Scouting Grant Polk: What South Carolina MBB’s newest commitment brings to Gamecocks

From the moment new St. Albans (Washington, DC) head coach Sean Whalen saw Grant Polk shooting in the gym, he knew he had a special talent on his hands.

“I’ve been a shooting coach my whole life. The first time I walked into the gym, he put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen,” Whalen said.

Whalen was just getting to know his new players, but Polk wasn’t making it a casual introduction. Instead of getting just a primer on the team, Whalen watched Polk sink 92 of 100 from 3-point range, then follow it up with 200 more shots — without missing two in a row.

That’s what Polk, who committed Monday to South Carolina’s 2025 class, brings to the table: a true 3-point threat.

“Grant is unquestionably one of the best shooters in the country,” Whalen said.

Polk dominated this past summer at the Capitol Hoops Summer League at DeMatha, leading his team to a championship. Whalen said Polk averaged 30 points and nine rebounds on scorching 60/50/90 shooting splits and earned co-MVP honors.

Once he raised the trophy, Whalen said, “that was when I sent my first text to Coach Paris saying that I might have an SEC kid on my hands.”

Polk’s sharp-shooting skills are a perfect fit for Lamont Paris’ system at South Carolina. Paris loves to move the ball, get shooters into space, and fire from deep — a modern basketball blueprint. And in today’s game, if you’re not hitting 3-pointers, you’re not winning games.

At 6-foot-7 with a quick release, Polk is hard to stop. Whalen raved about Polk’s scoring ability, as he can come off screens, spread the floor with NBA range and score from mid-range. His height allows him to shoot over defenders, making him a constant offensive threat.

“Any time he walks onto a court, everybody on the court knows they’ve gotta guard him,” Whalen said.

Paris has a history of valuing tall shooters like Polk. When Paris was an assistant at Wisconsin from 2010 to 2017, he recruited several players of that archetype, including former Wisconsin players Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky. Polk even reminds Whalen of Sam Hauser, another 6-foot-7 sharpshooter from Wisconsin (he chose Marquette) who Paris recruited back in the day.

“(Paris) really values shooting the basketball,” Whalen said. “... Size, shooting, IQ — I think he’s looking to combine that with SEC athleticism. So, I think those two systems mesh together to what coach (Paris) is trying to do and I think Grant’s a perfect fit for that.”

Defense is where Polk has room to grow. Whalen noted that improving speed and strength will be crucial to defend at the next level.

But Polk’s work ethic and basketball IQ should help bridge the gap.

Defense and coachability “are somewhat connected,” Whalen said. “... He takes in information very well and he’s able to apply it almost immediately. You can have a conversation back and forth, where he’ll actually have an opinion on how things are made. You can have a dialogue with him, which is rare for players his age.”

As Whalen sees it, Polk’s work ethic and hunger to improve will set him apart, especially as he steps into SEC competition.

Now it’s up to Polk to make that next leap — and keep sinking shots along the way.