Frank Martin announces suspension of vital South Carolina player

South Carolina will be without one of its key players to start the 2021-22 men’s basketball season as senior forward Keyshawn Bryant has been suspended for the first five games of the year, Gamecocks’ head coach Frank Martin announced Monday.

Martin said Bryant – who averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior last season – is suspended due to South Carolina athletic department violations. The coach didn’t go into any further detail but was positive when talking about Bryant – saying “he’s my guy.”

A 6-foot-6 guard out of Winter Haven, Florida, Bryant didn’t play in the Gamecocks’ preseason exhibition last Thursday against Benedict, but due to a knee injury instead of the suspension. Martin added some more context on Bryant following that game.

“I’m not going to expand too much on that,” Martin said. “I have too much respect on Key. This is not something I found out yesterday. He has battled a knee injury in the preseason. His knee’s in a good place right now, but this is a decision that just had to be made.”

South Carolina – which went 6-15 overall and 4-11 in SEC play in 2020-21 – open its regular season Tuesday night at home against USC Upstate.

CBS Sports expert lists five basketball coaches entering 2021 on hot seat

With college basketball set to tip off Tuesday, CBS Sports college basketball insider Gary Parrish has provided five coaches who are already on the hot seat. The list features three Power Five coaches who failed to meet expectations and two mid-major programs who could look for a restart if the 2021-22 season starts slow.

Parrish’s 2020 list featured five coaches, and four lost their jobs. The only survivor was LSU head coach Will Wade, who made the list based on frayed relationships created during the NCAA and FBI probe into improper benefits which is still ongoing. However, for the time being, Will Wade has survived as LSU’s leader.

Here is a look at the five basketball coaches Gary Parrish has on the hot seat entering the 2021-22 season.

Jerod Haase – Stanford

Haase enters his sixth season at Stanford needing results. He is 82-74 at Stanford with no NCAA Tournament appearances, despite high levels of talent through the program. The Cardinal has finished sixth or worse in four of five seasons and a sub .500 record in the Pac-12. The strong suit for Haase in recent years has been recruiting, with five-star talents Ziaire Williams and Harrison Ingram choosing Stanford over recent seasons. However, the lack of end product could draw his time to an end.

Tim Jankovich – SMU

Jankovich enters his seventh season at SMU with just one NCAA tournament appearance under his belt. Despite the 101-55 record over his tenure, Jankovich has failed to asset SMU at the top of the AAC. After the departure of Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, Jankovich was promoted from within. Now facing his former boss – now an assistant at Memphis – he is under tremendous pressure to overachieve against the AAC’s top teams.

Frank Martin – South Carolina

Frank Martin took South Carolina on a miraculous Final Four run in 2017 but has failed to build on success in the rapidly improving SEC landscape. He will forever be an important figure within the program, but with the emergence of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee as regular contenders beside Kentucky, the Gamecocks are falling behind. Entering his 10th season at South Carolina, Martin needs improvement.

Matt McCall – UMass

McCall is probably the least-known name on this list, coaching at UMass. But as he enters his fifth season, there is a need to expand the program’s image. His 46-65 record has left more to be desired at John Calipari’s former school, and the departure of star center Tre Mitchell in the transfer portal only complicated matters. The Atlantic 10 presents several road blocks this season which McCall must overcome.

Bruce Weber – Kansas State

Weber is entering his 10th season at Kansas State. He is one of a select group of coaches who have taken three teams to the NCAA Tournament and coaches in a national championship game at one point. However, recent results are heading the wrong way. His five tournament appearances might not be enough to save his job.

On3’s James Fletcher III contributed to this report.