Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 18 one to 2001. Hope you all had a great weekend out there. Gamecocks. Lot of action this weekend around Gamecock Nation. Lot of action from start to finish this weekend. A lot of winds, just good vibes. Still trying to stay warm. It's just the freaking. It's just a cold snap, man. Arctic blast. My goodness. I'm all bundled up watching sports, trying not to kick off the covers and stuff like that. Just, I don't know, a lot of action this weekend and it was really just a fun one. Hope you all are geared up for a fun week. Big week. Big week in Gamecock country. Lot of big matchups to go around here. Going to jump into what's going on and preview all that here. But just a quick note, podcasting schedule, slight change up for this week. So if you're listening to this, it's probably Monday, maybe Tuesday. There will be no podcast on Friday. Normally there is the Friday episodes. I'm going to be traveling for work, trying to act like a real adult, I guess. I don't know. But point being, going to be a little occupied this week, unfortunately. So no Friday episode.
[00:02:17] Monday next week, everything will be back to normal for the foreseeable future. But yeah, a little bit of a change up there, but we'll still be as active as I possibly can be on social media and whatnot. Might even get a couple reaction videos. I'll sneak away after the games, things like that. So coworkers don't know my secret obsession here, but nonetheless, got a weekend recap for you all before we jump into scores and things like that. So other sports were back in action. Some of the spring sports were starting things off this past weekend, which was a lot of fun to track, and it's going to be fun to see how we do. So starting off on Saturday, swimming and diving was in action. You had the men beat Duke 204 to 91, and then the women unfortunately lost 170 to 130. But then the ladies also had a twofer. They beat UNC Asheville 254 to 46. So mixed bag there. Nice w from the men. And then the women bounced back against UNC Asheville. Sunday, we had both tennis teams in action. You had men's tennis beating Virginia four to three. Men's tennis has a fantastic preseason ranking, I believe. Number one, actually. First time in school history. So that's exciting. Going to be fun to see how they do this year. And then women's tennis beat coastal Carolina blanked them for nothing. So fun start overall, really solid start for the spring sports here and again, going to be very fun to shout out all of our student athletes and all of our programs. If there's a program that's got something going on that I'm not highlighting, please let me know. Shoot me a DM want to give all of our student athletes as much love as they possibly can get as they certainly deserve it. Now, looking at some news from the football program, here you had the new coaches, James Coley and Markwell Blackwell. They were officially introduced. Shane Beamer had a press conference. Was great to see him and hear how excited he is with the new coaches and some of the new recruits they've brought on and things like that. And of course you can only tell so much from a press conference, but I liked what I saw from both Coley and Blackwell. Coley had this quiet confidence about him. You could tell he means business. You can tell he's been around the SEC for a long time, talked about really setting the culture within his own room and what he needs to do to keep those guys accountable and instill toughness and accountability and all that jazz. And he's going to have quite the job ahead of him in that wide receivers room. Going to need to develop guys like Nick Harbor, Tyshawn Russell, a couple of these new know Amari Huggins, Bruce. So he's got a job ahead of him, but he comes in with a lot of experience and has already hit the ground recruiting Markwell BlacKwell I really liked a lot. He was asked by one of the members of the press, like you're bounced around the last couple of years just from programs. How do you adjust to different cultures? How do you sort of acclimate yourself? And he just says, all I know is ball. He's just a football guy. Loved it. And he talked about really the development and creating that maturity in the running backs room, talking about how you have to also help with your quarterback, help with the blocking and also obviously make those plays as well. So I really liked both guys. And then with that, Shane Beamer confirmed that Justin step will be moving to tight ends coach. So he had previously been wide receivers and had been wide receivers pretty much his whole career, at least recently. Right. And I was a little bit hesitant as to like, he kind of had a good thing going. I felt like as far as coaching the guys up, didn't have the best luck on the recruiting trail, did step? But Shane Beamer talked about how for step, this actually is a good move. For his career, sort of, on the whole, talked about how when you're able to coach different position groups, it challenges you and it makes you a better coach for it. And then he talked about honing in the pass catching skills of the tight ends. Because in our scheme, Dawah loggins scheme, we want to include the tight ends more from a pass catching point of view. So if you have a guy who developed wide receivers, well, stands to reason a guy like Josh Simon will only develop even more so in the catching realm of things. So kind of exciting. And then a note of. I don't know what the word is here, it makes me sad, sad note here. Pete Lembo is leaving the program to accept the head coaching job at Buffalo. So excited for him. I mean, he deserves it. He seems like a super nice guy. He's super knowledgeable in football, seems to really enjoy putting in the time with these young men. But he was awesome. He's so good at his job as the special teams coordinator, and I think he offered a good perspective and sounding board for Shane Beamer behind closed doors. He was a solid recruiter and was the most entertaining guy every week in the press conferences, between the nicknames and