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All-Missouri Valley forward on South Carolina's transfer portal radar

by: Kevin Miller03/24/25kevinbmiller52
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Devin Royal (21) defends Valparaiso Beacons forward Cooper Schwieger (13) during the during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Dec. 17, 2024.
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Devin Royal (21) defends Valparaiso Beacons forward Cooper Schwieger (13) during the during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Dec. 17, 2024.

Former Valparaiso Beacons forward Cooper Schwieger has heard from South Carolina basketball since entering the transfer portal, his agent told On3’s Joe Tipton. Along with a slew of other power conference suitors, the Gamecocks have a lot to like in the 6-10 forward.

Schwieger, who made the All-Missouri Valley Conference team this season, earned one of the league’s Most Improved Player designations. That means something considering he was the league’s Freshman of the Year a season ago. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds while blocking 2.0 shots per game. Offensively, he has nice touch, both around the basket and on jumpers. He shot just 29.8% from 3-point land this season but has a better shot than those numbers indicate.

Against the University of Illinois-Chicago in the regular season finale, Schwieger dropped a ridiculous stat line of 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists. He was the first player in college basketball to reach those numbers in a non-overtime game since 2011.

South Carolina basketball transfer portal resources:

With two more years of eligibility, Schwieger will be a sought-after commodity in this year’s portal. He is one of the country’s best combinations of size, movement ability, skill, and instincts. For Valparaiso, he was comfortable operating as the screen man in both the pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll game. He also knows how to use his shoulder and length to generate space to score despite close defense. Schwieger isn’t an elite ballhandler, but he is aggressive and has a good enough feel for the ball to put the pumpkin on the floor to get by less-athletic bigs.

The Gamecocks should be major players in this year’s transfer portal.

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