re: 17-18 M&W Basketball | M: (17-16) W: (29-7)

Investigation and NCAA

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Silva, Kotsar Bowen, Minaya, and Felder are a Top 4 seed.

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Like a 1 seed?

Is this what you mean?

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Investigation and NCAA

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Bowen has already been cleared by the FBI, but that doesn't mean he's been cleared by the NCAA. They changed the rules since Cam Newton's father took that money to steer Newton to Auburn, to include a prospect's parents as agents when they accept money to influence their kid to a school, even if the kid apparently didn't know about it or have anything to do with it.

With Newton, him saying he didn't know about it played a role. Now that role isn't suppose to exist anymore.

The big difference here from the Newton case is that it wasn't USC that paid Bowen's father the money, it was Louisville, or Addidas through Lousiville. South Carolina had nothing at all to do with it.

So usually in the past, when NCAA violations were found involving prospects being recruited by a school, if the prospect ended up going to another school, then the harshest of penalties were voided, because the school doing the cheating didn't prosper from it in the end.

But with the money being paid to Bowen's father being substantial, the NCAA in this case could just void Bowen's college eligibility altogether, meaning that he can't play for ANY school. They could make his father pay the money back or pay some restitution, but all this is still yet to be determined.

That's what we're still waiting on: the NCAA's final decision regarding this. The FBI could return to the scene if something new develops, but right now they are done with Bowen.....

Pitino really shot himself in the foot on this one.

FOURever To Thee, y'all!!!

At least one program still does us proud.

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Unless the staff finds another capable PG this off-season to add to our team, and that can actually play during next season with Felder

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I kinda feel bad for Frank Martin. There was no way for him to anticipate the devastation that he endured at the PG position.

A year ago, he was looking at PJ Dozier, Rakym Felder, and Kory Holdon at PG for 2017-2018. Instead, he was left with Wesley Myers and Hassani Gravett.

Here's where I think Martin took a major hit.

Couple of years ago he lost four dumbasses in one whack because they got drunk, smoked some weed and went around shooting car windows with a BB gun.

That was just pure bad luck ... imagine those guys now if they had just not been dumbasses.

Then what's already been stated ... PJ bolts, Felder does the dumbass thing again, Holder, sheeeeesh ... who really knows.

But all is not lost next year.

You gotta like Kotsar and Silva returning. Hasse showed some promise. Felder stays outta trouble and returns along with the other guys. I dunno, it's not all doom and gloom except the conference only gets tougher next year IMHO.

In the meantime, Bowen is definitely gonna play from what I keep hearing, just not until January.

just tagging on to the most recent post ITT...

from 1998-99 (Fogler's 8-21 season) to Horn's final disaster season...Gamecock basketball was 78-146 (.348%) in SEC regular season games. USC had 1 winning SEC record and 1 .500 record in league play during those 14 seasons.

Frank was 9-27 in SEC games his first 2 years, which was 2 games better than Horn's 7-32 in his final 2 seasons. awful, but still better.

Martin has posted a 36-36 SEC record in his 4 seasons since, which is second only to Fogler's 39-25 best 4-year stretch from '94-'95 to '97-'98.

Frank's 23-13 two-year record in Thornwell's Jr/Sr years is also next best behind Fogler's 26-6 mark that included the SEC title and a 15-1 record.

Gamecocks posted 3 seasons of double-digit SEC wins in 21 seasons prior to Martin. Frank has done that in 2 of his first 6 in Columbia.

Martin is 45-63 (.416%) in his 6 SEC seasons, which is trending slightly higher than the 129-207 (.383%) in USC's 21 before Frank took the job at Carolina.

overall, it's hard to believe how far Gamecock basketball had fallen off nationally into the abyss after 15 consecutive winning seasons from 1967-81. Martin has put together 4 straight winning seasons for the first time in 37 years.

as all y'all have mentioned - there is so much more work to do and more effective recruiting that must be done, but this is the first time in a long time Carolina has a chance to fix basketball and restore a winning identity that once defined USC's program.

sorry for long post ...tl/dr

Excellent post 1801 ... and I remember every single one of those McGuire campaigns. Those were heady times but they seemed to come and go very quickly.

Good gosh though ... from 69-77, what a time that truly was for our basketball fortunes. Least we forget, it was 72 when we played our final ACC conference game. And until just now, the SEC has never really been on par with ACC basketball save Kentucky, but I'm talking top to bottom. I suspect that is about to change.

My point being, we need to trust Frank Martin. He's never going to sign Top Ten classes .... those classes are meant for the basketball blue bloods. But Martin will find those diamonds in the rough and polish them up and make jewels out of more of them than not.

We need to be very very careful allowing certain asshats dressed in Gamecock clothing to stir too much discontent about Martin - because, while he loves this place he's very loyal and despises revolt from within. I do know that about him. He left K State because of that bullshite and their fans are regretting the hell out of it. Miami will come calling for his services one day and when they do whatever happens ... let's not let it be because of the squeaky wheels. All fan bases have them and some fan bases tolerate them rather than pushing back, but they-do do damage sometimes.

I'll never forget how some of them treated Frank McGuire in the end ... at least they claimed to be Gamecock fans, writing letters and calling into radio shows.

That's another reason I stay far away from all the other boards.