South Carolina Fans Make GoFundMe Page for 'Gamecock Jesus' to Attend Final Four
Mar 28, 2017
As both South Carolina basketball teams prepare for the Final Four, someone started a GoFundMe page to send a superfan to Phoenix for the men's improbable championship quest.
Carlton Thompson, better known by students and fellow fans as "Gamecock Jesus" due to his long hair and beard, has become a local celebrity at South Carolina sporting events. The nurse is a constant at games beyond basketball. In the video above, students Jordan Ferguson, Brett Williams and Jeffrey Griffin chronicled his lifting presence at volleyball games.
"I attend to do this until I'm dead," Thompson told them. "I'm a Gamecock for life.
While the women enjoyed their first two wins in Columbia, he did not follow either squad out of state for their Final Four runs. As he explained to the Post and Courier's Jeff Hartsell, it was simply a matter of finances.
"I'd love to be going to either one," Thompson said, "but I really can't afford it."
He can now, as Michael Murtaugh III created a GoFundMe page to raise money. As he wrote in a late update Monday night, Thompson will now attend the men's national semifinal against Gonzaga:
Gamecock Jesus is on his way to Phoenix! We raised enough money for Gamecock Jesus as well as his lifelong friend, Eddie Kester, to make the journey to the Final Four. With all the love and support, we can also get his two sons, Greg and Nick Thompson there too! Gamecock Nation is doing an incredible thing for this man and his family. Please continue to share and donate!
Fellow Gamecock fans have recognized his infectious spirit long before they invaded the national spotlight. Now he can join them on the grand stage.
Strong, Physical South Carolina Is Muscling Its Way Through the NCAA Tournament
Mar 26, 2017
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 24: Justin McKie #20 and Hassani Gravett #2 of the South Carolina Gamecocks react from the bench against the Baylor Bears during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK — Justin McKie was sure he was injured. It was the summer of 2013, the morning after his first weightlifting session as a South Carolina freshman, and he’d never felt so sore. “There’s no way I’m supposed to feel like this,” he told Mark Rodger, the team’s athletic trainer.
Rodger assured McKie that his body was not broken. “Your muscle is just building,” he said.
Three years later, McKie is barrel-chested with sculpted arms—toned, tough and tenacious. The same goes for fellow senior guards Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice. Together, they are part of a perimeter group that’s as physically intimidating as any you’ll find in college basketball, the key to a defense that ranks second in the nation in adjusted efficiency. Think South Carolina is heading to Phoenix to get pushed around by the Final Four’s big boys? You haven’t met this group of Gamecocks.
“I’ve seen teams argue with each other like, ‘Pass the ball,’” sophomore guard Hassani Gravett says of South Carolina’s opponents. “You can’t pass it. We’re in line. We’re sitting there. We’re waiting for that pass. We control their offense.”
Florida became the latest team to learn that lesson in the NCAA tournament during a 77-70 loss Sunday at Madison Square Garden in the East Regional final. The Gators turned the ball over 16 times, shot just 31.4 percent in the second half and, after taking a 63-61 lead with 3:48 left in the game, scored on just one of their next five possessions. And that was a good offensive day against South Carolina. The Gators scored 70 points on 69 possessions; South Carolina normally allows an adjusted 87.9 points per 100 possessions, according to Kenpom.com.
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Kasey Hill #0 of the Florida Gators drives to the basket against Rakym Felder #4 of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 2
“There’s not much you can do when they can bump you every time you have the ball,” Florida guard Chris Chiozza said while seated in a somber postgame locker room. “If they’re stronger than you and they’re allowed to play more physical, there’s not much you can do. We tried to use our speed, we got around them, and then we get to the rim and there’s three guys coming and swinging for the ball. It’s on the refs to give us a foul at the rim when we get there, or they say it’s not a foul. They didn’t call any in the second half, and that’s pretty much how it went down the stretch.”
Talk to a guard from Baylor or Duke or Marquette and you’ll probably get a similar description of what it’s like to go up against the Gamecocks. They don’t hide their aggressiveness. They embrace it. Only 17 teams fouled more often than South Carolina this season (45.3 percent FTA/FGA rate), and just one of those teams made the NCAA tournament. But that’s a necessary trade-off for the way Frank Martin wants the Gamecocks to defend.
