Wright State transfer guard Mark Alstork has announced his final four schools as he prepares to announce his new home.
Two of those schools are LSU and South Carolina, who would both benefit from Alstork’s tremendous scoring ability.
Final Four ?? ! #Pitt ?@Pitt_MBB #Illinois??@IlliniMBB #SouthCarolina @GamecockMBB ? #LSU ??@LSUBasketball pic.twitter.com/n7x62a9oCg
— Mark Alstork (@Mark_Alstork) May 18, 2017
Alstork averaged 19 points per game for the Raiders last season, which included 17 games with 20 or more points.
Lovell’s Analysis:
There’s simply no doubting the fact that Alstork could have an immediate impact on the fortunes of either LSU or South Carolina.
The Tigers are entering a new era with Will Wade trying to completely the change the culture both on and off the court. LSU will have a tough time moving up the ladder in Wade’s first season in Baton Rouge, but adding a consistent scoring threat like Alstork would certainly be a major boost.
As for South Carolina, Frank Martin is looking to replace P.J. Dozier after his surprise exit to the NBA. The Gamecocks also lost Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice, so this may be a team that has trouble scoring at times without a truly elite scorer on the roster.
I’m not sure one team would benefit more than the other.
Alstork could take LSU from likely finishing near the bottom to possibly having a chance to compete with the middle of the pack – with Wade’s havoc defense playing a large role in that as well.
Alstork could also take South Carolina from a team that’s expected to take a step back to a team that can keep its momentum going after the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance.
Pitt is the team that desperately needs Alstork the most due to numerous transfers this offseason, but should the Wright State product decide to come play in the SEC, it’ll add even more depth to an already stellar backcourt roster throughout the league.