Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball team begins their season in less than a month. On November 4th, the North Florida Ospreys will travel to Colonial Life Arena for the opener, and the 2024-2025 Gamecock season officially will be underway. In the weeks leading up to the first game, GamecockCentral will profile each member of the team. Today we will look at senior wing Myles Stute.
Myles Stute (Redshirt Senior, Small Forward/Shooting Guard), 6’6”, 210 pounds)
Last Season: 27 games (17 starts), 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 41.0%/38.5%/68.4%
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Arguably the best shooter on the South Carolina basketball team is Myles Stute. The fifth-year senior began last year as a starter but fought through several injuries down the stretch, causing him to miss some games and then transition to a reserve role. Now fully healthy, No. 10 will look to have a strong final year in college basketball.
At about 6’6″ and over 200 pounds, Stute plays on the wing, but he can mix it up inside a little bit, as well. Lamont Paris wasn’t afraid to slide him (or fellow wing Zach Davis) to the power forward spot in certain situations. Because of that, Stute logged at least five rebounds in nearly one-third of his games last year.
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On offense, Stute is more than just a catch-and-shoot player, even though that is his top skill. He is a solid offensive rebounder who does well with putbacks through contact. Stute also has a knack for getting defenders on his back to draw fouls in the rare instances he drives to the basket. Still, he makes his biggest impact chucking the pumpkin toward the hoop from long distances. The Gamecocks were 11-1 last year in games in which Stute made multiple shots from outside. They also were a perfect 5-0 in SEC games when Stute knocked down more than one perimeter jumper.
Defensively, Stute was solid for the Gamecocks prior to his injuries. He primarily guarded bigger wings but did a decent job when switched onto bigs or smaller guards, too. Following his injuries, he wasn’t quite as effective, but he fought as hard as anyone on that end. Stute has a unique combination of length and strength among the Gamecocks’ perimeter players. A good year on defense is certainly on the table for him.
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Right now, it is unclear if Stute will start, but that likely won’t matter. Last year, Stute and Zach Davis got the majority of the team’s minutes at the 3-spot, and there were plenty of instances in which the starter played fewer minutes than the one who came off the bench. He and Davis shared the floor at times last year, as well. If Stute has a hot hand, he will play big minutes.
Stute and the Gamecocks hope to follow up a record-tying 26-win season and 2nd-place SEC finish with another strong year. Another trip to the NCAA Tournament would mark South Carolina’s first back-to-back berths in the Big Dance since the 1990s.