The Gamecocks keep their opponents from running their offense by denying the wings and encouraging them to go one-on-one. They force turnovers on 24.5 percent of opponents’ possessions, which ranks fourth in the nation and allow teams to hit just 29.8 percent of their three-point attempts (eighth). They body up ball-handlers and bump cutters and spend more time sliding across the floor than a Roomba, which is precisely the mentality Martin sought to install when he came to Columbia in 2012.
The following year, Thornwell, Notice and McKie arrived on campus. Thornwell and McKie “were twigs,” Notice recalls, and even the thickly built Toronto native wasn’t sure how long he’d last as a Gamecock. “My freshman year, all I thought about was if I should transfer,” Notice says. “We lost a whole bunch of games and I didn’t know if it was for me. I didn’t know if I was tough enough to play under Frank Martin.”
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Duane Notice #10 of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Justin Leon #23 of the Florida Gators lose the ball in the second half during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2017
It fell on Scott Greenawalt to get him to that point. South Carolina’s strength and conditioning coach worked with Martin at Cincinnati and Kansas State and knows exactly how to build a player to fit the coach’s system. “I know that these guys have got to have an attitude about working hard,” Greenawalt says. “If you see how [Martin] coaches these guys, I’ve got to mirror that. He practices them hard, so I’ve got to get them ready for his practices.”
So Greenawalt pushes the players through grueling sessions in the sweltering South Carolina summer. They lift and run, pound shakes and protein bars, then lift some more. Every Friday is a competition day—sled work, rope pull, hanging from monkey bars—and it’s common to see various Gamecocks hunched over garbage cans as they rid themselves of their breakfast.
“I’m very proud of the seniors because their first couple of years, they fought it a little bit,” Greenawalt says. “They didn’t understand it. Now it’s like they are strength coaches.”
That toughness—both mental and physical—will be the Gamecocks’ greatest asset in Phoenix. College basketball history is filled with teams who have grinded their way to championships, content to muck the game up and put the onus on the officials to blow their whistles. No ref is going to call a foul on every play, after all. It may not be an aesthetically pleasing approach, but it has worked beautifully for South Carolina on the way to beating three higher-seeded teams this March.
Says McKie, “Coach Martin has a saying: They don’t ask you how you won. They ask you, ‘Did you win?’ So whether it looks good or whether it looks bad, as long as you win that’s the good thing at the end of the day.”
Jordan Brenner is a Senior Writer who covers the NBA and college basketball for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @JordanBrenner.
Schultz: 'Guru' Frank Martin Has South Carolina Playing Championship Defense
Mar 26, 2017
BR Video
South Carolina earned its first-ever trip to the Final Four on Sunday by knocking off the Florida Gators, 77-70. Gamecocks head coach Frank Martin has the team running a championship-caliber defense, as South Carolina entered the Elite Eight ranked second in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com.
How do the Gamecocks match up against their Final Four opponent, No. 1 seed Gonzaga? B/R analyst Jordan Schultz breaks it down in the video above.
Florida vs. South Carolina: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2017
Chris Roling
Mar 26, 2017
South Carolina guard Duane Notice (10) and South Carolina guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) take up defensive positions against Baylor in the second half of an East Regional semifinal game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Friday, March 24, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The SEC invaded Madison Square Garden on Sunday, where No. 7 South Carolina kept its Cinderella story alive by powering through No. 4 Florida, 77-70, to earn its first-ever trip to the Final Four.
South Carolina's gritty defense in the program's first appearance in the Elite Eight flustered Florida into relying on three-pointers. Worn down as the game progressed, the Gators' inability to hit a shot from deep in the second half decided the outcome as South Carolina pulled away and brought Madison Square Garden to life:
SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell paced the Gamecocks with a game-high 26 points, while forward Chris Silva navigated foul trouble for most of the game before finishing with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. As a whole, South Carolina shot 49.1 percent from the floor (26-of-53), with Maik Kotsar adding 12 and PJ Dozier chipping in 17.
Justin Leon—who was averaging 7.1 points heading into Sunday—led all Gators in scoring with 18 points. Two others scored in double digits, but going 7-of-26 from deep with none falling in the second half told the whole story.
