Gamecocks offers one top in-state basketball player, host another
Working a couple classes, the South Carolina basketball staff has been active on the local recruiting scene.
Bryce McGowens, a rising junior at Wren High School in Piedmont, tweeted Thursday that he’s been offered a scholarship by the Gamecocks. The 6-foot-4 guard is ranked by 247Sports Composite as SC’s second-best player in the 2021 class. McGowens took an unofficial visit to USC on Wednesday.
McGowens, a four-star prospect and top 75 national player, told The State in April he had already met with the Carolina staff.
“They said they already know I can play,” McGowens said. “But they still wanted to get a better relationship with me, get to know me more as a person.
“(USC assistant) Coach Perry (Clark), he’s a real cool guy. You can talk about mostly anything with him.”
McGowens averaged 26 points a game last season at Wren. He holds offers from the likes of Clemson, Pittsburgh (where his brother, Trey, is a rising sophomore), Providence, Georgia Tech and LSU.
PJ Hall, the state’s top player in the 2020 class who’s held a USC offer for over a year, was back on campus Thursday for an unofficial visit.
“It’s grown ever since (the offer),” Hall told The State last week of his relationship with the Gamecocks. “Their entire staff is awesome. From Frank Martin all the way to the (graduate assistant), everyone is so nice there.
“There’s been constant communication. They’re always sending me pictures. Like, ‘Hey, this is the locker room,’ showing me what it’ll be like. Putting me in a jersey. It’s just fun to grow a relationship like that.”
Hall, ranked 63rd nationally by 247Sports Composite, plans to make his final college decision before the start of his senior season at Dorman. The 6-9 forward counts over 20 offers, including Clemson, Florida and Tennessee.
This story was originally published June 27, 2019 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Gamecocks offers one top in-state basketball player, host another."
