Kory Holden Picks South Carolina

From the Satchel Pierce transferring post before Holden had made a decision

I am not that excited by the prospect of Holden choosing us. He will have to sit out a season, then he will end up being a junior in with Clarke, Robinson, Blackshear behind a stellar Senior class so his impact on this team will be most likely as a backup two years from now and possibly a starter as a senior as a wing/point combo guard assuming Buzz doesn't bring in a better talent before then. I get that he scored 17.7 PPG at Delaware, but when you look at their atrocious schedule, some of our guys played against better talent in high school and they still went 7-23. Holden to me was a lesser version of Delaney when he was a senior here. His scoring was up because he was the one of the only ones at Delaware who could score. He does however have a reliable outside shot which was something we could have used one more of this season.

I think my trepidation is that we have an abundance of better guard/wing players on this roster already so I would rather the slot go to someone that can contribute down low to replace LeDay since he will have graduated before a transfer can play. A taller winger (6'8 - 6'9) or a full big body (6'10 and up)

A bit of the same trepidation hangs with Terrell Allen but he gives us one more year that Holden does not so he could be the starting point guard once Robinson graduates and gives us solid depth along with a scoring touch while passing. I think this addition would be cleaner in terms of depth/role. It also gives us a Dematha grad presence on the roster which is a solid recruiting connection for Buzz to have in feeding talent down the line. He also seems to have one thing that Buzz is always looking for and thats the knack for playing tough one on one defense better than Holden.

Savon Goodman would be a great addition for next season but leaves us searching again after one year since he is a graduate transfer, although he would be dropped straight into the mix of getting time with the other wingers or possibly off setting Leday. Coming off a pretty strong season at ASU considering he put up 9.6 PPG with 6.4 RPG on only 21 minutes on the floor. Great touch from the floor but terrible at the charity stripe. He would give us someone that likes the same role LeDay has, that shorter big body that doesnt mind getting in the mix down low. He is a bit of a knucklehead though so I dont know how that would go over with Buzz. Had to miss an entire season in 2013 after being charged with a string of crimes.

L.G. Gill is another small forward that could come in and make an immediate impact for one season. Having LeDay in the role he is though may make us a less attractive option for Gill because they essentially play the same game. Considering our lack of depth in terms of bigs for next year though, I could easily see Buzz having Gill and LeDay out there with Robinson, Allen and pick your poison of Bibbs, Hill, Outlaw(pending medical outcome), Clarke. Once you make a list like that, its kind of easy to see why Hudson decided to find somewhere else to finish his career. I know Gill has a full plate of suitors but I never count Buzz out if its someone he really wants in the program.

Dayon Griffin really doesnt do much for me. Seems a less talented mold of Clarke, Hill, Bibbs and even Hudson. He had a decent sophomore year but considering the opposition, I would have liked to have seen better numbers than his 11.7 PPG and 4.6 RPG. He does appear to have a solid shot from outside but seems a step slow on the defensive end, quite often getting beat along the baseline, allowing easy lay ups.

Evan Maxwell would make for a great addition. Someone that has shown he can play down low, has the body size to be able to post up with most bigs in the ACC at 6'10 and 245 Lbs, getting a season of conditioning under Buzz could only help and then he could step in as a Junior with Kerry Blackshear to work down low, hopefully with Khadim Sy backing both of them up by that point. With Pierce, Hamilton and Henry gone by the time he would be eligible, it would be great to have an experienced big stepping in rather than grooming another freshmen behind Sy to try to fill the role. Unless Sy dramatically improves, I dont see him really delivering much to the program until probably his Junior season. I think it will take his first two years on campus to really catch up considering how little basketball he has actually played. My concern here is that Maxwell may try to find a school close to home and attempt for a hardship waiver so he can play next season. Maxwell appears to be down to Virginia Tech and Baylor so I would hope that if Buzz wants him he can make the final push to bring him in.

Another big out there that would be interesting is Daniel Giddens, who is leaving Ohio State. Defensively he is ready to play in the ACC down low, offensively he is a work in progress, but another season working with Buzz could give us a dynamic duo in Giddens and Blackshear. The other good news is that Giddens is only a freshmen so he would have three years remaining once he sat out.

A couple other transfers I could see in Orange and Maroon are Donovan Gilmore College of Charleston (considering how LeDay flourished with Buzz, he is another I think could fit that mold), Roland Griffin Illinois State (Griffin had a somewhat productive freshmen season and wants to flourish on a bigger stage), Francois Lewis Florida A&M Rattlers (another decent freshmen season, looking to do bigger things, nice touch around the rim, 6'9, 200 lbs) and Elijah Minni Robert Morris (12ppg/6.6rpg as a soph, 6'8, 210 Lbs, good feet around the rim, positions well for rebounds)

A few graduate transfers I wouldnt mind seeing Buzz pursue would be Laron Smith Bethune-Cookman (6'8, 230 Lbs, solid 7 and 7 guy with a big enough body to give Leday a breather), Anthony Livingston Arkansas State (6'8, 230, from DC, put up 15.5 PPG/9.4 RPG last year), Merrill Holden LA-Tech (6'8, 215 Lbs, 8PPG/5RPG, better than 70% at line),