Both teams entered Sunday ranked among the top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom.com—South Carolina was second and Florida was fourth—which seemed to set the stage for a defensive slugfest.
At first, it looked like the SEC battle would come as advertised. There were eight lead changes in as many minutes and 18 total turnovers by halftime. The Gamecocks hopped out to an early advantage via defense and smooth contributions from all over the court:
By halftime, though, the Gators had a 40-33 advantage. The turning point was Silva getting into foul trouble around the nine-minute mark of the first half, which opened up the lane and allowed the Gators to speed up the tempo.
It would be an understatement to call the change in approach a success. The Gators hit five consecutive deep shots to steal the lead and swing momentum their way. Leon's 13 points led the way at halftime, while the team as a whole shot 53.8 percent from the floor (14-of-25) and 58.3 percent from deep (7-of-12). Shots like this helped the average:
Perhaps the more notable nugget about recent history? South Carolina had trailed at halftime in three of its four NCAA tournament games. CBS Sports' Seth Davis described the potential trap awaiting Florida: "South Carolina just wears on you. That's why they're a second-half team. Not cause they get better, opponents get mentally tired."
Davis' words proved prophetic. The Gamecocks surged out of the gates in the second half and kept the game close, clearly flustering Florida. The close battle was only made better by Verne Lundquist getting in on the action:
The Gamecocks took the lead around the 11:30 mark, as the Gators began going cold from the floor under the pressure. They missed their first 12 attempts of the half from deep.
Florida didn't always miss when forced inside to battle Silva and others, such as this highlight from by KeVaughn Allen:
But even that one didn't come easy. Down the stretch, the Gamecocks defense put the team in transition twice, with the freshman Kotsar providing the dagger:
South Carolina now heads to the Final Four, where top-seeded Gonzaga awaits, sporting the No. 1 adjusted defensive efficiency rating at KenPom. It sets up a battle of wills between defensive powerhouses angling to play for a title.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Gonzaga-South Carolina is the first Final Four matchup between programs making debuts on such a stage since 1973.
Postgame Reaction
On the way to the program's first Final Four appearance, the Gamecocks were in a celebratory mood while gearing up to cut down the nets.
The Gators faced questions as to whether the overtime affair against Wisconsin on Friday played into Sunday's loss. Leon didn't buy into talk about fatigue, according to Scott Carter of the Florida Gators' official website: "We gave ourselves plenty of time to prepare for the game."
Leon also talked about moving forward after a surprising run, per Carter: "I know a lot of people didn't have us going this far. When you face adversity, you've just got to keep going, like now."
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: PJ Dozier #15 of the South Carolina Gamecocks drives to the basket against Canyon Barry #24 of the Florida Gators during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The regional finals of the 2017 NCAA tournament concluded Sunday.
A rubber match between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Florida Gators decided the East region. South Carolina beat Florida Jan. 18, and the Gators returned the favor Feb. 21. The Gamecocks settled the season series with a 77-70 win in the Elite Eight.
On the other side of the bracket, the South region came down to two college basketball blue bloods. The North Carolina Tar Heels and Kentucky Wildcats faced off in a rematch of one of the most exciting regular-season games this year. On Dec. 17, Malik Monk scored 47 points give the Wildcats a 103-100 victory.
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 24: Sindarius Thornwell #0 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts against the Baylor Bears during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie
The Gamecocks reached their first-ever Final Four following a 77-70 win over the Gators. Duane Notice's breakaway right-handed jam with 11 seconds remaining was the game's coda, courtesy of NCAA March Madness:
CBS Sports' Gary Parrish noted how South Carolina head coach Frank Martin has once again worked wonders at a program not associated with college basketball success:
Frank Martin is now responsible for Kansas State’s only Elite Eight in the past 29 years and South Carolina’s only Final Four in history.
South Carolina entered Sunday ranked second in adjusted defense on KenPom.com. The Gamecocks' constant pressure on the perimeter stifled Florida, who finished 7-of-26 from beyond the arc. Florida also missed all 14 of its three-point shots in the second half.
Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis thought South Carolina's style also had a mental effect on the Gators:
South Carolina just wears on you. That's why they're a second half team. Not cause they get better, opponents get mentally tired.
