Two players who hail from the State of South Carolina, who call South Carolina “home”, are currently being projected in the lottery of next year’s NBA draft. Both Ja Morant, Murray State by way of Dalzell, SC and Zion Williamson Duke by way of Spartanburg, SC, it is a humbling experience, but one that is bringing light to a secret that is getting out across the country.
On the eve of three players who hail from South Carolina making it onto Sports Center Top 10, we only felt it right to look at the talent that comes to the state. Shoutout to Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and Preston Parks for their heroics last night.
Traditionally, South Carolina had been known as a football state, and to some degree it still is. There have been incredible athletes who came from the state, it is just (in the past) they have all been pushed toward playing football. Well, now these kids, a generation of kids who grew up watching Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Jermaine O’Neal and Raymond Felton all experiencing incredible success, at a high level, on the basketball court.
The stories, when we first came across them, of Ja and Zion started as they were teammates for the South Carolina Hornets AAU program. Them, along with Devontae Shuler formed a big three, for a non-sponsored team (this is a topic we will get into later). In fact, all three of the players who made Sports Center Top 10 (the genesis of this article) played for the SC Hornets for some events together. Remind you, this team was not sponsored by any shoe company, and had to have fund raisers to travel to tournaments and get seen. However, without a question, this non-shoe sponsored program is producing a pair of lottery picks.
However, look no further than what is going on in college basketball right now, at the highest level. South Carolina players are trending toward NBA draft talk. Over the past couple of years, you have had guys like Sindarius Thornwell (Lancaster, SC) and Jawun Evans (Greenville, SC) get drafted in the second round. However, now you are having some strong first round talk.
Along with Ja and Zion, you also look toward what Aaron Nesmith (Vanderbilt), Nic Claxton (Georgia), Jordan Bruner (Yale), Sharone Wright Jr (Wake Forest), Jimmy Nichols (Providence) and Cartier Diarra (Kansas State) are doing in college. They are having NBA scouts looking at them regularly. And while they many not be getting talked about as coming out in this 2019 draft, they are being projected as NBA players.
Part of the reason these kids fall under the radar is the lack of shoe money being pumped into the state. Looking at South Carolina’s surrounding states, North Carolina carries seven shoe sponsored organizations while Georgia has six. South Carolina has one, the Upward Stars who does a great job of cultivating and developing talent, routinely finding success on their Adidas Gauntlet. Shoe sponsored teams typically (but certainly not always) have an accumulation of the most talent in the state. Be it through Nike, Under Armour or Adidas, these sponsored teams get free gear, they are funded (partially) by the shoe company.
Also, we look at the dynamic of South Carolina basketball. Again looking into neighboring states, Georgia and North Carolina, you have a lot of transferring. Talented kids moving schools to play with other talented kids and forming pocketed “super teams. With these two states being saturated with talent, these pockets of “super teams” have the coaches and scouts all going to the same places to see talent. Looking at the landscape of South Carolina basketball, many of the kids stay with their home school. The talent is dispersed throughout the state, with many teams having only one D1 prospect, if any. A lot of these kids are not in the populated, Columbia, Charleston, Greenville/Spartanburg and may be difficult (or far) to get to in just one drive. Add in under funding for the schools, making it hard to travel outside of their allotted conference games, it is hard sometimes for these kids to be seen. College coaches rationale, I can go see four kids in this game, or drive two hours further and just see one.
However, college coaches and scouts are now figuring it out. South Carolina is rich with high level basketball talent. Lets take a look at these players mentioned above and what type of year they are having:
Ja Morant from Crestwood HS in Dalzell, SC
Murray State Sophomore
22.8 Points. 52.5% FG. 9,6 Assists. 6.6 Boards, 1.9 Steals. 32.2 PER. 13.0 BPM
Zion Williamson from Spartanburg Day in Spartanburg, SC
Duke Freshman
20.1 Points. 66.7% FG. 9.1 Boards. 2.5 Assists.2.2 Steals. 2.0 Blocks. 42.2 PER. 20.6 BPM.
Nic Claxton from Legacy Early College in Greenville, SC
Georgia Sophomore
12.6 Points. 9.8 Boards. 2.3 Assists. 2.8 Blocks. 23.4 PER. 86.6 DRtg
Sharone Wright Jr from West Florence HS in Florence, SC/Legacy Early College in Greenville, SC
Wake Forest Freshman
7.6 Points. 44% FG. 3.0 Boards. 1 Assists. 4 Starts.
Cartier Diarra from West Florence HS in Florence, SC
Kansas State Sophomore
5.7 Points. 3.2 Boards. 1.6 Assists. 1 Steal
Jordan Bruner from Spring Valley HS in Columbia, SC
Yale Sophomore
11.5 Points. 54.5% FG. 35% 3-Pt. 7.3 Boards. 21.7 PER. 8 BPM
Aaron Nesmith from Porter Gaud in Charleston, SC
Vanderbilt Freshman
8.8 Points. 6. Boards. 1.7 Assists. 19.8 PER. 127.9 ORtg. 7.8 BPM.
Jimmy Nichols from Conway HS in Conway, SC
Providence Freshman
4.3 Points. 9 Starts. 3.2 Boards. 1 Block. 14.4 PER
Now let’s take a look at some others who are doing their thing in college. Tevin Mack (Alabama), Devonte Shuler (Ole Miss), Clyde Trapp (Clemson), Jordan Davis (Dayton), Malik Dunbar (Auburn), Seventh Woods (UNC), Karl Gamble (Middle Tennessee), Deion Holmes (USC-U), Tyler Hooker (Kennesaw St), Andrew Brown (Furman), Carlos Dotson (W. Carolina), Brevin Galloway (College of Charleston), Jerrell Brantley (College of Charleston), Preston Parks (Chattanooga), Keith Matthews (Stetson), Christiaan Jones (Stetson), Kaiden Rice (Citadel), Robert Braswell (Syracuse), Alex Caldwell (SEMO), and many others…
As we mentioned above, South Carolina’s current 2019 class looks to be carrying this torch just fine. While Christian Brown and Juwan Gary (Alabama) both transferred out for their senior seasons, the fact still remains they are South Carolinians. Add in Josiah James (Tennessee) and you have three 4/5 star guys who are projected at a high level moving forward. Also, don’t be surprised if a player like an Asanti Price or CJ Felder really makes noise people didn’t expect, that happens every year.
Is South Carolina becoming a basketball state, not sure it will every fully take over football. However, there are componants that you cannot overlook. When good basketball is being played, people from South Carolina will flock to watch. They are a proud bunch and love their local superstars. Also, South Carolina is a state college coaches MUST recruit. There are difference makers for every level who will help programs win. The fact of the matter is college coaches need to invest in South Carolina talent and, right now, the state is as rich in talent as it has ever been.