As the senior men’s basketball players from South Carolina make their final appearance at the Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night, head coach Darrin Horn needs to let the seniors start the game.
The graduating class this year includes Robert Wilder, Evka Baniulis, Devan Downey, Brandis Raley-Ross, and the injured Dominique Archie.
If the Gamecocks were playing for something such as tournament seeding or an SEC title, I would feel different. But they are not. Only pride is what the Gamecocks are playing for on Wednesday night against Alabama.
Therefore, Horn should start his four active seniors, and yes, that includes senior guard Robert Wilder.
Wilder, a former walk-on from Chapin, South Carolina is a fan favorite. He routinely gets the loudest reception when he enters the game, next to Devan Downey. Wilder has played in 12 games, averaging 4.7 minutes in those games.
Wilder often draws the chant, “Rob, Rob, Rob…” with the hope that the sparingly played guard takes a shot. He is 1 for 3 shooting the ball this year.
Evka Baniulis on the other hand, has gotten a little more playing time than Wilder. However, his play over the past four years has been consistently inconsistent.
Known for his 3-point shot, the 6-9 forward from Lithuania has struggled from behind the arc all season. In 27 games this season, Baniulis is average 27.5% shooting from 3-point range. That is well below his career average.
Baniulis has often had his play scrutinized by fans and coaches alike. He did not play in Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. Horn said that Baniulis did not do all the things that some of his freshmen could.
The two more well known seniors on this roster are Downey and Raley-Ross. The two guards have provided the most leadership and production on a team that has struggled since the knee injury to Archie and the dismissal of Mike Holmes.
Downey transferred from Cincinnati after the school let now-Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy walk after taking over for a fired Bob Huggins. In the move to South Carolina, the Chester-native returned closer to home.
Downey proceeded to become one of the most prolific players in Gamecocks’ basketball history. He arguably has the most heart of any player in college basketball.
Downey was on many national and conference awards watch list entering the season, including a finalist for the Bob Couzy Award. An ankle injury has slowed the 5-9 point guard from the way he played earlier in the year, when it looked like he was a front-runner for SEC player of the year.
To summarize Downey’s career at South Carolina, let’s just say that the university’s 5-year wait rule to retire a players number should be lifted in this case. No one in the men’s basketball program should ever wear Downey’s #2 again.
Brandis Raley-Ross has always been a player that you just waited for to break out. In his four years at South Carolina, the 6-3 guard had the soft touch and 3-point shooting ability, but he could not do it on a consistent basis.
Raley-Ross has started every game this season beside Downey, but it has not been until late where he is able to perform as a scoring compliment to the star guard. Raley-Ross has always played second-string to the star of Downey, but has always been a vocal leader for this team. (For a previous story on Raley-Ross, click here)
The final senior is forward Dominique Archie. The hope is that the 6-9 senior will get a medical redshirt after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Charleston Classic against Miami (FL).
Archie may be the player that has the most upside at the next level. Archie can play down in the post and also step outside to knock down a three pointer.
Archie’s biggest problem always seemed to be that he does not always realize how good he could be. He is a great player and if he gets the opportunity to be the star next season, Archie could have the break-out season that everyone has been waiting on.
In less than 72 hours, these seniors will take the court for the final time. Letting all of them play the first four minutes before the first media timeout is not going to lose you the game. While two of the seniors have not been major contributors this season, they have been fan favorites over the course of their careers.
It has been said, Rob Wilder should start his final home game at Carolina. Who knows, maybe he’ll finally breakout and show that he should have always been in the starting lineup.
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