low-usage Gamecock forward, bigger value as a program guy
Brian Steele’s South Carolina playing profile is that of a reserve forward who battled knee injuries and eventually shifted off the court, appearing in 50 career games with 4 starts for the Gamecocks from 2012-15; in his junior season in 2014-15, he averaged 1.7 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 8.5 minutes per game. His differentiator was toughness and basketball IQ rather than box-score volume, and South Carolina’s staff credited his courage, fight and mind as traits that helped define the program. If you want an impact player, he wasn’t that; if you want a gritty connector and culture fit, he was exactly the type.
