Frank Martin: No ‘structural damage’ in Keyshawn Bryant’s shoulder
The South Carolina men’s basketball team shouldn’t be without senior forward Keyshawn Bryant for long.
Speaking on his “Carolina Calls” radio show Thursday, head coach Frank Martin offered an optimistic diagnosis of Bryant’s shoulder injury, which he suffered in USC’s 81-66 loss to No. 9 Auburn in Tuesday’s SEC opener.
After taking a hard fall in the first half, Bryant exited the court and returned from the locker room with a sling around his left arm.
“There’s no structural damage whatsoever,” Martin said on the radio show Thursday. “He spent all day today rehabbing, and the plan is for him to try to do some things tomorrow. He’s been cleared for whatever he can tolerate.”
The Gamecocks (9-4, 0-1 SEC) are scheduled to face Vanderbilt in Nashville at noon Saturday, and Martin said the Gamecocks likely won’t make a decision on Bryant’s status until Friday.
Martin had said after Tuesday’s game that he didn’t believe Bryant separated his shoulder but might have injured his AC joint. Ultimately, the length of his absence will come down to pain tolerance.
The team’s top returning scorer from a year ago with 14.4 points per game, Bryant missed the first five games of this season due to a violation of athletic department policy.
Since returning, Bryant has largely reprised the role he played last year as a sixth man and playmaker off the bench. In eight games (two starts), Bryant is averaging eight points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Should Bryant miss time, expect the Gamecocks to lean on explosive freshman Devin Carter as a scorer on the wing.
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina at Vanderbilt
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville
Watch: ESPNU
