Jermaine Couisnard could’ve played college basketball this year, but would’ve had to redshirt because his grades were slightly too low.
Instead, Couisnard decided to go to Montverde Academy, a prep school in Montverde, Fla.
The move paid off in a big way for the 2017 East Chicago Central graduate.
Couisnard, a 6-foot-4 guard, made a verbal commitment on Saturday to play at South Carolina.
Couisnard said playing against Montverde’s R.J. Barrett, a Duke commit, in practice helped his game. Barrett, a 6-7 guard, is rated as the top player in the country in the Class of 2018 by Rivals.com.
Couisnard, an Indiana All-Star last season, selected the Gamecocks because coach Frank Martin reached out to him earlier than other schools.
Illinois and Louisville had offered scholarships, Couisnard said. West Virginia and Ohio State had contacted him the in the last few weeks and were interested.
But Couisnard decided the Gamecocks were the right choice.
“I really trusted the coaches,” he said. “I like they way they play.”
Cousinard said he had a 2.2 grade-point average at East Chicago and he needed a 2.3 to play in college.
He said he was able to get SAT scores up and improve his study habits at Montverde.
The extra year has paid off in the weight room and on the court. Couisnard said he’s averaging 24 points, four assists and six rebounds.
South Carolina will use him as a combo guard.
Couisnard knew last spring when he took an unofficial visit to Kansas that prep school was the way he was going to go. The Kansas coaches had told him that would be his best strategy.
“I knew I needed to go somewhere to get better,” he said. “I think I’m a lot better than I was last year. I’m a lot smarter.”
Couisnard averaged 29.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season. He was unable to play in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Games because of a knee injury.
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