South Carolina taking more 'defensive' approach in first week of practice
College basketball season is officially underway. South Carolina had its first practice of the season on Monday and are now just over six weeks away from the home opener on Nov. 4.
While it’s only been a few days since practice began, things have been going well for the team.
“We’re putting everything together,” Jacobi Wright said. “Everybody is getting used to each other now. We’re really ramping it up and getting ready for our season.”
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It’s going to be a different roster with seven newcomers. But between the new and old faces, the team has been able to mesh well together.
“We’ve got a lot of old guys that’s really helping. Even our transfers have been around the block and they’ve played for years,” Wright said. “So that helps that they already know the terminology and stuff. So really it’s just getting the other guys up to speed.”
Even for someone like Nick Pringle, who transferred from Alabama and is in his first year at South Carolina, he hasn’t had any issues fitting right in. As he pointed out, it helps to have a lot of players from around the state on the team.
“I think it really starts off the court. But on the court, we motivate each other to be great and Coach Paris helps us a lot with that too,” Pringle, a Seabrook, SC native, said. “But off the court, we’re hanging out. We’re just really comfortable with each other. We got like nine South Carolina guys and that really helps too.”
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As the practices roll on, South Carolina will get to work through everything it needs to before the regular season begins. But in the early days of the preseason, the Gamecocks have been keying in on improving in one particular area: defense.
“We’re working on a little more defensive stuff. The focus kind of changes to a lot more defense,” Wright said. “Summer was just working on your game and offense mostly. It’s just a different focus with what we’re working on.”
That’s not to say South Carolina wasn’t a good defensive team last season. In fact, the defense was actually pretty good. The Gamecocks ranked 71st in defensive efficiency and allowed 67.2 points per game, more than good enough to help them reach 26 wins. Now, it’s just about taking the next step forward.
“(Lamont Paris) definitely eases in but the primary goal is focusing on defense,” Pringle said. “I think the defense is going to lead to our success this year and in the future.”
