2017 South Carolina MBB team made history with Final Four run: Where are they now?

The South Carolina men’s basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, seeded No. 6 in the Midwest Region with a first-round matchup Thursday against No. 11 Oregon.

It’s the first March Madness appearance since 2017, when the Gamecocks made a magical run to the program’s first Final Four. USC defeated Marquette in the opener, then beat powerhouse Duke in the second round before defeating Baylor and Florida in the regional rounds in Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Gamecocks lost to Gonzaga, 77-73, in the Final Four in Phoenix to end the run. Here is a look at who was on that team and where are they now:

The Players

TeMarcus Blanton: Played in 29 games for the Gamecocks in the 2016-17 season. He then served as a graduate assistant for USC basketball. Currently, Blanton is an assistant basketball coach at South Cobb High School in Georgia and works in real estate.

Tommy Corchiani: Was a freshman walk-on and son of former N.C. State guard Chris Corchiani. He appeared in 13 games in 2016-17 and retired from basketball after the next season because of injuries. Currently, Corchiani is the Southwest regional sales manager at Tryon Title, a residential and commercial title insurance policy.

PJ Dozier: The Columbia native and McDonald’s High School All-American was a sophomore guard on the team and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Dozier declared for the NBA Draft after the Final Four and later signed a free agent deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played in the NBA for four different teams from 2017-23. Currently, he is playing for Partizan in the European Basketball League and is averaging 8.5 points and 3.8 assists per game.

Rakym Felder: Was freshman on the Gamecocks’ 2016-17 team and provided a spark at times off the bench. He averaged 5.6 points and appeared in 36 games that year, including a 15-point game in the NCAA Tournament win over Duke. Felder was dismissed from the team following an arrest in July 2017. He re-enrolled in January 2018 but was dismissed again in April 2018. After USC, Felder went to New Mexico Junior College and Wiley College in Texas before finishing up at Tuskegee in Alabama.

Hassani Gravett: Was a sophomore on the team and averaged 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 35 games in 2016-17. Played two more seasons at USC and was SEC Sixth Man of the Year in 2019. He signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic in 2019 and played four seasons in the NBA and G-League. Currently, he is playing for Śląsk Wrocław in the Polish Basketball League.

Khadim Gueye: Freshman from Senegal played 12 games in 2016-17. Gueye played one more season with the Gamecocks before transferring to Akron. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Gueye pleaded guilty to the assault of teammate Mark Kostelac that took place during a 2019 practice.

Evan Hinson: Joined the Gamecocks basketball team after playing for the USC football team in the fall. Hinson was a freshman in 2016-17 and played in eight games that season. Played two more seasons at USC before transferring to Austin Peay his senior year. Currently, Hinson is playing overseas with BC Astrali.

Kory Holden: Was a transfer from Delaware and had to sit out the 2016-17 season for the Gamecocks. Played 2017–18 for USC before transferring to South Alabama for senior season. Currently, he is a program director at Minary’s Dream Alliance Inc., a non-profit organization in Maryland.

Jarrell Holliman: Was a junior on the 2016-17 team and appeared in 15 games. He left the basketball program after the season. After USC, he played basketball overseas. After his playing career ended, he founded Syndicate Training and Team Flight AAU in Seattle. Currently, Holliman works as a procurement assistant for the Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners.

Sedee Keita: Was a freshman on the 2016-17 team and appeared in 29 games. Keita transferred after the season and played at St. John’s in 2018-19 and then Florida International.

Maik Kotsar: The 6-foot-11 Slovinian made a big impact as a freshman on the 2016-17 team, averaging 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 37 games, with 33 starts. He was a second-team all-SEC member as a senior in the 2019-20 season. Currently, Kotsar is playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Spanish League.

Justin McKie: Standout at Irmo and son of Gamecock great BJ McKie was a senior guard on the 2016-17 USC team. He appeared in 37 games, making seven starts and averaging 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds with a season-high 13 points against Auburn. After USC, McKie spent a year on USC’s basketball staff before getting involved in some modeling. Currently, he works at UPS and is a referee for Division I and II college basketball games. This past year, he was a referee for Big South, Conference Carolinas and SIAC games.

Duane Notice: Was a senior on the team and averaged 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists. He left USC as the all-time leader in games played with 138. Currently, he is a member of the Vancouver Bandits in the Canadian Basketball League and averaged 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 2023. The Bandits start their 2024 season in May. He also hosts a podcast “SceneDMs” with MiKyle McIntosh that talks about pop culture and movies. Notice also is a color commentator for Toronto Raptors’ G-League team games.

Sindarius Thornwell: Was a senior on the team and the face of the program during the Frank Martin era. Thornwell was the SEC Player of the Year his final year at USC and averaged 21.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Played through sickness in the Final Four game against Gonzaga. Was a second-round NBA Draft pick by the Milwaukee Bucks and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night. Played in the NBA or G-League from 2017-2021. Currently, he plays in Russia with BC Avtodor.

Ran Tut: Was a junior on the 2016-17 team and appeared in 15 games. He transferred after the season to Angelo State where he appeared in 29 games.

Christian Schmitt: Was a freshman on the 2016-17 team and appeared in five games. He played one more season at USC before giving up basketball.

Chris Silva: Was a sophomore center on the team and known for his thunderous dunks and averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds that season. As a senior, he was first team all-SEC by coaches and first team all-defensive team. He signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat in 2019. Currently, Silva is playing for the College Park Skyhawks, the Atlanta Hawks affiliate in the NBA G-League and is averaging 17.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.

The Coaches

Frank Martin: Head coach at USC for 10 seasons and for the Final Four run. Martin compiled a 171-147 career record with the Gamecocks. The win total is the third most in program history. Martin was fired following the 2021-22 season and then hired at UMass shortly afterward. UMass was 20-10 this season and finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Matt Figger: Was an assistant for the Gamecocks from 2012-17 before being introduced as head coach at Austin Peay on April 6, 2017. Figger went 76-51 at Austin Peay from 2017-21 before being named the new coach at Texas–Rio Grande Valley on March 29, 2021. He just finished his third season and UTRGV went 6-25 this season.

Perry Clark: Was an assistant at USC from 2013-20 after head coaching stops at Miami, Tulane and Texas Corpus Christi. Retired in 2020 and was inducted to Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame this year. He is working as an analyst for ESPN.

Bruce Shingler: Previously worked with Martin and Kansas State and was hired at USC in 2016. He stayed with the Gamecocks until Martin’s dismissal. Shingler was hired at Maryland in 2021 before being let go after prostitution charges against him were dropped. Shingler is currently a high school head coach at Riverdale Baptist in the Washington, D.C., area.