re: Basketball Recruiting Discussion

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-- Heading into the end of February the staff is undecided on what direction to go in terms of recruiting right now. The easy thought is to go out and get a post player that can make an impact in 2014 and improve the team's chances of making postseason play. The bottom line, however, is there are extremely few players available that can offer that ability.

The problem the staff faces is that with no real impact players, they have to find a guy they are certain can contribute next year or stay with players such as Laimonas Chatkevicius or Mindaugas Kacinas and work them to improve their ability going into their third year in the system.

-- Class of 2014 forward Josh Cunningham (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park) is a guy that we have mentioned and certainly fits the bill as a player that would improve the front line for the Gamecocks. However it is very unlikely they are able to get him on campus for an official visit as Indiana and Michigan State seem to be the more likely options.

-- On the other hand we have mentioned guys like 2014 center Adonis Delarosa and junior college prospect Andrew Fishler (Panama City, Fla/Gulf Coast Community College) who are options but are not necessarily any more athletic than the players currently on campus. Add in the fact that both DelaRosa and Fishler would be spending their first years on campus and there is not a guarantee that they would provide the type of impact the staff needs.

That makes the question does the staff elect to take a chance on a new player or go with a commodity already on campus? The players on campus already understand the offensive and defensive system and has spent two years conditioning and training with Scott Greenawalt.

There is one more junior college player that is a no-brainer take for the Gamecocks but he does have current legal issues. Former five star forward Devonta Pollard (Scooba, Miss./East Mississippi Community College) enrolled in junior college back in October after leaving Alabama last summer due to being involved in a serious off the court crime that involved his mother. The 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward did reach a plea deal that has allowed him to enroll in the junior college and become a recruitable player once again this spring.

We mention his name because the Gamecocks have inquired into his services but we could consider this an extreme long shot as several other high profile schools have also checked into his situation. Neither Pollard nor his coaches are talking about his recruitment right now so there is no idea on what he plans to do after the season as he could decide to go ahead and declare for the NBA or try to go back to a four-year college.

-- One thing to keep an eye on is the possibility of coaching changes following the season that could open the door for guys either already committed or signed to become prospects once again. As for potential transfers, the biggest key would be getting an NCAA waiver for them to be eligible immediately for 2014, which seems unlikely but there is still always a chance.

-- There has been no real movement on the 2014 wing Shamiek Sheppard (Waynesboro, Va/Fishburne Prep) watch. We reached out to Sheppard late last week to check on when he may take an official visit to Kansas State and at that point was not sure when he would do it. Sheppard did want to have a decision by the end of the month so it is possible he could elect to go ahead and commit to the Gamecocks and not even take the visit to Kansas State.

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