College basketball will be here before you know it, and Phenom Hoops is diving into some of the topics to look at around the country. This time, we head down to the SEC to look at the Gamecocks of South Carolina, as they look to rebuild after a tough season last year. Though the record may not show it, there was still talent on the roster that included a future NBA first-round pick in Collin Murray-Boyles. But now, the Gamecocks will have to replace five starters and look to depend on other names to step up.
And there may not be a bigger name coming into the program than freshman Eli Ellis, coming from Moravian Prep and looking to leave his mark on the program. When diving into this roster at South Carolina this upcoming season, I had to ask myself… is there a chance for Eli Ellis to start or eventually start for the Gamecocks this year?
After looking into the roster, the answer would be…. Yes.
Looking at this roster, there is a lot of size with this team, especially when you talk about 6’6 Cam Scott returning, 6’8 Elijah Strong coming in, 7’0 Christ Essandoko coming in, 7’0 Jordan Butler returning, 6’9 Mike Sharavjamts, 6’9 Nordin Kapic, and so on… But when looking at the true guard position, there are opportunities for Ellis to come in and make an immediate impact. Furthermore, this is a young man that has proven everyone wrong time after time after time, so why would you put anything else past him?
Guard Meechie Johnson is back at South Carolina after playing at Ohio State last year. Before then, he played for two years at South Carolina, averaging 14.1ppg back in 2023-24 and earning All-SEC honors. South Carolina also welcomes G Kobe Knox from USF, who has plenty of experience with his background. Both of which should be big pieces for the team, especially Johnson returning back to Columbia. But there are opportunities for Ellis to come in and make an impact, and possibly even have a chance to start. Knox has experience, but South Carolina may need more firepower than he could provide, and it also takes some of the pressure off Johnson at times.
Now, you also have to look at a few other factors with this roster… 6’6 Cam Scott was highly regarded coming out of high school, but things didn’t quite pan out early on. Has he taken a huge step his sophomore year? We shall see. What can Myles Stute also provide for the Gamecocks, as he brings good size at 6’7, but has battled injuries in the past?
Lastly, how does South Carolina start the season? After going to the NCAA Tournament the year before, Coach Paris and company need to create a spark for this program after going 12-20 overall last year. They will have some good battles early on against Butler, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and others, and if things don’t start out on the right foot, you could see Ellis coming in to provide that spark.
Ellis has been one of the best guards in the country for some time now, as he has captured the eyes of many with his ability to take on anyone, put up big-time performances against the best, and prove nearly all rankings wrong with his play over the years. So, for a player that has one of the toughest mindsets out there and has proven them all wrong, would you put it past Ellis to continue that trend at South Carolina?