FIRST LOOK AT NEW CHAPTER OF GAMECOCK MEN’S HOOPS
> Carolina began the season with an 80-41 exhibition win over Mars Hill on Nov. 2 at CLA. Meechie Johnson led all scorers in the contest with 16 points. Chico Carter Jr. (13), GG Jackson (11) and Zachary Davis (10) all scored in double figures for Carolina. Benjamin-Bosmans Verdonk led the team with 12 rebounds. The Gamecock defense limited the Lions to just 27.9 percent shooting (17-for-61) and 6.3 percent (1-for-16) shooting from behind the arc. Carolina outscored Mars Hill 44-20 in the second half.
> The Lions were led by first-year head coach Larry Davis, a former Gamecock great (1995-97) and one of the stars on the 1997 SEC Championship squad. His two-year scoring mark of 1,068 points still remains the second most points scored by any two-year player in program history. Davis originally attended North Carolina before transferring to South Carolina and head coach Eddie Fogler.
PARIS WELCOMES TWO PALMETTO PRODUCTS ON SIGNING DAY
> Arden Conyers and Collin Murray-Boyles, both Palmetto State products, each signed National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic careers as Gamecocks in the fall of 2023 on Nov. 9 as a part of the early signing period. They’re the first high school signees in Garnet & Black under Paris’ watch at Carolina. Conyers, a 6-6, 180-pound guard from Blythewood, S.C., is the third ranked player in the state per 247Sports and No. 4 by On3.com. He ranks just outside the top-200 nationally. An all-region pick last season at Westwood High School, he averaged 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for the Redhawks. He will hit the 1,000-career point mark in his senior season. He was recently named one of five to the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association (SCBA) Elite Boys Preseason Team. Murray-Boyles, a 6-7, 200-pound forward from Columbia, S.C. is the third-ranked player in the state and No. 117 in his class via On3.com. He is set to finish his high school career this winter at Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah after prepping at AC Flora the past three seasons. He helped lead the Falcons to a 24-7 record as a junior and appearance in the state title game. Murray-Boyles averaged 18.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.3 blocks and 2.5 assists per game last season at Flora. His older brother played collegiately at UNC Pembroke.
ORDER ON THE COURT
> The Honorable L. Casey Manning enters his 30th season as an analyst for men’s basketball games on the…