KeVaughn Allen scored 35 points in Florida's Sweet 16 win over the Wisconsin Badgers but shot 4-of-12 for 13 points Sunday.
On the other side, Sindarius Thornwell stepped up for the Gamecocks. He was the game's leading scorer (26 points) and collected seven rebounds. Chris Silva was a rebounded short of a double-double after scoring 13 points and collecting nine boards.
North Carolina 75, Kentucky 73
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 26: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates with teammates after making the game winning basket late in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at
Luke Maye gave North Carolina a 75-73 victory Sunday to send the Tar Heels to their 20th Final Four.
After terrorizing UNC earlier in the year, Monk was again a thorn in the Heels' side, hitting a three-pointer with 7.2 seconds left in the game to tie the score at 73-73. Despite having a timeout, North Carolina opted against using it. Instead, Theo Pinson quickly pushed the ball up the floor and found Maye for the game-winner:
Monk and De'Aaron Fox were a big reason the Wildcats reached the NCAA regional final. They combined to average almost 40 points a game entering the Elite Eight. The duo couldn't find a groove Sunday, though. Monk went 4-of-10 from the field and scored 12 points, while Fox scored 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting.
Kentucky had no answer for Kennedy Meeks on the boards. The Tar Heels big man grabbed 17 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. Meeks also blocked four shots, doubling the Wildcats' entire output.
Justin Jackson didn't repeat his 34-point performance from the schools' first meeting this year, but he led all scorers with 19 points and added five rebounds and four assists to a solid all-around night.
South Carolina Showcasing Ideal Sleeper Formula to Earn Surprise Elite 8 Berth
David Kenyon
Mar 24, 2017
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Sindarius Thornwell #0 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts against the Baylor Bears during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Entering the 2017 NCAA tournament, the most attention paid to South Carolina revolved around a program limping into March Madness. Sure, it held a 22-10 record, but a loss to Ole Miss and a pair of shortcomings against Alabama were glaring mishaps.
About 10 days later, the seventh-seeded Gamecocks have thrice used a combination of suffocating defense and a streaky offense as the formula to burst into the Elite Eight—most recently behind a 70-50 victory over third-seeded Baylor.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but that's not the focus. Although Frank Martin's team showed both skills before the tourney, it didn't happen regularly as the campaign closed.
Put simply, only the most diehard fans or extremely fortunate predictors could've projected this occurring. Yet nothing about South Carolina's run is luck, either.
The defense has been championship-worthy, and the offense has surged at perfect moments. While consistency is a problem when the former isn't on display, underdogs can hardly be more dangerous when their defense is excelling.
During the final nine-plus minutes of the Gamecocks' opening-round game against Marquette, they ripped off a 25-8 run while allowing just a 2-of-10 mark from the field. Then, Duke tied a season-worst mark with 18 turnovers in the upset loss, shooting a frustrating 38 percent in the second half.
And finally on Friday, Baylor mustered just 17 field goals compared to 16 turnovers, managing a dreadful 30.4 percent clip.
That tenacious defense is what South Carolina lacked before the NCAA tourney. Prior to February, the Gamecocks surrendered 70-plus points just three times in 21 games. From then on, they allowed 70-plus in seven of 11 outings.
No, it's not a perfect measurement of success, but South Carolina only averaged 73.1 points both in SEC play and on the season. It ranked just seventh in conference play, and the team is still unspectacular in tempo-adjusted efficiency, per KenPom.
But as the defense shines, the offense only needs to be adequate.
With Sindarius Thornwell leading the way, the Gamecocks have met the manageable benchmark in the Big Dance. The SEC Player of the Year is averaging 25.7 points through three games, and the team as a whole is shooting 54.8 percent inside the arc.
South Carolina, during the regular season, exemplified how a streaky offense isn't a sustainable way to win. But in a short-term stretch, it's certainly enough to complement a tenacious unit holding down the other end.
The Gamecocks will need a more formidable offense to assemble a true championship run, but defense is one victory away from carrying them through the East Region.
From rapid rotations to active hands to purely out-hustling opponents for loose balls, they've flat-out been the better team.
Marquette's 12 assists were the program's fourth-lowest output of 2016-17. Duke collected just 11 dimes. Baylor also finished with 11, which was the team's second-worst total this year.
