What Jermaine Cousinard said about Oregon facing South Carolina in NCAA Tournament

Jermaine Couisnard got a lot of congratulatory messages after Oregon won the Pac-12 basketball championship game Saturday. Two of them came from his former South Carolina teammates Josh Gary and Jacobi Wright.

Those friendly exchanges might happen a little less often this week as Oregon will face South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 4 p.m. Thursday in Pittsburgh.

“I still talk to them to this day. They congratulated me (Saturday). I haven’t checked my phone yet but I know they probably text me, but I am not going to text them back. They know how I get,” Couisnard said with a smile to reporters Sunday night. “... It is a good opportunity for us. I know a couple of guys over there, strength coach and trainer. I didn’t think we would get them ... but it is going to be a fun game for me.”

Gray and Wright are the only two players left from USC’s roster when Couisnard decided to leave the program following the 2021-22 season. He announced he was transferring shortly after the dismissal of Frank Martin, who recruited the three-star prospect out of Montverde Academy in Florida.

“He spent four years there so it definitely will be important,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said of Couisnard facing his former team.

Couisnard redshirted his first season at USC and was a three-starter for the Gamecocks over his final three years. He played 73 games, and averaged 12 points per game in his final year at USC.

Couisnard hit the game-winning shot in the 2020 win over Kentucky.

“The departure is bittersweet, because not only did I chose to attend the University of South Carolina but most importantly I chose to play basketball for Coach Frank Martin,” Couisnard wrote in his statement announcing his departure.

Couisnard committed to Oregon two months later. Former Gamecocks assistant Chuck Martin was an assistant with the Ducks at the time. Chuck Martin is now at Kentucky on John Calipari’s staff. Kentucky will be at the same Pittsburgh site, but the Wildcats are in the South region, with the Gamecocks and Ducks are in the Midwest region.

Couisnard missed the first 14 games last season because of a knee injury but averaged 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists when he returned. After last season, he announced would use his COVID year and come back to the Ducks.

This year, Couisnard has started all 34 games for Oregon and averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors.

In the Pac-12 tournament, Cousinard averaged 14.6 points, 7.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds in helping the Ducks knock off regular-season champion Arizona in the semifinals and Colorado in the championship game to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“It was amazing,” Couisnard said. “It was a dream come true and the commitment we made and how far we could get. … I feel like we can make a run.”