What about the post?

Because Silva was such a great player- one of the best in recent memory for four years at Carolina- there is going to be a lot of focus on the bigs. It’s not shaping up to be terrible down low when you consider the following and also take into account that in basketball, you can go with various line-ups (i.e. a smaller line-up) and play a certain way to fit your personnel. Former high school coaches like Martin tend to be very good at this (and Martin showed he was with the adjustments he made this past season) because on that level, you play the hand you are dealt. Maybe you don’t have a lot of big players in your program for a stretch because the student body doesn’t have a lot of big potential players in it and you have to play small. Other times, you may have that luxury. The point is that Martin is a good enough coach where he can absolutely adapt to the players that he has. It’s fake news that he has one way of doing things or a rigid “system” that players have to adapt to rather than the other way around.



Anyway, so what about the post? Here are five things to consider…



Alanzo Frink was lost on defense at times last year and needs to continue to work and reshape his body (he’s already done a good job with that), but what you noticed about him last year is that he’s physical, he’s tough and he’s fearless. An offseason of work and the New Jersey product could really play a key role down low next season.



The issues with Maik Kotsar have nothing to do with talent. He’s been a starter since he was a freshman and has had monster games. Kotsar needs to make a leap on the mental side of things and keep his focus. Remember these are human beings and not computer-generated players on an X-Box. The human being factor is important here if Kotsar is to have his best season during his last. Plenty of other players in Martin’s program have had that. If the Gamecocks can somehow get 8-10 points and 7-9 rebounds a game out of Kotsar this coming season on a consistent basis, then that’s huge.



Leveque may not quite be ready to get in and play 30 minutes a game, but you never know. Still, with his size and athleticism he can possibly be a rim protector and rebounder that gets minutes if he comes in and works hard on various aspects of his game.



Bryant and Minaya both could play some at the four in a smaller lineup. Bryant with his leaping ability and with an off-season in the weight room could be particularly intriguing. Minaya already is one of the team’s better rebounders.



McCreary is another potential option down low and don’t forget that Felipe Haase, who is 6-foot-9 and hit 41 percent of his 3-point shots last season, will get minutes as stretch four. Haase is heading into his junior season.



So there are some options here, though not as many as in the backcourt.