Shamiek Sheppard, one of four newcomers to the South Carolina program, will have to wait to make his collegiate debut until 2015, as he will redshirt the season after tearing his ACL in his right knee, the school announced on Tuesday.
“We feel awful for Shamiek with his injury,” South Carolina head coach Martin said in a statement. “He has worked so hard to put himself in position to play at South Carolina. We look forward to supporting him through his surgery and rehab this season.”
Sheppard, a 6-foot-6 wing from Fishburne Military School (Virginia) committed to South Carolina in March, was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals. That recruiting class is headlined by four-star point guard Marcus Stroman and includes fellow three-star prospects TeMarcus Blanton, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard and James Thompson, a 6-foot-8 power forward.
The Gamecocks back court graduated leading scorer Brenton Williams this past season, though, Martin feels the program is beginning to head in the right direction as he begins his third season in Columbia.
Despite the loss of the incoming freshman, the South Carolina perimeter does return Sindarius Thornwell (13.4 points per game), Tyrone Johnson (11.2) and Duane Notice (8.2).
South Carolina finished second from the bottom in the conference standings with a 14-20 (5-13 SEC) record this past season.