Replacing BJ Mack: 5 big-man transfer portal options for South Carolina

Let’s do some transfer portal shopping, shall we?

It’s still the early days of the South Carolina men’s basketball offseason, but the Gamecocks’ coaching staff is already knee-deep in the transfer portal, looking for new players to move to Columbia next season. Coming off its 26-7 season and March Madness appearance, USC headed into this portal cycle with heightened anticipation, knowing that head coach Lamont Paris has proven his capabilities at the Power Five level.

There are more than 1,000 men’s basketball athletes in the transfer portal as of Monday, and South Carolina has three scholarship spots to fill. The portal is open until May 1, but players can commit to programs after that deadline as long as they’ve already entered the portal.

If the Gamecocks continue with three scholarships, Paris will have to make a decision for his roster: Will he choose to expand his bigs by two or boost the guards? Keep in mind, South Carolina will also welcome freshman power forward Okku Federiko this season as well.

The Gamecocks in particular are looking to replace the production lost by BJ Mack. The 6-foot-8, 260-pound forward exhausted his college eligibility with one season in Columbia after transferring from Wofford. Mack was second in scoring for USC (13.6 ppg), averaged 4.7 rebounds per game and was third on the team with 47 made 3-pointers.

There’s a plethora of big-man options for the Gamecocks to explore, some with ties to South Carolina and others who’ve had stellar seasons at their respective program.

An option with SC ties

Justin Amadi (James Madison) — Justin Amadi entered the portal after their head coach, Mark Byington, became the Vanderbilt head coach last week.

Amadi (6-7, 225) has spent the last four years with the Dukes, averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game. He missed the 2023-24 season with a lower body injury, but played at least 20 games in his three seasons of action and holds the single-season field goal percentage record at JMU (64%). Amadi will have two years of eligibility left.

Amadi could be an attractive target because he’s from South Carolina. Amadi, from Greenville, won a 5A state championship at Dorman High School with current head coach Thomas Ryan. Amadi entered the transfer portal last Wednesday.

Amadi hasn’t publicly shared any schools he’s heard from as of Monday.

Prospects with interest

Brandon Johnson (East Carolina) — Paris saw junior Brandon Johnson (6-8, 210) play earlier this year when the Gamecocks visited ECU in nonconference action back in December. Johnson had 10 points and eight rebounds in the 68-62 USC victory, and now South Carolina might steal the Pirates’ power forward.

Johnson scored a career-high 30 points on Feb. 12 and has over 600 career rebounds. He has the ability to score in the paint, shooting 43.9% from the field last season, and played roughly 28 minutes per game. He’ll have one year of eligibility left. According to South Carolina’s page on the Portal Tracker, Johnson is one of three forwards the Gamecocks have recently expressed interest in.

Nordin Kapic (Lynn) — Coming off an electric season at Division II Lynn University, Nordin Kapic (6-8, 245) earned second-team All-South Region honors and was a first team All-Sunshine State Conference selection this year. He scored 1,003 points and picked up 507 rebounds in two seasons at Lynn.

Kapic is a former SSC Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year who averaged 31 minutes per game in both seasons. He averaged 19.3 points, two assists and 9.8 rebounds per game during that time, also earning 56 steals and 36 blocks on defense.

Sam Alexis (Chattanooga) — Rounding out six potential options, Sam Alexis (6-9, 230) has spent the last two seasons at Chattanooga. He wasn’t heavily recruited in high school when Paris was the coach of the Mocs, committing to the program in June 2022, but became an All-Freshman team member his rookie season and earned a third-team and all-defensive team nod in his second season with the Mocs. Alexis has two years of eligibility remaining.

Still a young player, Alexis has developed a mature court presence in two seasons of action. He’s capable of handling crucial minutes against experienced rosters and can manage physical contact down low. Alexis has received interest from over 15 schools, including eight other SEC programs.

Alexis has confirmed he’s received interested from South Carolina, according to The Portal Report.

Rafael Pinzon (Bryant) — A lengthy sixth man, Rafael Pinzon (6-6, 195) entered the transfer portal after spending one year at Bryant and two seasons at St. John’s. He played in every game for the Bulldogs last season, averaging 13 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

In his final four games in a Bryant jersey, Pinzon scored at least 19 points and had back-to-back games with five assists. Pinzon finished the season going 56-of-158 (35.4%) from the 3-point line and 45-of-59 (76.2%) in free throws. Pinzon’s agent told The Portal Report on March 31 that USC has reached out.

South Carolina roster tracker

• Projected returners: Jacobi Wright, guard; Myles Stute, guard; Zachary Davis, guard; Austin Herro, guard; Eli Sparkman, guard; Morris Ugusuk, guard; Danny Grajzl, guard; Arden Conyers, guard; Collin Murray-Boyles, forward; Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, forward; Josh Gray, forward

• Incoming freshmen: Trent Noah, guard; Okku Federiko, forward

• Leaving via transfer portal: Meechie Johnson, guard (Ohio State); Ebrima Dibba, guard

• Leaving/out of eligibility: Ta’Lon Cooper, guard; BJ Mack, forward; Stephen Clark, forward

Where things stand for USC down low

As it stands, three of South Carolina’s top four scorers have left the program. The top returner will be forward Collin Murray-Boyles, who averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

USC’s bigs are Murray-Boyles, Josh Gray and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk. Gray came off the bench throughout the season as the lone 7-foot forward, and was a large part of USC’s 1-3-1 defensive scheme. Bosmans-Verdonk mostly played during the nonconference schedule, but was a layer of depth the Gamecocks had in the early season.

Murray-Boyles will see an increased role for next year. He blasted onto the scene in December and earned an All-SEC Freshman award for his rookie season. But who will line up alongside Murray-Boyles? Gray and Bosmans-Verdonk both have experience as starting forwards, but Paris can also keep that duo as bench players and place a new Gamecock in that key position.

With Federiko also joining USC this summer, Paris may end up just taking one forward from the portal with multiple years of eligibility.