Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, baseball's last homestand, basketball lands a transfer and football schedule talk. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:53] Okay.
[00:00:55] Welcome to episode three 388 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. Hope you all had a great week. Gamecox, another one in the books. I'm very, very excited for the weekend. If you are in the Charlotte area, maybe you are attending the truest championship. If so, you might see your boy there. Don't be a stranger. Stop by and say hello. We'll take a picture there. And yeah, whatever it is that y' all may have queued up, hope you take full advantage of a nice, relaxing weekend. Still got some college baseball going on, pro playoffs throughout, so a lot of sports to carry us all the way home. But I did want to start this show, this episode on a little bit of a different note.
[00:01:46] If you have been on Gamecock social media over the last couple of days, you surely will have seen this news. But if not, Steven Garcia came out and publicly said that he is unfortunately dealing with a diagnosis of cancer. And there is a GoFundMe out there. And as the Gamecock community does, we are coming together like no other. And if you are able to donate to his cause, I would implore you to. It's on my social media, it's on Stephen Garcia's. It's just all around.
[00:02:19] Even the Gamecock football account itself was tweeting about it. So we are sending our full thoughts and prayers to Stephen and his family. A guy that is so nice. I've had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times.
[00:02:33] Really just embodies like the resilience of a Gamecock where his career had a lot of ups and downs, led us to the highest of highs, and then through perseverance and grit on the personal level, came back and is now just this endeared and loved alumni and how has done a lot of great work with our fan base and I think you see it showing through in this time. So sending prayers to Stephen and his family and hopefully we see him kick this thing's ass, as he said. So if you are able to donate, I really do implore you to at the GoFundMe for Steven Garcia.
[00:03:09] But shifting gears to what is going on on the field and active sports and news in Gamecock Nation here, not a whole lot going on this week. Softball was in action earlier this week in the SEC tournament and unfortunately has an early exit as the ladies lost two nothing in the first round to Ole Miss. So I think we were all hoping that they would be able to get at least a win or two in and maybe get a little bit of a run. Conference play has been challenging for these ladies, but they have shown plenty of fight in those games and of course, in the non conference schedule as well. So now really, the next step is to wait and see what the next step is in terms of the NCAA tournament, regionals and things like that. And, you know, based on how this season has gone for our softball team, like, maybe there's a world where you go to a regional where there's no other SEC team and you handle business and, you know, so anything can happen when you get to the postseason. So hopefully it's a somewhat fun favorable draw for the Gamecocks. I mean, shoot, even if there is another SEC team, you know, these things can have some crazy results, and you don't know what can happen to that other team in their opening matchup. So hoping for a really favorable draw for the ladies and let's see if they can't get hot and go on a little bit of a run. I mean, how fun would that be?
[00:04:42] Now, looking over to the basketball program. Talking men's basketball here. Lamont Paris continuing to work, you know, letting him cook. Chef Paris. So, hey, we don't know what this next roster is going to look like. I've. I've talked about it, and there's been a lot of commentary out there about just.
[00:05:02] It does feel a little similar in the sense of you're bringing in guys who have shown flashes, who have that high ceiling, who you need them to kind of work within your system.
[00:05:18] But nonetheless, I commend Coach Paris for bringing in guys who, if they were to come together, can be a really good squad. So you're bringing another guard here. Former Alabama guard Davion Hannah will be joining the Gamecocks. Hannah was limited last year as a true freshman due to injury. I think he only appeared. I think I saw. It was 10 games or so. So hasn't had a lot of collegiate experience, but former top 50 recruit. So you're bringing in a guard with a lot of upside, and then you can pair that with some of the guards that you've brought in from the transfer portal who have experience, and that could be a nice mix there. And you combine that with some of the bigs you've brought in, you can see the roster taking shape. Do you look at it and you say, oh, that's a bona fide SEC roster. Like, maybe not.
[00:06:12] But can you look at it and say this team should be competitive? Should be being the operative phrase there? I think so. I mean, I thought that going into it this past season. So again, we have to wait and see how it plays out. But I like the mix of guys. I like the experience you have. You know, a little bit of Power 5. If. If you're not in the Power 5, you're older, so you certainly can see what Lamont Paris is doing. But I do like this get, especially with the high upside that Davion brings.
