COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice know theyve got work to do to help the South Carolina mens basketball team get ready for next season.The Gamecocks seniors -- and top two returning scorers -- are prepping to break in another new group of teammates. South Carolina lost three senior starters off last seasons record-tying 25-win team, then four other backups left after disciplinary issues.It was quite unfortunate that we lost some guys last year, but I think weve brought in some guys who bring some new elements to the team, Notice said. I like what Ive seen so far.Thornwell (13.4 points a game last season) and Notice (10.8 a game as a reserve) have worked out with South Carolinas newcomers and believe the bonding process will be quick and seamless.It starts later this summer as the team prepares for a trip to Costa Rica on Aug. 6-12, where it will take on that countrys national team in two games along with hosting clinics for area basketball fans.Gamecocks coach Frank Martin said hell try and stay in the background during the NCAA-allowed 10 practice sessions and have his assistants and seniors -- Thornwell, Notice and Justin McKie -- lead the way.Its something were ready for, said Notice, helping this week at a youth basketball clinic at Brookland Baptist Church. Sindarius and I are very competitive so practices are going to be very vocal and very instructive.Thornwell wants to lead South Carolina back to the NCAA Tournament where it has not played since 2004. The Gamecocks started 15-0, tied a program record with 25 wins and went 11-7 in the Southeastern Conference, yet were left out of the 68-team field on Selection Sunday.Thornwell had thought the Gamecocks had done enough to get in, but understands its up to the team to leave no doubt about where they belong next spring.Were just getting ready for the season, thats the biggest thing, Thornwell said. Were playing against each other every day.South Carolina has stability in its program in many others aspects besides the roster. Attendance finished at 22nd nationally at 11,995 per game, almost 3,400 more on average than Martins first season in 2012-13. Martin signed a four-year contract extension through 2022.Martin had a strong group of tall, talented freshman led by McDonalds All-American PJ Dozier. But three first-year players in Chris Silva, Eric Cobb and Jamall Gregory were involved in a property damage case after firing a BB gun near campus. Cobb and Gregory were dismissed.Another first-year player, Raymond Doby, was ticketed for marijuana possession and chose to transfer.Sophomore Marcus Stroman, suspended with Cobb, Gregory, Chris Silva and TeMarcus Blanton by Martin in March, also left.Silva and Blanton are back with the Gamecocks. Martin added six players, although Delaware transfer Kory Holden will sit out this season. Tops of the group could be Sedee Keita, a 6-foot-10 freshman from Philadelphia who picked the Gamecocks over LSU, UNLV and Penn State among others.All that means for Martin is another season of breaking in newcomers. Hes confident in his guards experience to lead the Gamecocks this winter. The trip to Costa Rica will speed that process along, Martin said.Weve got to handle this summer a little differently, he said. Vapormax Plus Herre Norge . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Vapormax Hvit Herre Norge . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. http://www.vapormaxnorge.com/vapormax-herre-norge/vapormax-flyknit.html . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Vapormax Herre Norge . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Nike Vapormax Dame Norge . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. WACO, Texas -- Baylors nonconference slate has transitioned from the Bears playing a whos-who list of college basketball powers to something that more resembles preseason exhibition games.The fourth-ranked Bears tip off Sunday against John Brown University of the NAIA Sooner Athletic Conference. Baylor still has a highly-rated strength of schedule, though it will fall a few notches during its current run of less-competitive games in the leadup to Big 12 action.Baylor will be playing its second game in two different venues in less than 24 hours. The Bears defeated Jackson State 82-57 on Saturday at Abrams Gym in Fort Hood, Texas.But the Bears are committed to playing games at Fort Hood after spending time at the U.S. military post in team building two years ago. Baylor coach Scott Drew gave his postgame interview after the win over Jackson State at about 7:30 Saturday night. His message to the team and fans was simple.Dont stay out late, Drew said.Its a challenging turnaround, though the level of competition doesnt rise to the level that Baylor faced earlier in nonconference play.The Bears defeated then-No. 24 Michigan State and then-top-10 opponents Oregon, Louisville and Xavier.But Jackson State fell to 3-8 with the loss to Baylor, despite the fact that the Tigers hadnt played a top-25 opponent until they met the Bears.Next up for Baylor is John Brown. The Golden Eagles enter with a 9-4 record, but they havent defeated a NCAA Division I opponent so far this season. Most recently, Oral Roberts throttled John Brown 95-63 on Dec. 10 in Tulsa, Okla.Part of the explanation for Baylors foray into competition against an NAIA opponent is that John Broown coach Jason Beschta is a former graduate assistant at Baylor.ddddddddddddHe earned a graduate degree in pedagogy from the school and served on Drews staff early in Drews tenure with the Bears.As a coach, you like to see your former staff do well and theyve done such a great job, Drew said.Guard Ricky Roberts leads John Brown in scoring at 14.8 points per game and averages 2.9 assists. The Golden Eagles have three guards who average double digits in scoring.However, its likely John Brown will struggle to score inside against Baylors zone defense and its long, shot-swatting forwards. John Brown forwards Benjamin Smith and Miguel Martinez are the only Golden Eagles players taller than 6-5 to play significant minutes so far this season and they combine to average 13.5 points.Baylor 6-10 forward Johnathan Motley is pouring in 16.8 points per game and hes close to averaging a double-double at 8.4 boards. Jo Lual-Acuil, a 7-0 newcomer at forward, has blocked 44 shots in 10 games.The Bears are also experimenting through nonconference with a rotation of 10 players. Guards Manu Lecomte, Al Freeman, Jake Lindsey, King McClure and Chuck Mitchell have been moving the ball as well as shooting it proficiently from beyond the 3-point arc. Baylor is shooting 35 percent from 3-point range so far this season with 6.3 connections per game.Any given night it can be anybody showing up, Freeman said. Thats the great thing about our team this year is that you dont know if Im going to go off, Mots going to go off, Manus going to go off. ' ' '