Keyshawn Bryan suspended first five games of season

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The day before Frank Martin’s new-look Gamecocks were set to take the court for the first time in the 2021 season, he opened his press conference with some disappointing news.

Martin announced that Keyshawn Bryant — South Carolina’s leading scorer and rebounder from last season — is suspended for the first five games of the season due to violation of athletic department policy.

Martin declined to elaborate on the nature of the violation, but said he “did not learn about this yesterday”, indicating that the decision might have been pending for some time before Monday.

South Carolina took to the court last Thursday night in an exhibition without Bryant as he was also dealing with a minor knee injury at the time.

Bryant figured to be a central figure in the Gamecocks starting five after posting a career-high in points per game (14.4), rebounds per game (5.4) and field goal percentage (48.3).

This suspension means Bryant will miss games against USC Upstate, Princeton, Western Kentucky/Minnesota, UAB, and Wofford. His first game after suspension would be Nov. 28 vs. Rider.