Hustle, teamwork, defense…..this South Carolina team is fun to watch. Gamecock fans are KILLING in the arena.
Perhaps the Elite Eight is where South Carolina's surprising run reaches its conclusion. Should that happen, the 2017 tournament was still a historical year for the school, considering it had never before advanced past the Sweet 16.
Or maybe this spectacular story has another chapter. After all, Martin said after the win that "it's the best defensive team I've coached in college basketball," per David Cloninger of The State.
The Gamecocks won't move any further without lockdown defense continuing while Thornwell carries a volatile offense. But after three impressive games on the biggest stage, it's not time to start doubting them and their formula now.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
Baylor vs. South Carolina: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2017
Mar 24, 2017
Baylor forward Johnathan Motley (5) goes up for a shot against South Carolina forward Maik Kotsar (21) and forward Chris Silva (30) in the first half of an East Regional semifinal game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Friday, March 24, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
South Carolina's aggressive and stifling defense propelled the Gamecocks to a 70-50 victory over Baylor on Friday night in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.
The Gamecocks put on a defensive clinic at Madison Square Garden by swarming to the ball on every Baylor possession and causing contested shots all night.
South Carolina's first-half performance was particularly remarkable, as the stats show:
The Gamecocks also went on an 18-0 first-half run over a 6:01 span, turning a 15-13 deficit into a 31-15 advantage. South Carolina's defense was exceptional, but so was its offensive ball movement, as this possession proved:
Unquestionably a pro Gamecocks crowd at MSG tonight. South Carolina playing the crunching defense they want- up 25-15 w/ 5 to play in 1H pic.twitter.com/aCN31Ty7Yi
Baylor put up a fight in the second half, cutting the Gamecocks' lead to 49-38 with 10:40 remaining. However, the Gamecocks answered with back-to-back three-pointers, punctuated by senior guard Duane Notice's shot from downtown:
South Carolina senior guard Sindarius Thornwell continued his torrid start to the NCAA tournament, scoring 24 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Three other Gamecocks also scored in double digits.
Baylor forward Johnathan Motley led the Bears with 18 points and nine rebounds, but the Bears shot just 30.4 percent from the field and committed 16 turnovers.
South Carolina will now play either Florida or Wisconsin in the Elite Eight on Sunday. Expect that game to be a slugfest given how well South Carolina has been performing defensively.
Furthermore, Florida and Wisconsin are ranked third and eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, so this matchup will likely conjure up memories of old 1990's New York Knicks games at the Garden, when all contests were physical, defensive-oriented battles.
Postgame Reaction
Baylor head coach Scott Drew posted a couple of classy tweets after the game:
South Carolina Coach Frank Martin Has Minor Meltdown Over Ref Call
Mar 24, 2017
BR Video
Frank Martin didn't let a little thing like a 15-point lead going into halftime keep him from lighting into the ref.
After a foul call on one of South Carolina's players with just 6.3 seconds left in the first half against Baylor in their Sweet 16 matchup Friday night, Martin let his rage show on the sidelines, raising his voice (and likely his blood pressure) while expressing his feelings over the call.
Calm down, Frank! The second half hasn't even started yet.
Sindarius Thornwell Destroyed Duke — and Shook Up March Madness
Mar 23, 2017
A few miles from downtown—where "For Rent" signs dangle in dusty windows of former gas stations, furniture stores and other shuttered businesses that line the main drag—a chestnut and white pitbull snarls in the gravel driveway of Lancaster, South Carolina's most famous citizen.
And the NCAA tournament's breakout star.
"Country!" Sindarius Thornwell's mother shouts as she bursts through the screen door and onto the porch of her tiny, one-bathroom home. "Stop that barking!"
The reigning SEC Player of the Year at South Carolina, Sindarius hasn't made the hourlong drive from Columbia to visit his 60-pound canine—not to mention his family—in more than a month. But on this Tuesday afternoon, his presence looms large in the living room, where relatives lounge on couches as a replay of Sunday's second-round upset of No. 2 seed Duke plays on Sharicka Thornwell's 50-inch Samsung TV.
Sindarius Thornwell reacts against Duke during the second round of the NCAA tournament on March 19, 2017.