the ten minute rants about World War II and whatever the hell was like, on his mind. Pete Limbo is a character. Pistol Pete Limbo Ball is going to be seriously missed in Columbia. But of course, wish him nothing but the best. Going back to the Mac. Back to the Mac. He loves Max, man. So gives you a reason to watch Maxin now. I mean, if there wasn't already. But get to watch Pete Limbo and obviously now that leaves an open coaching position. So going to be really interesting to see what Beamer does with that. Does he bring in someone to coach special teams after Lembo? Or does maybe Beamer do it himself, given his background? And then you could potentially use that staff opening to bring in a different position coach, maybe linebackers. Gonna be really interesting to see. I personally would not mind Beamer giving it a go at this point. You kind of have staffs settled and things like that. I remember in one of Beamer's first press conferences, he said that if he couldn't get Lembo to join his staff, he himself would have done it because he didn't trust anybody else other than Lembo. So let coach Beamer do it. Let's see how it goes for this year. If he feels that he's too much to manage, or maybe there was a big drop off, go out and find someone, right? Find someone with that experience, but that needs to remain a calling card for our program here. A couple more notes on football here. Offensive lineman Trey Jones and Tyshawn Wanamaker are stepping away from football, seemingly sort of, I guess, retiring from the game. So kind of surprising guys, obviously, who have played a lot at their time at Carolina, and it stinks, right? You never want to see guys who've put a lot of time and effort into the program to leave but wish them nothing but the best, hope they have success in the future, which, whatever they choose to do. And it's nice to see that we brought in a lot of depth and experience in the transfer portal. And then last note here from football. Like I said, busy, busy weekend. The spring game was announced for April 20. That should be a fun time. And once that starts, you can only just fuel up, ramp up the speculation about depth charts and everything like that. So April 20, circle your calendar, set your dvrs, get your watch, party, whatever you do for the spring game. Going to be a fun time here. But that was your weekend recap here. Let's talk about games that were being played and scores that happened, starting with men's basketball here. The men were in action Saturday afternoon on the road at Arkansas and had an absolutely incredibly impressive showing, beating the Razorback 77 to 64. This is, of course, after having that very disappointing loss at home just days before and without starter Miles studie on the road nonetheless, right? You go on the road in the SEC against a very well coached team that has had recent success in a tough environment, and you went wire to wire for the victory. I mean, you really can't say enough good things about the maturity of this team to come and respond the way that they did and really shout out the kudos. You can't say it enough to Lamont Paris. For him to get the boys up and ready to respond like this is just masterful and a lot of know, myself included, you're really disappointed after that loss to Georgia at home. You lose Miles studie, you're going on the road.
[00:11:32] You had some concerns, you had some stressors going into this game. Maybe the team's going to have to get through a game two or three even to kind of figure out how are we going to replace the loss of miles. Can this team get its footing underneath them? Didn't need it. The guys came together, they buckled down and they got back to playing their game. The three point shots were falling finally, once again, and the Gamecocks shot over 50% from the floor for the first time in league play this year. They looked more like themselves.
[00:12:08] Simply put, the guys looked like the team that we had known and become accustomed to seeing through the first, what, 14 games of the year or so? Right. And it just goes to show you that when this Lamont Paris team and offense more so, can play freely and the shots fall, it opens up everything. And this team can quickly shut down on defense and it can just be a very tough combination. When this team can get the shots to fall and multiple guys can contribute and then the defense can just disrupt the other team. That's a tough combination to beat. The Gamecocks had Arkansas flustered pretty much all game. Muscleman was scrambling, trying to find anybody who could provide a spark. I mean, he was like 1011 deep in his bench. The man was stressing. He was stressing. He's kind of a character already. And you had him on the sidelines flustered. Arkansas, did they threaten for like a minute in the second quarter or second half? Excuse me. But Carolina responded with a big run of their own. This game ended up with that comfortable lead. I mean, again, most of the game, the Gamecocks had Arkansas on their heels. There was just this little period of time where Arkansas got some rhythm, got some momentum. Quickly, Carolina snuffed it out. Some player highlights from this game. BJ Mac Monster game, 18 points, nine rebounds, had some big threes. Zachary Davis, he got the start in lieu of studie, and he went for twelve points. Talon and CMB each went for eleven points. I think Michi Johnson ended with eight. So again, winning in impressive fashion against the SEC without really your star player in Michi Johnson, who contributed in big ways. He had big shots in the defensive side of the ball, too. It just goes to show that this team can beat you in different ways. Just got to get those shots to fall. Shocker. I know in basketball you got to get the shots to go in, but yeah. Next game for the men is Tuesday night at home against 8th ranked Kentucky. The team is calling for a blackout. So if you're in Columbia, go to the game and wear black. If you're watching this game, wear black. If you're hanging out, wear black. We need all of Gamecock nation behind these guys in this one.
