Frank Martin’s first season at South Carolina wasn’t great, with the Gamecocks going 4-14 in SEC play and finishing next-to-last in the standings. It was expected, though, as they were coming off a 10-21 season in 2012, and Martin didn’t have his type of players.
But the Gamecocks received some good news on Wednesday morning, when unsigned senior Demetrius Henry announced he was heading to South Carolina.
Henry, the best big man left on the board, chose the Gamecocks over Miami (Fla.).
He is the final piece to what should be a fairly solid recruiting class for South Carolina. Top-50 guard Sindarius Thornwell is one of the better scorers in the class of 2013, and he should be able to start immediately for Martin. Villanova transfer Ty Johnson becomes eligible in December, and he’s another player who could find a starting role right off the bat.
With Henry also in the mix, Martin has another building block for next season. The 6-foot-8 power forward from Faith Baptist (Fla.) is a high-energy player who is active in transition and on the backboards. Henry also has the ability to hit face-up jumpers if given room.
He was an important recruit for Martin, as South Carolina lacks interior options heading into next season. The Gamecocks have Lithuania natives Mindaugas Kacinas and Laimonas Chatkevicius, along with freshman big man Desmond Ringer, but not much else in the post.
Henry adds to a solid base that Martin is building as South Carolina works toward an NCAA tournament bid.