Sindarius had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists in the victory, which Sharicka has now watched four times. Her favorite moment, she says, came when her son smiled and stuck out his tongue after scoring the Gamecocks' first basket.
"You can just feel his confidence through the TV screen," Sharicka says. "It's like he's telling the world, 'I'm ready!'"
By propelling the Gamecocks into Friday's Sweet 16 against Baylor at New York's Madison Square Garden, Thornwell has created an air of excitement not just at South Carolina—which hadn't won an NCAA tournament game in 44 years—but also in Lancaster, an economically challenged town of about 9,000 that Forbes magazine once described as one of the "most vulnerable towns" in America.
Thornwell's older sister, Quasheka, says people have suggested renaming a street by the high school Sindarius Way. On Monday, she went to buy groceries at Food Lion and men insisted on carrying her bags. Sharicka hasn't left her house since Sunday for fear of being mobbed, but her phone has buzzed nonstop with calls and texts from well-wishers—sometimes as early as 6 a.m. She says she's hardly slept.
"The odds were against me from the jump. People said, 'You're not going to be able to do what you're trying to do.' We'd had good players before me, but they all ended up right back in Lancaster." — Sindarius Thornwell
A man named Robert Bufford, who owns a carpet-cleaning business on Main Street, has even indicated on Facebook that he's attempting to organize a parade in Thornwell's honor.
While relaxing in a leather chair inside South Carolina's athletic complex Tuesday morning, Thornwell chuckles at the celebration suggestion from back home.
"A parade all for one person?" Thornwell says. "That'd be a little awkward. If they asked me, I'd probably say 'no.'"
Make no mistake, though: He appreciates the support. When he tells people he's from Lancaster, he says it with pride.
While so many others use the town's shortcomings—unemployment, crime, drugs—as an excuse for failure, Thornwell says those same challenges are what shaped him and led him to flourish. They sparked a determination that helped him become the first Division I basketball player in Lancaster history. They enabled him to change the direction of South Carolina's long-suffering program and, on Sunday, they catapulted him and his teammates to this year's biggest NCAA tournament upset.
At least in the minds of most.
"I've been an underdog ever since high school," Thornwell says. "No one expected much from me. No one expected much from South Carolina basketball. No one thought we'd beat Duke. People didn't take us seriously."
Thornwell pauses.
"Maybe they will now."
Sindarius Thornwell's first basketball practice at Lancaster High School ended quickly.
"Get out!" head coach Ricardo Priester screamed at a 14-year-old Thornwell. "Take off that jersey, take off those shorts and get out! Don't come back until you're ready to work hard!"
Priester laughs when recalling that story now, eight years later. Thornwell, he says, was loafing during conditioning drills and he wanted to send a message. Deep down, though, he already knew the 6'2" freshman was going to be a star. His assistant coach, Kyle Gaither, had coached Thornwell's AAU team and vowed that Sindarius would be "the best player to ever come out of Lancaster."
"I hope you're a prophet," Priester said.
Thornwell during a game against Vanderbilt on January 9, 2016.
Sure enough, after Thornwell led Lancaster to its first regional championship as a freshman, schools such as Tennessee State, Clemson and South Carolina extended scholarship offers. More than 30 others followed suit by the end of his junior season. When he wasn't starring for Lancaster or on the AAU circuit, Thornwell was toughening up in pickup games against 30- and 40-year-old men on an outdoor court known as The Hilltop, right next to Distinguished Kuts barbershop.
"They'd put together tournaments with teams from nearby cities," Thornwell's younger brother Quatavius says. "He was playing in those starting in the seventh or eighth grade. Even way back then, everyone could tell he had something special."
Talented as he was, though, Thornwell knows that most people believed he'd eventually succumb to the ills of his hometown, just like so many standout athletes had done before him.
"The odds were against me from the jump," Thornwell says. "People said, 'You're not going to be able to do what you're trying to do.' We'd had good players before me, but they all ended up right back in Lancaster.
"People don't want to leave their friends behind, or they get stuck in bad situations and just couldn't leave the hood, just couldn't leave that environment. That environment kept bringing them back in."
Thornwell shrugs his shoulders.
"It's like crabs in a bucket," he says. "You can't get out."
Along with talent, though, Thornwell had something many of his friends didn't.
