Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, women's basketball begins postseason play. Baseball has a busy week, and football spring practice is underway. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:55] Okay.
[00:00:57] Welcome to episode 379 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. Hope y' all are ready for a great weekend. Gamecocks. A lot of action throughout Gamecock Nation this weekend, and it's been a busy week. I mean, gonna talk about it here, but you got lots of content coming out through the athletic department.
[00:01:23] Every major sport is in action in some way, shape, or form. There's been a lot to catch up on. Gamecocks are making news for unique ways, and it's just never a dull moment. A lot of discourse between the fan bases and amongst fan bases. It's just a very interesting time of year, as you know. You got that football spring practice. It's March now, so you're gearing up for the NCAA tournament. You have some exciting action across conference tournaments already with women's college basketball. So, yeah, there is a lot of going on here. So let's jump right into things here, starting with a week in review. Not a whole lot to cover from a score perspective, but Tuesday, the men's golf team finished 12th in the Southern Highlands Collegiate. And Wednesday, the women's golf team finished 17th in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. That's a tough one to not have the best weekend, but, hey, live to fight another day. Darius, I'm sure, still is very supportive of all of our golf teams. And shout out Darius. I mean, where would we be without Darius Rucker? He's hosting the spring fest in lieu of a spring game this year with the Willie B. Construction. And I love Darius. I'm a huge fan. But it really is funny. Just anytime the university seems to be in a pinch, it's like, let's give Darius a call, see if he'll put on a concert for us, like, fundraiser. I'm assuming he gets compensated in some way, so he's not saying no. And he's a big Gamecock proud alum, so it's cool. It's a very fun, symbiotic relationship, but it is very funny. Just anytime it feels like the athletic department is in a pinch, they're just like, what's Darius up to? And boom, concert. But all right, got a few other things to talk about here before we get into some other scores here. And I'm talking football.
[00:03:18] That's right.
[00:03:20] Spring practice is underway. And it is hilarious. Like, we are one day into this thing, two days into it now, and there's already a lot of back and forth online and there's big news dropping and it's just never a dull moment, truly, with Gamecock football. So the big news from this week, earlier in the week, Shane Beamer had a press conference and announced that Josiah Thompson, offensive lineman, is out for the year.
[00:03:50] Now to refresh your memory on this, Josiah, big recruit, had a good freshman year, not so great sophomore year, entered the portal, seemed like that was going to be a big loss. Ends up coming back to the program, which is unusual for Shane Beamer, but it seems like this is going to be a good place for him to come back and continue to develop.
[00:04:14] Peak gets injured and everyone is saying Josiah Thompson, it's thank goodness he came back, he can take the spot of Peak while he rehabbed, etc. And now he's out for the year.
[00:04:25] Now, Shane Beamer went ahead and said that the staff pretty much knew about this, that Josiah had an injury that at some point he needed to get surgery to take care of. And they decided now is the time and it's going to take him the year to rehab. So the staff is not surprised about this, which is on one hand is a good thing, right? This is not a surprise. It's a surprise for us fans. And initially you were like, oh my gosh, here we go again.
[00:04:55] But it does make you think, like when we talk about roster management and nil numbers and things like that, like if you knew Josiah was going to be hurt and not able to play, then yeah, you did the right thing and you got Poku Peak and some of these other offensive linemen. But. But now Peak is hurt and they're saying he's going to come back, but who knows what that really means?
[00:05:18] So is there actually real depth and players that you really think can fill those shoes or is that group thin once again and now you're dealing with some injuries. So it's a very interesting tidbit and a very interesting development. Again, we're sitting here in March talking about this. So the good news is we, over the next couple of weeks, that whole group is going to get work and the coaches are going to have a keen eye on who can fill in at the tackle position, really. And speaking of the offensive line, there has been just an insane amount of discourse. I can't believe I'm having to give this credit here, but there was a video posted from spring practice of the offensive line doing a Drill to the layman, it's just a drill, right? It's linemen going through a low bar. Looks like they're doing, you know, the fricking limbo or whatever it is.
[00:06:15] Some keyboard warrior decided to, quote, tweet that video and say that this is actually an outdated drill and it's not relevant for the modern game, et cetera, et cetera. I don't know who this guy is, but he has a following.
[00:06:28] And it just caught wildfire that South Carolina is doing this drill that's outdated, like classic Gamecock. It's going to be another bad year, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
[00:06:37] Then there's been a whole back and forth about the efficacy of this drill. Meanwhile, Coach Clements, the new offensive line coach, the next day tweeted, like, practice what you preach, or something along those lines, and posted a video of that same drill.
[00:06:53] And then showing a player of his, you know, game tape pretty much mimicking that drill, creating a hole for the running back, which led to like a 15 or 20 yard gain. So it's the second day of spring practice and our new offensive line coach is already subtweeting and keeping receipts on Twitter.