[00:06:43] Now, looking over to the baseball diamond here, the Yardcocks last weekend was a tough one for Carolina as they got swept by LSU in Baton Rouge. And if you remember correctly, going into that series, I was talking about how LSU is towards the bottom of the sec, like, you know, struggling this year as well. So thought it might have been an opportunity for Carolina to really make a go at this series on the road and get some late season momentum here. Apparently that was really off the mark and a tough one as the guys were on the road getting swept. No midweek game for the Yardcocks this week, but it does bring us to the final home stand for this team as they take on Alabama. And it's pretty crazy to say. I mean, I'll probably take a second when this season is all said and done and reflect on the year. I mean, there's not really too much to reflect on, if we're being totally honest. You know, eventually we're going to find out the fate of Monty Lee. I think, wow, the team has been more competitive under him.
[00:07:55] I think it's clear that you need a reset. You need a factory reset with this staff with a lot of the roster, bring someone in who could bring their own spin on it. I. I like Monty Lee as. As a person, as a Gamecock, you know, as a coach and all that. But it's a. I think the proof is in the pudding here, but nonetheless, like coming into the last home stand like we got here, right? It's been a long time, tumultuous road to get to this point, and hopefully the guys can go out on a high note in front of the fans and hopefully the fans do show up to support them. Bama is in the top half of the SEC, sitting at 13 and 11 in conference and 32 and 17 overall. I mean, it's just crazy. Like, you know, I don't want to go down this. This path too much, but you look at some of the records, I mean, you know, like, was it. What. Wasn't it always, like, 15, 17, like, that was the benchmark of league wins that you were hoping for. And going into the second to last series of the year, to be sitting at 13 league wins, like, that's what we're used to at South Carolina. And you're like, okay, like, you're feeling good, find a way to get a couple more, cruise into, you know, the SEC tournament, cruise into regionals, and then go from there.
[00:09:19] And it's just a whole new feeling. These last. This last season and, you know, through this one. So, yeah, been a long road to get here, but, you know, hopefully the guys can rally and give us some good memories to go out this year, and then we'll wrap up the year and we'll see how it goes from there. So, Rudimen, let's go, Yardcocks. Let's end this home season. Still a series after this, but the home season on a high note there.
[00:09:48] But. So as we're, you know, thinking of wrapping up the season there, and you're staring at a, you know, the dog days of summer and all that Jazz, I. The next thing you're looking towards is football. I mean, you got a lot of recruiting buzz going around. Official visits are being lined up and everything like that. And it just had me thinking, like, what are the games that I am, like, really looking forward to, you know, sitting here like, yeah, there's the whole schedule, right?
[00:10:17] Everything's in front of us. And we're talking spring practice. You know, we're talking coordinator hires. You know, we are talking some recruiting and everything like that. So I'm not going to dive too deep into this, because y' all know that I'll do a full breakdown and prediction and things like that as we get really close to the season.
[00:10:36] But we are in the territory of talking football in the offseason because that's all we got going on for us, and the biggest thing we have to look forward to right now, frankly.
[00:10:47] So what are the top five games that I am excited about? You know, I was inspired looking at all these old pictures and, you know, all the games that we were at and everything like that. I'm just like, man, like, what ones are really gonna bring the juice this season? So I'm gonna go into a little bit of each one as to why y'. All. Let me know what you think. I. I don't think I have anything that's too controversial here. I mean, we're talking, you know, it's A, you know you're splitting hairs, right, when you're talking about which game are you most excited to and whatnot. But we're going to go in reverse order here. So top five games that I am most excited about.
[00:11:28] Starting at number five. Number five, Kent State.
[00:11:32] Yeah. How about that? That's the opening game. Okay. I am really, really excited to see this Kendall Briles offense. Like, I need to see this thing in action.
[00:11:42] We need to get the taste out of Shula, of Shula's offense out of our mouths. We need to see the Lenores that we all know and love. We need to see Nick harbor doing some big things. We need to see Matt Fuller doing some big things. We need to see an offensive line that's competent.
[00:12:01] And I think we're going to see that Week one against Kent State.
[00:12:06] And I don't care that it's Kent State.
[00:12:09] The openers are always fun.
[00:12:11] And I think if we see consistent offense throughout that game and we see some tempo and rhythm and you see scoring in the red zone, I don't care that it's against a Mac team.
[00:12:24] I'm excited to see this in action and to get this underway.
[00:12:29] Number four at Florida, going back to the Swamp after the hiatus. That was the divisionless sec.
