Gamecock Hoops Mum On Player Arrests

COACH FRANK MARTIN REFUSES TO COMMENT ON CHARGES AGAINST ERIC COBB, JAMALL GREGORY

The University of South Carolina athletics department isn’t commenting on the arrest of two members of its men’s basketball team.

“We are aware of the allegations against Eric Cobb and Jamall Gregory and we will have no further comment at this time due to this being a legal matter,” fourth-year head coach Frank Martin said in a statement.

Cobb and Gregory are facing a variety of criminal charges related to multiple incidents involving pellet guns. Both remain suspended indefinitely from the team.

Cobb has been charged with one count of malicious injury to private property as well as a third-degree assault and battery charge. According to police, he shot and fired a pellet gun at an occupied vehicle during an incident on March 7. Meanwhile Gregory is facing three counts of malicious injury to personal property and one of count of malicious injury to real property after allegedly fired a pellet gun at multiple vehicles (and one building) on March 9.

Martin suspended Cobb and Gregory – and three other players – on March 15, less than two hours before the Gamecocks tipped off in their National Invitation Tournament (NIT) opener against High Point.

Cobb, a 6-foot-10, 275-pound freshman forward, played just over six minutes per game – appearing in 24 contests.  Gregory, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound freshman guard from Washington, D.C., averaged just 6.7 minutes per game in 20 contests.

South Carolina has posted a 25-8 record this season – tying the school’s single-season record for victories.  Unfortunately, a late-season collapse (including two losses to SEC rival Georgia) caused the Gamecocks to narrowly miss what would have been the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2004.

Martin’s team tips off this coming Monday evening against Georgia Tech at the Colonial Life Center in downtown Columbia, S.C.  The game will be televised nationally on ESPN, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EDT.

Pic: Travis Bell Photography

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