Lack of turnovers leading to more comfortability and shot attempts for South Carolina
A lot has gone right in the early going for this year’s South Carolina men’s basketball team. The wins have been stacking up and shots are going through the net at a premium.
But what might get lost in all that is how much more careful the Gamecocks have been with the ball in their hands. Over their first three games, they averaged 11.3 turnovers per game. It all culminated in a 17-turnover effort against DePaul two weeks ago.
In the three games since, the script has flipped. With each game, South Carolina has played a lot better and turned the ball over less and less. Over their last three games, it has had 17 total turnovers.
“Decision-making has gotten better. I think we’ve spaced the floor. The game has slowed down for a couple of guys,” head coach Lamont Paris said. “I think we’re aggressive to catch and shoot and get the ball and move it. I don’t know what the secret is.”
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In the team’s last game against George Washington, they turned the ball over three times. It’s their lowest mark since they had four against LSU on Feb. 27, 2008.
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Paris attributes most of this improvement to having an unselfish team and playing as one.
“I think, a lot of times, turnovers come from trying to do too much. Honestly, a lot of times, that’s the case,” he said. “We don’t have guys trying to do too much. I think the guys are comfortable in their own skin. They’re comfortable with passing the ball to someone else knowing that the energy of the ball will eventually return to them and they’ll get some looks…We’ve got some good decision makers in there.”
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With turnover numbers down, South Carolina is able to take more shots. When the Gamecocks only had three turnovers last time out, they knocked down a school record 18 three-pointers.
“We know that we can get any shot we want against any team. So just feel like as long as we can control the ball, not turn it over, we’ll get a shot, we’ll get what we want. It’s just a matter of going in or not,” guard Meechie Johnson said.
“We’ve got great shooters around us, we have great players. Coach Paris brought in great transfers, and some of the guys that came back are also growing in their roles too. So we’re just trying to take care of the ball. We feel like anybody on the court can make a shot.”
