Transfer portal claims two players from Frank Martin’s Gamecocks
South Carolina men’s basketball sophomores Trae Hannibal and Jalyn McCreary entered the transfer portal Tuesday, according to a team spokesperson.
They are the first Gamecocks — and might not be the last — with plans to transfer. There are more than 1,000 Division I basketball players in the transfer portal nationally, largely due to the expectation that the NCAA won’t require transfers to sit out a season.
A local recruit who starred at Hartsville High, Hannibal played off the bench in 20 games for South Carolina this season, often spelling Seventh Woods and Jermaine Couisnard at point guard. A burly, physical 6-foot-3, 220-pound guard, Hannibal averaged six points per game this season and shot 43.8% from the field.
“I have made the decision to enter the transfer portal in search of a new home for my talents,” Hannibal said in an Instagram post. “I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of my journey here at USC and you all will forever hold a special place in my heart.”
McCreary is a 6-foot-8 forward from Marietta, Georgia, who played in 44 career games and averaged 4.5 points. Martin raved about McCreary’s practices before the season, but McCreary suffered a concussion two weeks before the season and also missed time due to quarantining.
The news comes two days after teammate Keyshawn Bryant announced he would test the NBA draft waters.
After weeks of rumors, it also appears as though head coach Frank Martin will remain in Columbia, although there has been no official word from the university on his status. He has just two years remaining on his contract, making about $3 million per season.
The Gamecocks are far from the only team affected by the transfer portal. Regionally, Winthrop has had three players announce plans to transfer since head coach Pat Kelsey left for College of Charleston, while Clemson has lost two players to the portal. Around the SEC, Auburn, Missouri and Ole Miss have each had at least four players add their names to the portal.
Earlier in March, Martin spoke with Kansas City radio station 610 Sports about the challenges of coaching during the current transfer climate.
“Sustaining a high level of winning only happens at a handful programs around the country; everybody else, there’s a rebuilding window,” Martin said. “What’s hurting ... schools like mine is this whole transfer stuff that we’ve been having. How about this — there’s over 700 transfers in the portal right now. We haven’t even started the NCAA tournament, and there’s already 700 transfers. We’ve averaged about 780 transfers a year over the last five years.
“... It’s made it real hard to sustain winning at high levels, so everyone’s going to take a step back and regroup and rebuild it again, and I know that’s what we’re doing.”
A three-star recruit according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Hannibal was seen as a local recruiting win for Martin and his staff, but he started none of the 46 career games he played for the Gamecocks. He posted career highs this season with a 15-point game at Georgia and 30 minutes of playing time in the regular season finale at Kentucky.
Hannibal made news when he didn’t travel with the Gamecocks for a Feb. 24 game at Mississippi State and was announced absent due to a “coach’s decision.” Martin declined to provide specifics about the absence, saying after the game that it was nothing more than an off day.
“I just gave him a day off,” Martin said. “I believe that’s what was released. I gave him a day off. It’s been a hard year, hard moment, hard stretch, and I just gave him a day off.”
The Gamecocks roster could look quite different next season, especially in the backcourt. Along with Bryant, it is expected that leading scorer A.J. Lawson will enter his name into the NBA draft process — as he has done each of the last two seasons — although Lawson has not yet announced a decision.
Because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes due to COVID-19, the senior Woods will also have a decision to make about his future. He played one season in Columbia after transferring from North Carolina.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Transfer portal claims two players from Frank Martin’s Gamecocks."