Someone to push him.
As much as he credits his coaches, Thornwell says his uncle, Dajuan "Country" Thornwell, is the main reason he was able to persevere during times when so many others may have crumbled.
"He has ignited and resurrected the pride that this town once had. All walks of life—white, black, young, old—everybody loves Sindarius." — Ricardo Priester, Thornwell's high school coach
It was Dajuan, he says, who drove him, day after day, to gyms and blacktops around the city and rebounded for him for hours as he put up shots. It was Dajuan who made sure he was on the best AAU teams and competing in the country's top summer events. And it was Dajuan who convinced Sindarius to transfer to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior season, knowing that the instruction and exposure he'd receive would elevate his game to a new level.
The decision certainly wasn't easy.
Priester remembers watching Sindarius break down while informing his teammates of his intentions during a hastily called meeting in Room 222 of Lancaster High School. Sharicka recalls Sindarius wanting to back out of his plans shortly before it was time for him to leave.
And Frank Martin, South Carolina's coach, was taken aback by how difficult of a time Thornwell had making the move.
"It's the thing that stood out to me the most about his recruitment—the thing that made me like him the most," Martin says. "His uncle literally had to force him to go. He didn't want to turn his back on his high school, his coach, his community. If Dajuan had not been so influential in raising Darius, he wouldn't have done it.
"I'm seeing that whole dynamic, and I'm thinking, 'Wow. This kid is so loyal. He cares about others more than himself. This is exactly the type of kid I want on our roster.'"
Thornwell celebrates against Marquette on March 17, 2017.
Thornwell was fond of Martin and South Carolina, too. But there was only one issue: He liked North Carolina more.
The Gamecocks were struggling at the time. But ACC games were regularly on television, and North Carolina (along with Duke) has long been one of the "it" teams for high school stars in the upper part of South Carolina. Thornwell's AAU teammate, Kennedy Meeks, was heading to Chapel Hill. So was Nate Britt, Thornwell's new teammate at Oak Hill.
Thornwell, though, never received an offer from the Tar Heels—but they did play a role in his final decision. UNC coach Roy Williams was visiting Britt at Oak Hill at the same time Martin was in town to see Thornwell. As he was leaving, Williams popped into the room and interrupted the conversation.
"Young man," Williams said as he shook Thornwell's hand, "I don't know where you're going to school, but I can tell you this: There's not going to be a finer human being to coach you than this man right here."
Williams pointed at Martin and then walked away.
"It was an amazing moment," Martin says. "He committed to us shortly after that."
Moments after South Carolina's 88-81 victory over Duke on Sunday—after players emptied water bottles on each other's heads and danced in a circle in the locker room—Frank Martin and Sindarius Thornwell shared a long embrace.
Thornwell (left) celebrates with teammates after beating Duke in the NCAA tournament on March 19, 2017.
"He just said, 'Coach, I love you, man,'" Martin says before a long pause. "That kid...he's special."
Martin is close with all of his players. But he and Thornwell share a unique bond.
Ranked No. 30 nationally among prospects by Scout.com, Thornwell—who had offers from schools such as Connecticut, Ohio State, North Carolina State and others—was the first high-profile player to commit to the Gamecocks after Martin took over the moribund program in 2012.
"Other than the day they hired Frank, you could say the biggest step in this program turning the corner occurred the day Thornwell committed," says Derek Scott, the Gamecocks play-by-play voice. "It was important for Frank to show a community and state that was skeptical of the program's worth that we can compete with the big boys for brand-name guys.
"It really gave us some credibility."
Says Martin: "He made us relevant."
Still, there was something else—something more powerful—that led to the mutual respect between Thornwell and Martin.
Just as Thornwell was surrounded by people who doubted he'd ever make it—not to mention the Top 25-caliber schools like UNC and Duke who overlooked him—Martin had his share of doubters early in his career, too.
Martin came to South Carolina from Kansas State, where he was hired in 2007 to replace Bob Huggins despite having no head coaching experience beyond the high school level. At the time, Kansas State was ridiculed for the hire. Martin, though, proved his detractors wrong by leading the Wildcats to four NCAA tournament appearances in five seasons, including the Elite Eight in 2010.