[00:12:36] I think this is going to be a fun matchup. I mean, that's always a tough place to play. They're under a new head coach right now. Who knows what that's going to look like. Year one, is it a surprise year for Florida that they just come back from the depths and get this thing going, or is it a scenario where there are some growing pains? Year one, so very excited for that.
[00:12:59] It's a rivalry that, you know, we have some good ties to. Right. And you'd have some great gains between the two programs, some tough ones as well. So I think going back to the Swamp is going to bring back a lot of good memories. And of course, there's going to be a lot of Steve Spurrier banter as well. So very excited for that one. Coming in at number three, this one, maybe the placement I could see some people taking issue with, but it's at Clemson, so. Top three, but it's at Clemson one. I mean, look, it's. It's the rivalry game, no matter what. It's. It's the game that we all look forward to and the game that has bragging rights on the line for the next year.
[00:13:39] It's away.
[00:13:41] Right. It's at Death Valley, which we've won, and it does make it pretty damn sweet to win it on their friggin field and to plant the flag on the on the paw.
[00:13:51] It's a way, right?
[00:13:54] This also is a game that has that annual juice to it, right? I'm excited for it and it could have some serious implications if we are talking about playoff berth one way or another. I'm very excited for this one and I think redemption is certainly on the table for Shane Beamer and company as they go into this one.
[00:14:18] Number two Tennessee again welcoming back the old eastern rivals. We have some very recent exciting memories of this matchup. Tennessee is a team that slowly but surely rose in my ranks of just the most annoying teams. Like just the teams that I hate. Right. It really rose. It was always just kind of lingering there and then slowly but surely I grew to really hate Tennessee. So I am excited to see them back on the roster. Think it's late October where it usually was. It's at home. I think Carolina is coming off of a buy if I'm not mistaken.
[00:15:02] Don't quote me on that one. But this is a matchup that is going to be great for South Carolina. It's going to be a lot of fun. The fan base is going to be rocking. I expect that to be a night game and there's still just so much banter from the beat down that we put on them with Rattler hanging 60 points on them that it really the results after that year in my mind, like don't even matter. Like that might as well been the last game we played against them, right? So it's going to be fun to get back under it, back at it at Willie B. And against a team that you haven't played in a few years and one that is going to be competitive this year. You know, like they are a good team, they're a tough out. They have a good thing going there and that's. That could be a matchup. Look, I don't know what they have going on, you know, under the hood over there. Like I don't know what they're working with in terms of what they're thinking offensively, quarterback and all that jazz. But that could be a game where the Gamecocks have a pretty good record going into this one. We're feeling a lot better than we did last year. Some things are feeling differently coming off of a bye week and you're facing a Tennessee team who very well could have a very good record and who very well could be decently ranked. And that could be a moment to signal to the Country.
[00:16:25] South Carolina is actually here and this team is for real. And. And then you can carry some of that momentum to the back half of the season.
[00:16:36] So that is a very, very intriguing matchup, particularly where it is on the calendar and could be a springboard to do some really good things this season for the Gamecocks. And then my number one most excited, number one game that I'm most excited for is the Georgia game. I mean, I don't think I'm alone in this one. I was pretty excited to see Georgia as sort of this permanent matchup here. Like, yeah, it's going to be a challenge, but those matchups, like, when I, like, was inundated with the Gamecock culture and when I was becoming a die hard fan, like, those were the matchups that you lived for. And just some of the best memories I have in college as a sports fan in general come from some of these matchups here.
[00:17:34] And on top of it, it is the last home game. So the last taste of football we will have in Williams Bryce is Georgia.
[00:17:44] And I mean, my goodness, like, and if you think about the potential stakes here, I'm not getting ahead of myself. I know we're coming off a tough year, but if South Carolina can bounce back well and put together a good season and you're staring down these last few games and you're like, wow, man, like, you got Georgia and then Clemson. Well, if you're able to split those or go two and oh, in those, you could do some really impressive things. So I'm just so excited for that. I know that Georgia fans will make an argument that they have bigger and better rivalries. Like, to me, Clemson won.
[00:18:23] Georgia's right there at 2. For the teams that I view as like, bitter rival team that I hate, always want to see them lose.
[00:18:31] I'm just so excited to be playing them again at home. Last home game of the year just is super excited. But with that, y', all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media, Twitter or X is Cox Gamecox. Instagram is just the name of the show.
[00:18:47] Cox Talking Gamecocks. And please, like, subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'. All. Go Cox.
