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South Carolina Gamecocks (2001: 15-15)

The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I teams, be sure to order the 2001-02 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.

Program overview

Dave Odom wanted another challenge, and Eddie Fogler wanted out.

Odom, after 12 years of building Wake Forest into a national contender, left the glamour of the ACC for South Carolina last April. It's a move that raised some eyebrows, but one that's understandable when you consider the landscape on Tobacco Road.

For all of the Deacons' success under Odom, they often times languished in the shadow of Duke and North Carolina, and occasionally, even North Carolina State. And the stringent academic standards at Wake Forest, a small private school, weren't always tailor-made for bringing in the top basketball talent.

At South Carolina, where Fogler grew increasingly disillusioned the last couple of years, those standards will be much more forgiving. Just as important, the 58-year-old Odom seems refreshed and ready to take on a conference he says is every bit as good as the ACC.

He's certainly proven his worth as a basketball coach, even if he wasn't the first choice of South Carolina athletic director Mike McGee. The Gamecocks were turned down by Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun. They also made overtures to Buzz Peterson, who left Tulsa to take the Tennessee job.

It's up to Odom to get the South Carolina ship steered back toward the top of the SEC. The Gamecocks compiled a 26-6 record in SEC play during the 1997 and '98 seasons, but were upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament each year by a No. 15-seeded team in '97 and a No. 14-seeded team in '98.

Backcourt

Seniors Aaron Lucas and Jamel Bradley are both back. They started in every game they appeared in a year ago and complement each other well.

The 5-11 Lucas (10.3 ppg, 3.9 apg) is a steady point guard who loves getting everybody else involved. He needs to cut down on his turnovers after committing 88 a year ago. Still, he was fifth in the SEC in assists and led the Gamecocks in minutes played. He's also a proven leader.

Backing up Lucas at point guard will once again be sophomore Michael Boynton (2.2 ppg, 1.5 apg). He had a respectable freshman season, but like Lucas, turned it over too many times. They combined for 132 turnovers.

The 6-2 Bradley spent last summer playing for the United States team in the 19th Deaflympics in Rome, Italy. Bradley (11.5 ppg, 2.2 apg) led the Gamecocks in scoring last season. He possesses a sweet shooting stroke, but didn't shoot it particularly well a year ago (.383 FG, .355 3-PT).

The best news coming out of the off-season was the progress of junior swingman Chuck Eidson, who tore ligaments in his knee last season and underwent surgery. One of the most versatile players in the league, the 6-7 Eidson resumed playing pickup games toward the end of July.

Odom is optimistic that Eidson (9.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.1 apg) will make a full recovery, and so is Eidson. He dropped out of school for a semester to rehabilitate in Charleston, S.C. There was speculation that he might transfer when Fogler stepped down.

Of the newcomers, junior college transfer Chris Warren may be the most equipped to step in and contribute right away. Warren, a 6-5 junior who loves to shoot off the dribble, averaged 17.1 points last season for Collin County (Texas) Community College.

South Carolina needs the trio of Lucas, Bradley and Eidson to shoot better from the perimeter this season, especially now that Travis Kraft -- the team's best pure shooter -- has transferred.

Frontcourt

If the Gamecocks get their shooting woes straightened out, they have a chance to do some real damage in the post.

Rolando Howell, a 6-9 sophomore, could be braced for a breakout season. He has unlimited athletic ability and showed it in flashes as a freshman. Howell (8.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .528 FG) averaged 12 points and 6.9 rebounds and shot .625 from the field during the last month of the season a year ago.

It was a sign he was starting to figure out the college game, and he should be that much better this season. Even better for Howell, who gave some consideration to turning pro, is that Odom is known for developing big men.

Remember how nicely Tim Duncan developed when he was at Wake Forest? What's more, Howell will have proven people playing around him. Tony Kitchings, a 6-10 junior center, will look to be more consistent this season on the offensive end. Kitchings (10.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, .515 FG) is still evolving as a low-post scorer, but eats up space and can rebound. He's also an effective passer in the post.

The other big body down low is 6-10 junior Marius Petravicius (8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .487 FG). Petravicius, originally from Lithuania, is at his best on the defensive end and can also rebound.

Issa Konare and Carlos Powell, a pair of 6-7 freshmen, will provide depth at the small forward position. Powell, who played for Wilson High School in Florence, S.C., averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists last season, when he was selected Region 6-AAA Player of the Year and was runnerup as state AAA player of the year.

Konare, a native of Senegal, will be 20 years old when he shows up on campus. He's played basketball just three years, but has showed extreme promise. Last season at Bridgton (Maine) Academy, he averaged 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.

Bottom line

By no means was Wake Forest an easy job, but Odom more than got it done there. Before his arrival in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Deacons had suffered through four consecutive losing seasons.

His new challenge is to stop the bleeding at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are just 14-34 in SEC regular-season games the last three years, which places them at the very bottom of the league during that stretch.

In the ACC, Odom had to battle Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia ... well, you get the idea. In the SEC's East Division, it's not much easier. Kentucky and Florida are both Top 10 teams, and Tennessee has been a Top 25 program for much of the last four years.

Still, Odom thinks he has the nucleus to win right away.

Finding a few more outside shooters will be critical, and the recovery of Eidson will be equally so. If he makes it all the way back this season, it's reasonable to think South Carolina could push Tennessee for the third spot in the East and make a run for an NCAA tournament berth.

And if Howell makes the kind of jump from his freshman to sophomore year that many in Columbia are anticipating, look out. He has all the makings of a star.