"When you get down to the nitty gritty, we're very similar," Martin says.
Thornwell in a game against Duke on March 19, 2017.
Martin and Thornwell's journeys haven't been without speed bumps. The Gamecocks went just 14-20 during Thornwell's freshman year, when he averaged 13.4 points. And lingering tendinitis in both knees affected his play as a sophomore and junior, when South Carolina had winning records but failed to make the NCAA tournament.
Off the court, Thornwell was arrested last May for possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license. And this season he was suspended six games for violating an undisclosed athletic department policy.
"We sit around and want to judge others," Martin says, "but we forget…we’re as big a sinner as they are. I want my 18-year-old son to grow up and become the man Sindarius has become at 22."
Nothing was more difficult for Martin than the moment last fall when he summoned Thornwell to his office to inform him that his beloved uncle, Dajuan, had died during heart surgery. He was 42.
Making the death even more difficult for Sindarius was that his uncle had attempted to contact him from the hospital the night before, but he missed the call.
A few days after Dajuan's passing, Martin chartered a bus to transport the entire team and administrative staff—including strength coaches, managers, trainers and tutors—to the funeral.
"I'll never forget the sight of that big bus pulling up," says Priester, the high school coach. "That told me everything I needed to know about Frank Martin. He cares about people. He cares about relationships.
"Sindarius is the same way. There's no question in my mind that Frank Martin brought the best out of that young man."
This season, all their hard work paid off. Thornwell averaged 21.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists and was named SEC Player of the Year. After four years of high school and three-plus seasons of college, the 6'5" guard who often felt overlooked was finally given his due.
Thornwell dribbles against Alabama during the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament on March 10, 2017.
Thornwell received the news about the award during a team meeting just before a weight room session. His teammates cheered and danced as they surrounded him, shaking him and hugging him as he covered his face.
It was an emotional moment, to be sure, and the experiences have only become more impactful since the beginning of the NCAA tournament.
The day before his team fell to South Carolina in the round of 32, Mike Krzyzewski, Duke’s Hall of Fame coach, called Thornwell “the best, unheralded great player in the United States." One night later, Thornwell dropped 24 points on the Blue Devils, upping his postseason scoring average to 26.2 points—and elevating the buzz about his potential at the next level.
Draftexpress.com predicts Thornwell won’t be selected in this summer’s NBA draft. But at least one Western Conference scout believes he has “better than a 50 percent chance” of being chosen in the second round.
“He reminds me a lot of Tyreke Evans,” says the scout, who was on hand for Thornwell’s 44-point effort against Alabama on February 7.
“He’s just a tough guy that bulls his way to the basket and gets to the free throw line. I’m not sure I trust his perimeter stroke, but he’s so good in isolation, you just give him the ball and get out of his way and he’ll manufacture scoring opportunities.”
Thornwell shoots against Alabama on February 7, 2017.
As much as he’d like to play in the NBA, Thornwell is determined to live in the moment and relish South Carolina’s postseason run.
When he and a teammate stopped by the campus Chick-fil-A for lunch Monday, they were bombarded by students asking for selfies. He tries to read all of the congratulatory messages on social media from both friends and strangers. Back at Lancaster High School, there’s talk about retiring his jersey.
"He has ignited and resurrected the pride that this town once had," Priester says. "Sindarius, with the way he plays, the toughness and grit and fight…that's a reflection of this community.
"All walks of life—white, black, young, old—everybody loves Sindarius. He is an ambassador for Lancaster High School. But he's an ambassador for this entire community, this entire county, this entire state."
Priester was in attendance for Sunday's win over Duke, but he wasn't able to make it onto the court to congratulate Thornwell. A few hours later, though, he reached his former player by phone as the Gamecocks were traveling back to Columbia. Thornwell thanked him for the call, paused and then laughed.
"You know, coach," he said, "they're still counting us out, man. They're still counting us out."
Priester chuckled.
"Just keeping doing what you do, Sin," he said. "Do what you've always done, and you'll be fine."
Jason King is a senior writer for B/R Mag, based in Kansas. A former staff writer at ESPN.com, Yahoo Sports and the Kansas City Star, King's work has received mention in the popular book series The Best American Sports Writing. Follow him on Twitter: @JasonKingBR.
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