[00:07:14] I mean, this is going to be a hell of a season. And you know what? I like it. I mean, I don't care if this drill is any like anything that Coach Clemons does. To me right now, sitting here today is a breath of fresh air and I welcome it because the guy has been an accomplished offensive line coach for a long time and he knows what to do to fit Kendall Briles system.
[00:07:40] Okay, after the offensive line play that we've had the last couple of years, these guys could be working a lemonade stand right now. And I'd say it's beneficial because Coach Clements said so, but it is just a never ending soap opera with Gamecock football. It is just, I cannot believe, like this, this video, which was innocently taken this. The video was just taken like, hey, we're here reporting spring practice. I think it was Jack over at Gamecock Central. Nice guy.
[00:08:12] And he was just like, yep, just taking some videos, taking some content to practice, Very innocent video, just doing his job. And somehow it went mega viral and has been the source of a lot of discourse, but never a dull moment. And it's really cool to hear some of the tidbits coming out of spring practice where they were asking about Browse's system and Beamer, paraphrasing here, of course, said, look, we're not. I don't want to use the word scrapping, everything that we've done in the past, but it's his system and he's running the show. And then they talked about.
[00:08:48] They've talked to Lenoris about Briles asking him some of the things and again, paraphrasing here, but being more aggressive and more decisive seems to be a point of emphasis early in their coaching. And he said, to learn from last year, take what you can from it, but we're moving forward here. And it's a new system, and he wants them to just go out and play ball and find that rhythm early, which is absolutely what you want to hear. So it has been an interesting week from the football program. You had some really weird news that turned out to be, like, neutral. And then you had a debate going on about an offensive line drill. I mean, it was. It was the craziest thing to me. Like, we're. We're sitting here the second day of spring practice, right? Spring practice. Like, they're just trying to get the guys loose.
[00:09:40] We're not getting ready to play Alabama today.
[00:09:42] Like, and people might flame me for that, but whatever. Like, just getting the guys loose, seeing what you got. It's brand new coach. Like, let's, let's. Hey, like, how do you respond to this type of drill?
[00:09:54] My God, it's. It's. It's funny. Some of the platforms that people have, my. Myself included, but all right, that's. That's spring practice there. Let's. Let's talk about scores here, real games here. Talking men's basketball. It was the last home game of the year this past Tuesday evening. It was senior night, and unfortunately, the result was the same as many of the games this year as the guys fell to Tennessee 78 to 59. Very, very tough way to close out the home season.
[00:10:28] The pictures and the scenes from colonial life during that game were not great.
[00:10:34] You know, certainly towards the end of it, you know, you even had. There was this great visual, hilarious visual. You have to be able to laugh at these things of cocky just just sitting down during the game. Just. Just cocky taking a seat.
[00:10:47] Even cocky. Couldn't even try and get the crowd into that one. Senior night, losing by almost. Almost 20 points. Tough one. Really, really tough one here. But look, I got to give a shout out to Meche Johnson. He put out a really nice post before that game.
[00:11:05] It's his senior night, you know, last. Last one of college basketball. Wasn't even sure he was going to participate or be able to participate in a senior night period at this point last year comes back to a place where he is welcomed. Revered has had some really, really good memories. And he puts down 20 points.
[00:11:26] You know, shout out to me, Johnson. I mean, it's crazy. I mean, because he's been around with Lamont for three of the four years.
[00:11:35] Michi's winning percentage. He hasn't seen a lot of winning basketball at South Carolina, but he's been part of some really fun games and he's made some memories, and he's going to be a player that maybe in two or three years the people might forget about for. You know, that sounds harsh, but you know what I'm saying. But in four, five or six years, people are going to be like, you remember me, Johnson? Like, oh, yeah, that guy could shoot it like, that guy could ball, like. And then you'll have those fond memories of Meeche. And that's what makes college sports so great, is that you'll have these guys who really give it their all. And sometimes it just doesn't work out for them. They don't get the wins like they maybe they deserved.
[00:12:20] And eventually the program is going to turn a new leaf. There'll be a new era. You know, you'll start talking about the guys on that team and whatnot. But then eventually it'll come back around and you'll talk about the revered Meeche. Johnson, right. Michael Carrera. That's a guy who I think is going to have a similar lore of Meeche. A guy that just gave it his all, played hard, didn't necessarily get the wins that maybe he, you know, deserved or, you know, put effort forth, but is still a revered Gamecock. So shout out Michi Johnson. Shout out the seniors.
[00:12:56] The Gamecocks will wrap up the regular season Saturday afternoon, 1pm Tip off against Ole Miss.
[00:13:04] The Rebels are 12 and 18 overall, 4 and 13 in the SEC. I think they are third to last in the standings. We are last. So maybe, just maybe, there's a possibility here to end the season on a win.
[00:13:18] Wouldn't that be fun?
[00:13:20] But then, not too far after that is the SEC tournament. And that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is the path for a Gamecocks NCAA bid. Huh? Who says no? Why not us? A miracle run to go through the SEC tournament, win the tournament and get an automatic bid. It's possible, right?
