Sindarius Thornwell answers long-asked question: Why didn’t USC build on Final Four?
With Frank Martin out at South Carolina, Gamecocks basketball great Sindarius Thornwell on Monday answered one of the biggest questions of Martin’s era in Columbia — why wasn’t USC able to build on its 2017 Final Four run?
Thornwell joined in a Twitter Space audio conversation Monday hosted by Vizor Sports about all things related to his former coach.
Thornwell was the centerpiece of South Carolina’s lone Final Four appearance, which ended up as the Gamecocks’ only NCAA bid under Martin. Why couldn’t USC capitalize on that historic season with better recruiting and more postseason appearances? The answer was easy, according to Thornwell.
USC lost sophomore star P.J. Dozier, the highest-rated recruit to ever sign with the Gamecocks out of high school, to the NBA. Dozier’s early departure hurt recruiting, especially within the state of South Carolina, Thornwell said.
“The number one thing was P.J.,” Thornwell said. “I think P.J. leaving the same year I left hurt the program. (I’m) not saying P.J. hurt us, this or that, but guys were like, ‘Who am I gonna come here and play with now?’ Like PJ was — I’m not gonna say he was supposed (to) — but he was supposed to, when we left, to carry the throne for another year or two, so that he could get those other guys to come and play.”
Thornwell, who averaged 21.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals as a senior, and fellow starter Duane Notice, who averaged 10.2 points, both graduated after the 2017 Final Four run. That South Carolina 2016-17 roster also included senior and veteran leader Justin McKie.
Dozier was the Gamecocks’ second-leading scorer behind Thornwell in his final year, averaging 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
A season later, South Carolina went 17-16 (7-11 SEC) and finished in a tie for 11th place in the conference.
Thornwell said he had spoken with in-state talent Jalek Felton (Gray Collegiate in West Columbia) and Zion Williamson (Spartanburg Day in Spartanburg) during their college searches, and both expressed concerns about having to shoulder the load at USC without more experience around them.
Felton went to North Carolina, while Williamson went to Duke.
“I talked to Zion, and Zion would say, ‘Sin, if I would have come to South Carolina, who was I gonna play with?’ ” Thornwell said. “Jalek was like ‘When y’all left ... I felt like it was gonna all be on me.’ P.J. was supposed to be that, who I was for him. You look at all these programs that consistently win, that’s what they have. They have that sophomore, junior guy that’s always still lingering around, who guys want to go play with.
“Once P.J. decided to leave, all those top recruits, like Jalek Felton, the Zions, they’re looking it at like, ‘If I go to South Carolina, how the hell are we gonna win? Like, who are we gonna play with?’ ”
Thornwell tweeted after making his Twitter Space comments to send his support to Martin.
“My guy forever and always love you coach you’ll forever be missed @FrankMartin_SC,” he wrote.
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Sindarius Thornwell answers long-asked question: Why didn’t USC build on Final Four?."
