Shortly before Christmas, in a gym over 1,000 miles away from Colonial Life Arena, Wildens Leveque grabbed 20 rebounds to help Maine’s Gould Academy against Lee Academy. A few days later, eight South Carolina players not named Chris Silva totaled 24 boards in a loss to Clemson.
Gould, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward, is signed as part of USC’s 2019 recruiting class. Perhaps he can step in right away and fix a likely issue facing the Gamecocks next season. Perhaps it takes him a while.
Frank Martin can’t predict the future. The USC coach only knows what he sees now — a team that relies way too much on a senior to collect missed shots.