Always a ‘good teammate,’ this Gamecock’s continued good play could help change season
Justin Minaya sprinted past Jair Bolden to an open spot on the floor. He settled in the corner, a few feet in front of South Carolina’s bench at Reed Arena, received Bolden’s pass and shot. A moment later, Minaya was sprinting back for one last defensive possession after adding the final touch on the best performance of his season.
The Gamecocks (10-7, 2-2 SEC) enter Wednesday’s matchup at No. 16 Auburn (15-2, 3-2) on a two-game win streak. The latter of these victories included just one USC player who could say he was there for all of it.
From the tip-off to a closing 3-pointer, Minaya logged the full 40 minutes as Carolina ran away from Texas A&M, 81-67, on Saturday in College Station, Texas. Such a club is an exclusive one in the Frank Martin era. Other Gamecocks to never come out of a game since 2012-13: Duane Notice (Feb. 21, 2015 vs. Texas A&M), Sindarius Thornwell (Feb. 22, 2014 vs. Georgia), Brenton Williams (Feb. 26, 2014 at Auburn and March 8, 2014 at Mississippi State) and Lakeem Jackson (Nov. 11, 2012 vs Milwaukee).
Minaya did it with a career-high 18 points against the Aggies. But here’s the thing: He wasn’t all that far of from doing it a week before at Tennessee — when he didn’t score at all in the one-point loss.
The little things — effort, defense, rebounding — are almost always a part of Minaya’s game. It was all there Jan. 11 in Knoxville when he filled a team-high 34 minutes with 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The Gamecocks outscored the Volunteers by 10 when Minaya was on the floor.
Had he made one bucket — he took four shots — USC would have won.
“Justin’s not a good, (he’s) a great teammate,” Carolina coach Frank Martin said Monday. “He brings a great energy every single day. He brings tremendous spirit every single day.
“He’s just got to get to a place where he’s at peace. He worries too much about the ball not going in and all I keep telling him is, ‘Who cares if it does not go in? What’s the worst that can happen? That we lose a game? Seriously, how lucky are we if that’s the worst thing that ever happens to us? Don’t worry about that. You do everything else. You’re in the gym countless hours at night shooting balls. Let it go, man.’”
Entering last Wednesday’s game with No. 10 Kentucky, Minaya was eight for 41 on 3-pointers in 2019-20. Throw in his injury-abbreviated 2018-19 and Minaya was 10 of 56 from beyond the arc (17.9%) since making 36.4% of his 3s as a freshman.
Yet Martin continued to start the 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward, a nod to his value beyond the numbers.
“My job’s to manage my players as they are as people,” Martin said, “not based on points per game and rebounds per game and wins and losses. All of that to me is irrelevant. If I were to manage people on points per game, maybe I should have benched Justin when he didn’t score a basket for a couple games.”
Minaya rewarded Martin for that trust with 11 points in the final 14:13 of the Kentucky win, including a crucial 26-second sequence when he followed a 3 with a loose ball rebound and layup that stretched the USC lead to 73-70 with 3:15 left.
“It felt good to have a nice stretch,” Minaya said, “just play hard and help the team win.”
He went from a small piece to a major contributor three days later. Minaya hit four 3s — including a dagger off Bolden’s dish with 35 seconds left — handed out a career-high five assists, had eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
As the final seconds ticked away, Minaya turned to the Gamecock bench and slapped hands with first Trey Anderson, then Jalyn McCreary and finally A.J. Lawson.
Minaya’s marathon day, needed as USC was without three key players, was over.
“Justin brings a lot of great energy,” Lawson said. “He’s always going to talk to you, give you good feedback, always communicate with you. That’s one thing that Justin’s always going to do, if he’s having a good day or a bad day. He’s always going to be a good teammate.”
Lately, he’s added “good shooter” back to the résumé. Should it stay there Wednesday, the Gamecocks could have their third win over a ranked opponent in as many tries.
“We need him,” Martin said. “To win these kind of games, we need him to give us an offensive identity.”
SOUTH CAROLINA AT No. 16 AUBURN
Where: Auburn Arena
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 107.5 The Game in Columbia area
KenPom prediction: Auburn 77, South Carolina 67
Four things to watch
1. The Gamecocks are a successful last possession at Tennessee away from being 5-0 in true road games. The SEC’s only team with four such wins now heads to a place where the Tigers are 9-0 this season and beating opponents by an average of 18.7 points.
2. The top five scorers from the last USC-Auburn game in the 2019 SEC Tournament — Chris Silva, Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Tre Campbell and Felipe Haase — aren’t around anymore, giving way to a new set of characters setting the pace for both sides. While Jermaine Couisnard has emerged as Carolina’s new top option, the Tigers have four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Samir Doughty’s 14.6 points a game.
3. Auburn won its first 15 games, rising to No. 4 in the country, before dropping the last two — by a combined 41 points to Alabama and Florida. Which Tiger team shows up?
4. The Gamecocks are expected to get back at least T.J. Moss, but Keyshawn Bryant (head injury) and Trae Hannibal (ankle) remain questionable. USC played shorthanded and won at Texas A&M, but Auburn represents a stiffer challenge.
Projected starting lineups
Auburn (NET ranking 20, KenPom 26)
G J’Von McCormick 10.9 ppg
G Samir Doughty 14.6
F Isaac Okoro 12.8
F Danjel Purifoy 9.5
C Austin Wiley 10.6
South Carolina (NET ranking 98, KenPom 94)
G Jermaine Couisnard 10.6
G A.J. Lawson 13.8
F Justin Minaya 3.2
F Jalyn McCreary 7.4
F Maik Kotsar 9.8
