After big man Josh Gray decided to leave the team for his final year of eligibility, South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris had three scholarships to deal with in the transfer portal. After the Gamecocks secured their first offseason transfer portal commitment, that figure fell to two on Sunday.
Jordan Butler, a native of South Carolina and former center for the Missouri Tigers, is reportedly dedicated to the South Carolina basketball program, per a report by On3’s Joe Tipton.
Butler’s mother Casie played college basketball for the Gamecocks, and his father John is the head coach at Christ Church Episcopal School. USC was second in his recruitment when he came out of high school, but Coach Paris landed the big fella this time around.
As a player, Butler is a long and rangy defender who posted nearly a block per game in just 11 minutes per contest last season as a freshman at Mizzou. He also has some untapped potential on the offensive end of the floor, most notably, a smooth shooting stroke that he couldn’t quite find during his time in the “other Columbia.”
Butler struggled with his offensive efficiency during the 2023-2024 season, but all of Carolina’s bigs last year (other than high-volume player BJ Mack) were efficient and took smart shots for the Gamecocks. If Butler is able to be a positive player on offense, he will have a chance to play a valuable role for next year’s team.
With his pledge, Butler adds another athlete to the Gamecocks roster who is longer than average for his position. USC currently boasts two post players with wingspans well over 7’0″ (Butler and incoming freshman Okku Federiko) and a flurry of guards and wings who will be longer than most of their opponents, demonstrating Lamont Paris’s evident emphasis on lengthening the team wherever feasible.
Butler will have the opportunity to compete for significant playing time as early as next season, but he probably won’t be the only transfer portal big the Gamecocks bring in this offseason. Star sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles is able to maintain his natural power forward position because to Butler.
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