. We’ve heard that the Vanderbilt Medical System hospitals have a need, and I was told the Veterans Hospital here in Columbia was running out of supplies, so we might take some there when they come in. We’re still in the process of getting them in.

“Being in nursing, I’ve seen a lot of people working through this pandemic, and I’ve seen people donating things like hand sanitizer and nobody had stepped up to make goggles and things like that, so I thought the swimming community was so broad and people always have extra goggles and it was a natural fit. It turns out that Speedo is now making goggles to be donated, which is wonderful.” While she was not able to do all of her regular clinical hours due to the pandemic, Jones was not deterred and requested an opportunity to volunteer at Prisma Health Hospital in Columbia. “They haven’t finalized our clinicals schedule, and we have to get a set number of hours,” Jones explained. “We had to go through a process to be approved to volunteer, and I just got approved to do that. I just have to wait and see when they want me to come in and work their outside testing and screening process. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do that soon. “I was a little nervous, but I’m not one of those people who sits still very well. Now that I’m done with swimming and school is online, this is something I can do. I have the time and the education to help people

MAY 2020

a little more now. There’s no way I could sit and watch other people do it. I’m living in Columbia by myself right now, so I’m sort of the perfect candidate to help out because I’m only putting myself at risk.” As a student-athlete, Jones is accustomed to having a full plate when it comes to managing her schedule. The time constraints put on student-athletes as well as requirements for nursing candidates can make it difficult to complete all four years of eligibility in athletics, but Jones didn’t want to give up either of her passions. “I thought, there’s no way I could not swim my senior year,” she said. “I decided I was going to make it work. Luckily it did. It paid off, and I’m really happy about it. “It has been a roller-coaster ride. I think we’ve had one [swimmer] since I’ve been here who made it to her junior year as a nursing major and kept swimming. Our junior and senior years are our clinical/upper division where we go into the hospital to work a few times per week. That’s really difficult with our practice schedule. We practice twice a day, we lift weights, and we have class. I would wake up and go to morning practice from 6-7 a.m. I couldn’t stay the whole practice. I’d run and put on my scrubs and go to the hospital until 3 p.m. Then I’d come in a little bit late for afternoon practice.”

Charlie Guarino

Jones noted that accomplishing both of her goals wasn’t all on her. “There is no way I could have earned my degree without my wonderful team,” she said. “They let me practice taking blood pressures on them, they faked ailments for me to treat, sat at the Dodie [Anderson Academic Enrichment Center] for hours with me studying, and made me dinner after 12-hour shifts. I’m grateful to have had their support along with our whole academics and athletics staff. “My team has been so supportive. Every afternoon, I’d come in my scrubs and they would cheer. They knew how stressed I was. It was great. I’d stay a little late, and then I’d go and lift. Then we’d have to travel to meets, so I’d have to make up exams. One time we went to a meet in Atlanta, which is close to my home. I swam the first day, then my dad drove me back to Columbia to take an exam, and he drove me back to the meet so I could swim in the finals that night. It’s been something else.”

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While Jones has had to make sacrifices to be a student-athlete and nursing major, she doesn’t have any regrets. “I’m just trying to make the best of it and take this experience as something I can learn from,” she said. “I was undecided on what I wanted to do when I first came to school, but I knew I wanted to be in health care. I knew I wanted to work with kids. I’ve been babysitting and nannying and teaching some lessons my whole life. I knew I wanted to help kids, and I’m very social and outgoing. I love to talk to people. Before I came to college, I had a chance to shadow some nurses, and I fell in love with it. Being in a hospital, I realized the amount of contact you have with patients in trying to help them.” It’s not a surprise that once she receives her degree, Jones already has a job lined up and will be working at a children’s hospital in Charlotte, N.C.

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ON THE FRONTLINES Former swimmer Brooke Morton helping fight COVID-19 at NC hospital

By Brad Muller | SC Athletics • Photo by SC Athletics thletes are often looked upon as heroes. Former South Carolina swimmer Brooke Morton (2013-2016) certainly fits the description, but it’s not just because she was good at her sport.

Morton works on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at a hospital in Raleigh, N.C. “I definitely don’t have any regrets doing what I do,” Morton