[00:13:43] I want to say crazier things have happened, but that actually might be the craziest thing if it's ever happens here. But the first round of the tournament, which the Gamecocks will be playing in regardless of seeding and matchup will be Wednesday.
[00:13:56] And we will know after this weekend the Gamecocks matchup and path forward from there. So tune in Saturday afternoon, let's see if the guys can end on a high note, and let's see what happens with the SEC tournament there. And we'll take it from there. And I'm not going to get into the whole Lamont Paris of it all right now. And so we're really just waiting and seeing at this point.
[00:14:18] And then on the other side of things, women's basketball ladies, postseason play is about to begin. The SEC tournament is currently underway, but the Gamecocks got the double buy because of their number one seed. Gamecocks will be taking on Kentucky at noon on Friday. Now, Kentucky is a team that has some momentum. They won their first two tournament games.
[00:14:40] I think it was an upset in the second round. An eight, eight over a nine. Nine over an eight, rather.
[00:14:46] And that always brings a challenge because you're playing a team that has a lot of momentum and you've been not playing and you've been sitting there. So it can present a challenge, particularly in that first quarter or so. But Carolina has the experience, we have the experience on our side leading, led by, excuse me, one, Raven, Tessa Joyce and of course, Dawn. This group knows what it takes to win in these do or die moments, right in these win or go homes, a little more pressure environment. You know, the Thams are going to be out like there. It's going to be a different atmosphere in this game, and I like the ladies chances here. Now, the winner of this game will play Saturday at 4:30pm semifinals and then the SEC championship game, whoever that's with. Hopefully the Gamecocks will be Sunday at 3pm now, it's tough to say crows to the game and things like that, but I think when we get into postseason play and you know, you're playing more desperate teams, if that's the word, right? Teams that are playing really, really hard, season on the line, lot of pressure. I want to see consistent post play that has eluded the Gamecocks at times this year. I think the shooting and the guard play is going to travel and can be consistent. Joyce does a little bit of everything. But you really need more consistent post play from everyone on that roster to be able to really dominate in the way that you want to. And when we talk about the NCAA tournament, to be able to progress nicely throughout that. But of course, we got some time between now and the NCAA Tournament. But let's root our ladies on Hard, big time. This is a big time SEC tournament here and let's see if the ladies can go and defend their crown and then sticking with games that have been played here. But moving over to the diamond, talking baseball here.
[00:16:54] Before we get into what's gone on this week, I have to go back and talk about last series a little bit.
[00:17:00] As a refresher. We're doing a little bit of a different format here until football season, just the weekly shows. So I didn't get a chance to recap and talk about the Clemson series and I don't want to harp on it too much because it's not pleasant. You know, Game one really, really stuck it to the Tigers and it was the first time that Clemson had given up that many runs, looked vulnerable. I really liked what South Carolina did, pitching and hitting. Wise home, home crowd was a factor for sure.
[00:17:31] But then the following two games you got completely outplayed and outclassed and out coached.
[00:17:36] It just is what it is. Like I think it was averaging four hits in those each in those next two games. Like that's just simply not going to get it done. So you're coming off of two years now of bad showings against your rival and that's just not okay. It's just not okay. And again, I've made my feelings about this staff known.
[00:18:02] But you can't be getting cooked by your rival two years in a row like that.
[00:18:08] But other than that, it was a busy week this week for the yard. Cox right back on it. What do you do when you get knocked off a horse? You get right back on. You got a five game week this week. Tuesday night the team took on USC Upstate at home and they did win handedly in this one, 12 to 3. Carolina got the scoring started right away, did not look back. Logan Prisco got the start and a no decision. Cooper Parks got the win. Player highlights from this game, Patrick Evans 4 for 5 with three Ribby's and K.J. scoby 2 for 4 with two RBI. Then on Wednesday the guys took on Charleston Southern and got the win 4 to 1. Connor Ciccoli got the start and a no decision. Brandon Stone Stoney got the win in relief.
[00:18:55] Player highlights here, Adam or excuse me, Aaron Jameson. Sounds like. Sounds like I've been having the Jameson. I came and read. Aaron. Aaron Jameson two for three with one rbi. And then Ethan Lazema one for four with two rbi.
[00:19:09] Up next for the Gamecocks is a weekend series with Princeton. Doubleheader on Saturday, finale is on Sunday. Let's see if the guys can't keep the momentum up from this week. It's still early in the season.
[00:19:21] You're at a point in the year, though, where, you know, you can see where the concerns are, you see where the holes are, and you see where there still is area to continue to improve and, you know, kind of your recipe for success, if you will. So if the guys can get some momentum in this, in this series, this weekend, win that one. It'd be a nice way to start off the month. But with that, y', all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media, Twitter or X is Cox gamecox.
[00:19:50] 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.
