South Carolina basketball transfer guard to miss season after foot injury

South Carolina men’s basketball guard Ebrima Dibba will miss the 2022-23 season due to an Achilles injury, the team announced Wednesday.

The 6-foot-6 veteran from Sweden transferred to first-year coach Lamont Paris’ Gamecocks team during the offseason after spending four years at Coastal Carolina.

Dibba injured his Achilles during on-court summer workouts and had “successful surgery,” according to the school’s official news release on the matter. He was expected to be a key player Paris’ first Gamecocks team, which looks significantly different than last year’s roster.

“What an unfortunate set of circumstances for Ebo,” Paris said in the school’s release. “He is an extraordinary young man who has worked incredibly hard to get to this point. It will be this work ethic, as well as his positive attitude, that will spearhead his recovery. He has already begun attacking his rehabilitation with a determination I have not seen in a long time.”

During his time with the Chanticleers, Dibba averaged 8.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest, and he started against the Gamecocks in their 24-point loss at Coastal Carolina last season.

With last year’s USC starting five either playing elsewhere or graduated, Paris and his staff turned to the transfer portal this spring to bring in five new players and reeled in prized recruit G.G. Jackson. Dibba was one of two in-state veterans the team scooped up from the portal, with the other being The Citadel’s Hayden Brown.

USC’s new assistant coaching staff spoke glowingly about Dibba and the versatility he offers after he signed this spring.

“Ebo is a big-time competitor,” assistant Eddie Shannon said. “He has two years left. He felt like he should have been playing Power 5 basketball from Day 1. He has aspirations of playing at the next level.”

USC men’s basketball roster moves

Additions

Troy Boynton (April 16) — Evansville

Hayden Brown (April 23) — The Citadel

Meechie Johnson (April 25) — Ohio State

Ebrima Dibba (April 27) — Coastal Carolina

Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (May 11) — Illinois

Transfers out (listed with new college where applicable)

Brandon Martin (April 27)

Keyshawn Bryant (April 22) — South Florida

Mike Green (March 28) — The Citadel

Devin Carter (March 28) — Providence

Wildens Leveque (March 27) — Massachusetts

Ta’Quan Woodley (March 26) — Massachusetts

Jermaine Couisnard (March 25) — Oregon

Erik Stevenson (March 24) — West Virginia