Three takeaways from South Carolina basketball exhibition vs. Mars Hill, GG Jackson's debut

COLUMBIA — South Carolina men's basketball tipped off the 2022-23 season with an 80-41 win in an exhibition game against Mars Hill at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday.

The Gamecocks are in a rebuilding year after going 19-13 in 2021-22, and new head coach Lamont Paris will officially kick off his tenure with the season opener next Tuesday (7 p.m., SEC Network) against South Carolina State.

Here are the top takeaways from the exhibition:

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GAMECOCKS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:Three takeaways from South Carolina women's basketball first exhibition game vs. Benedict

GG Jackson, fellow freshmen make impact

Star freshman GG Jackson made his South Carolina debut against Mars Hill with 11 points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal. Jackson's scoring was highlighted by a fast-break dunk midway through the first half.

The No. 1 prospect in the state didn't necessarily dominate, but he looked equally strong on both ends of the court. Jackson's biggest issue was with his physicality, which is certainly understandable for a 17-year-old in his first collegiate game. However, SEC competition will be much fiercer than Division II Mars Hill, so it could be easy for Jackson to get overwhelmed.

"It was just fun to get out there," Jackson said. "I was extremely nervous when the team was in the huddle, but as soon as we ran out and I got to see the crowd and I got to get a feel for it, it was pretty straight."

The other Class of 2022 signees also had solid nights against Mars Hill. Daniel Hankins-Sanford started alongside Jackson and finished with seven points. Zachary Davis was 4-for-8 from the field and 2-for-5 from three, finishing with 10 points including a dunk late in the second half.

Meechie Johnson shines at point guard

Ohio State transfer Meechie Johnson does a little bit of everything for the Gamecocks. He finished with a team-high 16 points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal. Johnson is an excellent 3-point shooter as well, but his passing stood out the most. His vision looked impressive, spotting open teammates anywhere around the arc and flinging no-look passes from opposite ends of the baseline.

"We share the ball. I think that's going to be a calling card for us," Paris said. "We shared the ball really well, especially in that first half. Meechie made a pass to Zach (Davis) on the last possession of the first half for a wide-open three when he could have shot it himself, so I love to see that kind of unselfishness. It's hard to balance selfishness and aggression at the same time."

The Gamecocks don't have a solid second option at point guard, so Johnson is going to be on the court a lot this season — and that's a good thing based on his performance tonight.

Gamecocks disorganized on defense

The point differential looks like South Carolina shut the Lions down, but Mars Hill shot just 17-of-61 from the field and 1-of-16 from three. Paris is known as a defense-focused coach, so there's plenty of time to turn things around, but the baseline isn't high.

South Carolina's man coverage was sloppy and prone to leaving open shooters beyond the arc. Jackson said most of the team was beat one-on-one at some point, but he said Paris's system isn't complicated and expects it will improve as the season goes on.

"There were some ... breakdowns and individual defense, and that shouldn't happen," Paris said. "We've got so many guys that this was the first real actual game-type situation for them, so it sounds it sounds great to say we're going to go out and guard these guys all night, but that's not what you're thinking about when you're their age."

Rebounding was a strength with 29 defensive rebounds led by from 12 Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk — though that may also be a product of the Gamecocks' size advantage.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Takeaways from South Carolina basketball exhibition vs. Mars Hill