South Carolina Loses Second Freshman Player

With just a few weeks until the start of the college basketball season, the South Carolina basketball program has already endured a string of injuries, losing two of their freshman recruits for the duration of the season.

The first of the injuries occurred back in July when 6’6″ swingman Shamiek Sheppard suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. Sheppard was supposed to help fill the void left by senior Brenton Williams, who scored 14.9 ppg last season for the Gamecocks. Instead, Sheppard will spend the season as a medical redshirt, and retain an extra year of eligibility.

Then, this past week, head coach Frank Martin announced that another freshman, TeMarcus Blanton, will miss his entire rookie campaign after undergoing hip surgery. The injury occurred during practice last week and will be another major setback for a Gamecocks team hoping to establish national relevance. Blanton, a Georgia native, was a top recruit in the class of 2014, and would have been an instant impact player for a team hoping to rebound from a 14-20 finish a year ago.

Martin, in his third year as head coach, will be forced to rely on his veteran players to carry the offensive load.

The Gamecocks’ recruiting class has been riddled with injuries. These injuries will force the Gamecocks to have a relatively thin roster following the transfer of Jaylen Shaw and Desmond Ringer in May and the graduation of some upperclassmen. The lack of experience this season could hurt the program in the long run if they’re unable to find success from returning players.

South Carolina begins its season November 14 against North Florida and hopes to earn its first NCAA tournament berth since 2004.

*Section Photo credit to Associated Press; Featured Photo (above) credit to Dale Zanine, USA Today Sports

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