When Frank Martin recruits project big men, the South Carolina basketball coach looks for three things. Is the 7-footer soft or does he embrace contact? Does he move well or is the footwork slow and sloppy? How are his hands? Good enough to catch, pass and shoot without limitation?
Jason Cudd, a 7-1 center from Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, checked all of Martin’s boxes. When Cudd committed to the Gamecocks in September 2016, Martin painted a picture in his mind. He saw Cudd banging against the SEC’s top frontlines. He saw him showing off a feathery touch around the basket.