34 SWIMMING & DIVING • BROOKE MORTON

said. “The best and most chalbay stays consistently busy, but lenging parts of working in the the rest of the E.D. has had a Emergency Department is that fairly light volume. People are lisit keeps you on your toes. You tening and staying home, which never know what you’re going to is great. Initially we did have a see. I would have never guessed a lot of people coming in wanting year ago I would be dealing with to be tested with no symptoms, a pandemic, but you just have to but we are saving the tests for take it one day at a time and be symptomatic patients.” adaptable. In light of the spread of “I don’t think there’s anyone COVID-19, Morton and her that was prepared for this panco-workers have to take extra demic, but I love what I do. You precautions. have to have passion in a field “Masks are supposed to be like this. It’s the same passion worn from the time we walk you have to have to be involved into the hospital until the time in college athletics. Not every we walk out,” she said. “For day is going to be the best, but patients that are being tested it’s all worth it in the end.” for COVID-19, we wear a gown, Morton graduated from gloves, mask and eye goggles. We South Carolina in 2016 with a also have ‘CAPR’; systems which degree in exercise science and are saved for patients receiving went on to do an accelerated aerosolized treatments. A ‘CAPR’ Bachelor of Nursing program at basically looks like a giant space Northeastern University. helmet that blows HEPA filtered “There are too many great air into a chamber to breathe. memories to count from my time “Getting sick is definitely a at South Carolina,” she said. “I scary thought, but that being met some of my said, I’m a best friends durhealthy young ing my four years person and in Columbia.” taking all the Morton has You have to have precautions is worked as a all we can do.” passion in a field registered nurse Putting for the last year yourself in like this. It’s the harm’s way and a half. She same passion you for the sake moved to North Carolina and of others is initially worked have to have to be hard for some in Charlotte at involved in college to fathom. Atrium Health in Morton takes athletics. the Emergency the highs and Department belows associated fore moving on to with her job in – BROOKE MORTON work at Wakemed stride. Raleigh. “The thing “Wakemed I like most Raleigh’s E.D. is about worksectioned into five different bays ing as a nurse in the E.D. is that for a total of 80-plus beds,” Moryou never know what’s coming ton said. “As soon as COVID-19 or what the night is going to be became prevalent, one of the bays like,” she said. “We see everywas designated specifically for thing from gunshots and major potential COVID-19 patients. car accidents to blisters and Tents are also set up in the front coughs. You just have to roll of the E.D. for quick testing. Not with it so it’s always exciting.” all patients that test positive are As she prepares for another admitted. It’s dependent on the day in the Emergency Departseverity of the symptoms. Our ment, Morton, like everyone else, policies are changing every day looks forward to the days when just as they are in the rest of the things return to normal. country. “My best advice for people is “In regard to how busy the to stay home and stay positive,” Emergency Department has she said. “Staying home keeps been, it really depends on the you and those around you safe. day. Our designated COVID-19 We will all get through this!”

MAY 2020

From buzzer-beaters to walk-offs, my favorite SC moments By Josh Hyber | Staff writer

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eebo Samuel’s week one gameopening kickoff return for a touchdown in Charlotte. Bryan Edwards’ one-handed, behind-his-head catch in Knoxville. Parker White’s walk-off field goal against Louisiana Tech. Ty Harris’ 71-foot heave that swished through the net against South Dakota and Zia Cooke’s game-clinching interception against Mississippi State. Felipe Haase to Chris Silva to beat Florida. Alyssa Kumiyama’s walk-off against Duke to complete a four-run comeback that secured Beverly Smith’s 300th win. There have been highlight moments that could span a lifetime over the past two and a half years I have spent on the Gamecock beat for Spurs & Feathers. But the electrifying moments above all miss the cut for my favorite moments.

MAY 2020

Here’s a look at the best of the best: FOOTBALL I stood between the hedges during the final moments of the fourth quarter and during all three overtimes as South Carolina upset Georgia. But more than Israel Mukuamu’s three interceptions and Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missing a field goal that clinched the Gamecock win, I remember the postgame celebration. I remember watching Ryan Hilinski, carried by two team staffers, hobble around the field celebrating. I remember following Mukuamu, chomping down on a twig from the hedges, embrace his family in the stands. Same for T.J. Brunson. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Eighteen thousand fans in attendance for a women’s basketball game? That’s special. The atmosphere inside Colonial Life Arena when South Carolina beat UConn

for the first time in program history was magical. I was in the AT&T Center in San Antonio when the Spurs beat the Miami Heat to clinch the 2014 NBA Finals. Monday, Feb. 10 inside CLA was just as electrifying. MEN’S BASKETBALL South Carolina has a thing for coming back from 14 points down to beat Kentucky. It did so on Jan. 17, 2018 and again on Jan. 15, 2020. This past season’s came in dramatic fashion, with Jermaine Couisnard knocking down a long 3 at the buzzer to knock off the No. 10 Wildcats. Kentucky tied the game with five seconds remaining, but Couisnard, who made his first career start that night, raced down court and sank the 3-point shot from the top of the key, setting off mass hysteria at CLA. SOFTBALL South Carolina came into its game against Hofstra on May 19, 2018 facing season-ending elimination. Trailing 4-3 with two out, South

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Carolina’s Krystan White blasted a two-run, walk-off home run to send the Gamecocks to the NCAA Regional championship the next day. “Last year was a tough year because we lost [Krystan’s] father [Buck] tragically,” Smith said after the game. "… You just talk about a moment. Just unbridled joy. It could have been anybody. But it was Whitey. We have that picture on the wall. Everyone’s mouths are open. Their feet are off the ground. They’re hugging, crying. It was awesome.” WOMEN’S SOCCER Since 2001, South Carolina and Florida have played 25 times. Sixteen have been one-goal games (not including two ties), including seven overtime games (including the ties). On Nov. 24, 2017, the Gamecocks punched their first ticket to the College Cup after topping Florida 2-0 in the Elite Eight. Sophomore defender Grace Fisk and senior midfielder Lindsey Lane scored the goals on a wild night in a standing-room-only Stone Stadium.

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Spurs & Feathers May 2020 - UofSC Gamecock Sports

Articles inside

Big Addition: Seventh Woods

Former Gamecock on the frontlines of pandemic

Baseball

Helping Hand: SC swimmer

Column

Volleyball

Blueprint: Staley laying foundation

Comeback Trail: Senior Keir

Good Picks: Brunson, Wonnum

NFL Draft: Raiders get

Coming Home: New RB

Gamecock Club

make Kinlaw first-rounder

Perfect Fit: Kinlaw thrilled