Collin Murray-Boyles' fast start for South Carolina basketball and some historical precedent
South Carolina basketball is 2-1 in the early goings of the 2024-2025 season. Following a less-than-ideal loss to North Florida in the season opener, the Gamecocks were better against South Carolina State before turning in a really nice effort against NCAA Tournament-hopeful Towson.
The most talented player on the roster has been the team’s best so far as Collin Murray-Boyles has gotten off to a strong start to the year.
With all due respect to combo guard Jacobi Wright (who is averaging an efficient 16 points per game), it is the sophomore Murray-Boyles who has led the way.
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Despite an overall disappointing effort against North Florida in the opener (one that most of the team shared), CMB has posted some impressive box score numbers to start the campaign.
Through three games, he is averaging 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds and set a new single-game rebounding high (16). He’s also shooting an uber-efficient 63% from the field, including 80% in his last two contests. He has eight stocks (steals + blocks) through three games, as well.
An underrated part of his game this season has been his passing. While six assists in three games in nothing major, he has facilitated better than those numbers indicate. He posted four dimes in one game against South Carolina State and has had plenty of good passes to the perimeter that have not become assists thanks to missed shots (the Gamecocks are shooting under 30% from outside this season).
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Even past the impressive stat lines, Murray-Boyles looks even better than last year. One major way this has manifested is that he’s playing with more aggressiveness on offense. In his career, the Columbia native has shot at least six free throws in a game on eight occasions. Three of them have come in the first three games of this season. He’s also posted three of his fourteen highest game totals for attempted free throws without sacrificing overall efficiency.
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South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris told the media that his star has impressed him with his shot selection. Despite a heavy workload, Paris says that “everything” Murray-Boyles does near the basket is “strong” and with his feet gathered firmly beneath him.
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If he continues this pace, Collin Murray-Boyles could do some things that haven’t been seen in Columbia in some time.
No Gamecock has averaged 20 points per game since Sindarius Thornwell in the 2016-2017 season. GG Jackson, AJ Lawson, and Chris Silva are the only USC scorers to hit 15 points a night since Thornwell.
No one in garnet and black has averaged 10 rebounds per game since Jimmy Foster back in 1980-1981. In fact, Chris Silva’s 2017-2018 season and Brandon Wallace’s 2006-2007 effort are the only 8-rebound-per-game efforts in the last 30 years. Silva (2017-2018 and 2018-2019) and Michael Carrera (2015-2016) are the only players with at least 10 double-doubles since the ’80s.
There is still a long way to go, but CMB is on pace to challenge some of those numbers.
The future NBA Draft pick will get his next chance on the court on Saturday. The Gamecocks will make the trip to Bloomington, Indiana for a contest against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall. Fans can tune in to the highly anticipated game on Peacock at 3:00 p.m.
