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Troy Boynton talks South Carolina commitment

On3 imageby: Collyn Taylor04/17/22collyntaylor
On3 image
Courtesy Troy Boynton's Twitter account

Troy Boynton could have easily jumped on a scholarship offer at one of the few mid-majors going after him. But ultimately his relationship with South Carolina’s head coach won out.

Boynton becomes the first commitment of the Lamont Paris era, committing to the Gamecocks Saturday night.

“The relationship has been there through Chattanooga. I’d probably be at Chattanooga if he were still there,” Boynton told GamecockCentral. “He’s a great guy. He has a great group of staff guys. He called me a couple days ago. I thought it was a great opportunity and couldn’t turn it down. I decided to make it official and hop on board.”

Boynton started his career at Evansville and didn’t play this year after an injury, opting to enter the transfer portal in the middle of the season.

He’s also getting closer to full-go, saying he’s “maybe a few weeks” away. He’s already dribbling and shooting while lifting some weights as well.

Boynton will initially enroll at South Carolina as a walk-on with the hope of earning a scholarship during his time in Columbia. It’s been a mantra, he said, of Paris’s to reward players with scholarships if they earn one throughout their work.

“I had some mid-majors reach out and offer me scholarships, but I trust coach Paris and his judgment with it,” he said. “He sees me be able to come and earn that scholarship, maybe even as early as this summer as soon as I prove I’m back healthy and sees that I’m working hard.”

Paris also was a big reason why Boynton wanted to make South Carolina his next step.

His relationship with Paris obviously dates back to the head coach’s time at Chattanooga and likes the things Paris stands for in his program.

“I think he’s such a smart guy, a genuine guy. He seems like he wants to have a good culture of guys. He’s had that at Chattanooga. It’s a winning culture. He wins,” Boynton said.

“That’s something he does for sure. He wins and wants to win. Being around a good group of guys, there’s nothing more that you can ask for.”

There’s no set date yet on when he’ll arrive on campus, but he’s excited to get down and begin his time at South Carolina.

He’s hoping to chisel out a role however he can, and it could start on defense.

“I’m a team player. I’m not a selfish player at all. I always want to win. I’m always guarding the best guy. Defense is a big thing of mine. I’m always guarding the top guy. I’ll lock him down,” he said. “Whether I score 10 points or zero points that’s not on my mind. My job is to help the team win in whatever way I can.”

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