It wasn’t a shock to hear it, but it was still unfortunate.
“You can see it in practice, as the season goes long, that his body just couldn’t respond. It didn’t catch me off-guard,” South Carolina coach Frank Martin said Wednesday. “But anytime a young man sits there and he’s trying to tell you, ‘I just can’t do it anymore,’ it’s not an easy moment. Especially somebody of his desire, his spirit.”
Martin was talking of rising redshirt junior guard TeMarcus Blanton, who announced Tuesday that he was bypassing his final two years of eligibility. He’ll remain at USC on full scholarship with a medical exemption and be a full part of the team, but he won’t play any more basketball.