South Carolina Gamecocks have natural leader in Jermaine Cousinard
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Along the course of a season, a leader from among the team emerges, not just as a vocal motivator off the court, but also as an inspirational role-model during the game. Someone you can trust to handle the ball, to distribute it to the open man, to create plays without the ball, and to take smart shots. That individual carries the burden of the team and makes it look like it weighs less than a plume on his back. The South Carolina Gamecocks men’s basketball team is fortunate that Jermaine Cousinard has assumed those responsibilities.
The 6-foot-4 guard is in his junior season where he has already set the tempo for the Gamecocks by scoring the most points and dishing out the most assists. He’s averaging 15.5 points per game and has eight total assists along with three steals. Those are some early but albeit impressive numbers. It’s a stat line that reads into the personality of the individual. Someone you can count on to deliver while also helping others achieve their stat line. It’s the true representation of a court general. Also, it’s the type of start that comes as no surprise given his impressive season as a sophomore.
In the 2020-21 season, Cousinard played in 17 games and started 14 of them where he averaged 10.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He also dished out a team high 3.2 assists and nabbed 1.3 steals per game. The game time was there for Cousinard who averaged 27.0 minutes per game and the output was decent given that he was a sophomore on a team that had a lot of veterans. Nonetheless, Cousinard managed to post eight double-figure scoring games and had 10 games where he provided three or more assists. He also had tremendous shooting performances.
Cousinard scored 20 points behind seven makes from the field in a win vs. Tulsa on Nov. 29, 2020, and hit a career high five three-pointers in a win over Texas A&M on Jan. 6, 2021. But his top scoring output for that season came in a 23-point performance in a road win at Georgia on Feb. 27, 2021. Cousinard hit 8-of-16 from the field, including four three-pointers. Those were games that signaled that Cousinard had the makings of a solid leader.
He chose South Carolina because of the great coaching staff. He believed they could help him on the court as well as off it. A hope that certainly has come to fruition given Cousinard’s performances and overall demeanor. He’s an individual who wants to better himself in order to help the team succeed. It is a veritable fact that if Cousinard plays well, the whole team improves. It signifies that he is their designated and natural leader.
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