[00:14:39] It's been years. I mean, when is the last time there has been this much anticipation for a men's basketball game in Columbia? It's been years. I mean, talking about a blackout, talks of a sellout Tuesday night going against Kentucky. Like, this is the juice. This is what us Gamecock fans have wanted for a like, can we do this thing regularly?
[00:15:09] Pack out colonial life, get that raucous college basketball environment, bring the juice. Both programs cooking. This is it. This is it right here. Now, looking at this game here, Kentucky, per usual, is towards the top of the SEC, sitting at 14 and three overall, four and one in conference. This is no doubt going to be a big challenge for the guys. And the question is really just can the guys keep up the momentum from this past game with the absence of miles? Studie, you have to love this game being at home, but the guys have to stay in this one. You have to make it so that when you get deeper into the game, when you have those big possessions, that the home court will make a difference, or at least can, right. You got to stay in that game. You got to keep it within a couple of possessions. Can you respond when Kentucky gets on a run? Can that defense be locked down? Can you play bigger than you have been? Right. Second chance points, limiting the turnovers, some of these things that haven't always come that easy in league play. Can you get them to go again? Gotta love coming off a win. You do. But my quote of the game here is get quality minutes out of Josh Gray. Y'all know I don't always love to single out a player on our team, but he brings the size to be a difference maker against some of the elite SEC talent. Things always, they haven't always come easy for him, right. But if you can get around ten minutes from him, 1012 minutes, eight points, let's say a couple of rebounds, that could go a very long way. Last year, he really began to flourish in league play, and you've seen some of that happen again this year against this SEC competition. Got to rotate him in. Stay out of foul trouble, Josh. Give us quality minutes. Just go in there, be a big body, be athletic, be an athlete. Let's get the job done. Tuesday night, wear black.
[00:17:13] Now moving over to women's basketball here. The ladies were in action Sunday evening at Texas A and M and they got the win comfortably as well, 99 to 64. Going into this game like hand up, I thought this game was going to be tricky for the ladies. Something just felt like almost like a trap game. Texas A and M, pretty good record on the road, but the ladies showed up and came out of the game very hot, limiting to a m to, I think it was eight points. And although a M battled especially in the second half, like they showed a lot of life, the lead was just simply too much to overcome. And really the past couple of games. Now. I feel like you've seen South Carolina really impose their will on teams as the team has stayed perfect on the year and I think they're settling into a nice groove here, which is great to see. Player highlights Malaysia full Wiley, 21 points, Camilla Cardozo, 17 points and ten rebounds, and Sonya Fagan for 15 points.
[00:18:14] Up next for the ladies is a huge game Thursday night at LSU in the bayou. LSU is currently ranked 10th, sitting at 18 and two overall, five and one in conference, and this has quickly become a contentious matchup rivalry game between two very prominent coaches and two premier programs. Now, right? LSU wasn't always that, but now with their coach and some of the players and the accolades that they've gotten, they are towards the top of the league. Obviously South Carolina and Dawn, her resume speaks for itself this year. Things for LSU might not have come as smoothly as they would have thought given off of last year's success. LSU has invested a lot of energy and money into their women's basketball program, so this will surely be a tough environment for dawn and company. This is the kind of matchup that you can look at and see how does the team respond to adversity. There's going to be some moments where they're going to be challenged and it's going to be a tough road environment. So take some lessons from this game, learn on it, stash it away because this could pay off in postseason play. Would not surprise me if we faced LSU in the SEC tournament, maybe even in the big dance. Will be very interesting to see. Micro to the game here. Slow down Angel Reese. Last season dawn was able to really disrupt angel because of the rotation and depth of veteran post players. But this year it's not as deep experience. You know, still is lacking a little bit in some areas. So that will be a battle to watch. But let's go big games. Love it. SEC basketball, both the men and women, huge games this week. Carolina basketball school. Man, I'm telling y'all. I'm telling y'all. It's exciting. It really is. Know and shout out to both programs. Shout out to both coaches. Shout out to the students that show up for both games. Shout out to the fams. Just great, great times at colonial life and elsewhere. But with that y'all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media Twitter x is Cox gamecocks. Instagram is just the name of the show. Cox talking gamecocks. And please like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'all. Go Cox.
