South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris Saturday struck again in the Transfer Portal with a commitment from Alabama forward 6-9 Nick Pringle while on his official visit. For Pringle, the commitment allows him to return to his home state. He’s a product of Whale Branch High School near Beaufort and started his college career at Wofford.
Pringle has made himself into a highly thought of player over the past couple of seasons. It did not start out that way for him as he went to Wofford and averaged just two points per game as a freshman. He then played a season in junior college before moving to Alabama.
With the Crimson Tide the past two seasons, Pringle played in 70 games, starting 16. He battled an injury much of this season but still averaged seven points and five rebounds per game. His best game of the season was against Clemson in the Elite 8 when he had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Pringle is the second big man Paris has taken from the portal this off season joining 7-0 Jordan Butler, a transfer from Missouri.
Here’s the bio on Pringle from Alabama Sports Information:
2023-24
- Saw action in 34 games including 16 starts
- Averaged 6.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 blocks per game
- Posted three double-doubles throughout the season, including two during SEC play and once in the NCAA Tournament vs. Clemson
- Averaged 6.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1,4 assists throughout the NCAA Tournament
- Scored double figures in 13 games and seven straight during SEC play
- Led the team in field goal percentage, shooting 62.3 percent from the field
- Scored a season-high 17 points on Feb. 10 at LSU
- Ranked first on the team with 40 dunks this season
2022-23
- Saw action in 36 games
- Averaged 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game in 8.0 minutes per game
- Posted two double-doubles throughout the season, including a career-high 19 points and 15 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi
- Pringle’s 15 rebounds against Texas A&M CC ranks fourth most in program history in an NCAA Tournament game
- Shot 84.7 percent from the field throughout the season
- Made a career-high nine field goals on 2/18 against Georgia
2021-22 (Dodge City Community College)
- Rated as the No. 1 JUCO power forward and No. 2 overall JUCO prospect by 247Sports Composite
- Recorded a season high 20 points against Cloud County on Feb. 12, 2022
- Recorded a season high 20 rebounds against Huchinson on March 5, 2022
- Recorded seven double doubles in first season with the Conquistadors
- Had 14 double digit rebounding games in the 2021-22 season
2020-21 (Wofford)
- Began his collegiate career at Wofford and collected his first and only career double-double with 17 points and 11 boards against Carver College
- Shot 59 percent from the field his freshman season while totaling 30 points and 32 rebounds
Prep Highlights
- Helped lead Whale Branch to the 2A state title game, capping the semifinal victory with a monster two-handed jam before scoring six points in overtime to seal the win
- Grew from 6-2 as a high school sophomore before plateauing at 6-9 as a senior
- Named 2A All-Region team after averaging 10.0 points and 10.0 rebounds a contest
- Named first team all-state and selected to the Carolinas Classic All-Star game in 2020
- Shined in AAU ball with Team TMP, wowing coaches with his versatility on both sides of the ball
- Chose Alabama over Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Arizona State and West Virginia, among others