Release from USC:
Head coach Lamont Paris announced the addition of five transfers to his program on Wednesday afternoon. Forward Aleksas Bieliauskas (Wisconsin), guard Shane Blakeney (Drexel), forward Camden Heide (Texas), guard Kory Mincy (George Mason) and forward Jakub Nečas (Duquesne) all signed financial aid agreements to play for the Gamecocks in 2026-27.
Aleksas Bieliauskas – 6-10, 235 pounds – Kaunas, Lithuania
- Saw action in 35 games (28 starts) as a true freshman at Wisconsin in 2025-26 ; played 20.1 minutes per game and averaged 4.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in helping lead the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament
- Logged shooting splits of 43.1% (62-of-144) from the floor and 34.6% (28-of-81) from behind the arc ; had five games in double-figures and 15 games with five or more rebounds
- Hit four 3s and had 16 points in a road win at No. 15/14 Purdue (3/7/26)
- Recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in a win vs. Ohio State (1/31/26)
- Had a career-high 17 points in an upset win at No. 2/1 Michigan (1/10/26), hitting five 3s ; became just the fifth Badger freshman to hit five 3s in a game since 2000
- Scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his first career double-double in a win vs. Marquette (12/6/25) ; one of five Badger freshman to record a double-double in program history
- Prior to lone season in Madison, played for Zalgiris II in the Lithuanian National Basketball League ; averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and shot 39.3% from 3 in 45 games
- Helped lead Lithuania to silver medal at the 2025 FIBA U20 EuroBasket (European championship for men’s national U20 teams) ; averaged 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game ; had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the gold medal game vs. Italy
Paris on Bieliauskas
“Aleksas is another guy that brings invaluable NCAA Tournament experience to our program. He ultimately earned the starting role as a true freshman and made some critical plays that allowed his team to secure some of the biggest wins in all of college basketball last year. Aleksas is a very skilled player with real size and physicality, that can also open games up quickly with his ability to make shots from the 3-point line. I believe there is tremendous growth potential for Aleksas, and can’t wait to see how he responds to his role here in Columbia!”
Shane Blakeney – 6-5, 200 pounds – Rock Hill, S.C.
- Played in 88 games (34 starts) in three seasons at Drexel, averaging 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game with shooting splits of 40.5% (283-of-699) from the floor and 35.1% (112-of-319) from 3
- Had breakout season as a junior in 2025-26, averaging 14.2 points (led team), 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game
- Was named Second Team All-CAA and earned a spot on the CAA All-Defensive Team ; was also named All-Big 5 First Team (players from Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova)
- Reached double-figures in 29 games with a career-high 24 points at Colgate (11/11/25) and vs. Towson (2/22/26)
- Had career-best shooting marks of 41.6% (174-of-418) from the field and 35.9% (66-of-184) from 3 for the Dragons this past season
- Was Drexel’s top perimeter defender limiting his defensive assignments to 38.6% from the floor and 25% from 3 while maintaining one of the lowest foul rates in CAA
- As a redshirt sophomore in 2024-25, was the team’s sixth man off the bench appearing in all 33 games ; averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest
- Had 11 games in double-figures, including six of the final nine games of the season
- As a redshirt freshman in 2023-24, appeared in 22 games seeing limited minutes
- Redshirted initial collegiate season in 2022-23
Paris on Blakeney
“Shane is a player that has just continued to get better every single year and has blossomed into a complete player. He has turned into a really good 3-point shooter that rebounds exceptionally well for his position and has a real desire and ability to be an elite perimeter defender. Shane is a very hard worker that has tremendous perspective. He is so excited to be back in his home state of South Carolina, and we are equally excited about adding him to this talented group!”
Camden Heide – 6-7, 215 pounds – Wayzata, Minn.
- Has played in 110 games (37 starts) in three seasons with stops at Purdue (2022-25) and Texas (2025-26) averaging 4.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game ; has played in 13 NCAA Tournament games over the course of his career with three Sweet 16s, including the 2024 National Championship game
- Career 51.3% (175-of-341 FGs) shooter with a 43.2% (98-of-227 3FGs) clip from behind the arc
- Played in 35 games (29 starts) this past season at Texas, helping the Longhorns advance to the Sweet 16 ; hit the game-winning corner 3 in the round of 32 against No. 12/10 Gonzaga with 14 seconds left
- Averaged 5.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game at Texas ; had shooting splits of 49.3% (72-of-146 FGs) from the floor and 45.4% (49-of-108 3FGs) from 3-point land which led all SEC players (No. 18 nationally) with 40 or more made 3s on the season
- Had eight games in double-figures and seven games with three or more made 3s
- Scored 17 points and was 5-of-6 (83.3%) from behind the arc at Auburn (Jan. 28)
- Finished with a career-high 20 points in a win vs. Rider (Nov. 18) ; was 6-of-9 (66.7%) from distance
- Played in 75 career games (eight starts) and registered totals of 295 points (3.9 ppg) and 205 rebounds (2.7 rpg) in 1,190 minutes (15.9 mpg) over two seasons at Purdue (2023-25)
- Converted 52.8-percent (103-195) from the floor, including a 41.2-percent mark (49-119) from 3-point range, and 78.4-percent (40-51) from the free throw line while with the Boilermakers
- Played in 36 games (eight starts) as a redshirt sophomore in 2024-25 at Purdue ; averaged 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game helping them advance to the Sweet 16 ; shot 39.2% (31-of-79) from 3
- Had his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the team’s NCAA Tournament Round of 64 victory over High Point (3/20/25)
- Played in all 39 games as a redshirt freshman for the Boilermakers in 2023-24, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game ; helped Purdue register a 34-5 record, claim the Big Ten regular season title (17-3), advance to the NCAA Championship Game and earn a No. 2 ranking in the final Associated Press poll
- Shot 45.0% (18-of-40) from 3 in his first season of college basketball ; recorded the best effective field goal percentage (.682) of any high-major freshman in the nation with a minimum of 75 field goal attempts
- One of just two players nationally to shoot at least 65.0-percent from two-point range and 45.0-percent from three-point range on the season, joined by Hofstra’s German Platnikov
- His follow-slam in the National Championship game against UConn was tabbed the No. 1 play of the day on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10
- Registered a then career-high 18 points (7-7 FG, 4-4 threes) in a home win over Rutgers (2/22/24)
- Redshirted initial collegiate season at Purdue in 2022-23 while recovering from a foot injury
Paris on Heide
“Cam is an elite 3-point shooter. He is big enough and physical enough to play the power forward position, yet versatile enough and skilled enough to play some small forward as well. On top of that, Cam is a proven winner that has the knowledge of and expectation to do the things it takes to win games at the highest level. It’s hard to quantify what his 13 games of NCAA Tournament experience will bring to our locker room.”
Kory Mincy – 6-1, 185 pounds – East Point, Ga.
- Has appeared in 99 games (76 starts) in three seasons of college basketball with stops at Presbyterian (2023-25) and George Mason (2025-26)
- Career averages of 11.8 points, 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game ; career shooting splits of 42.4% (397-of-937 FGs) from the floor, 37.7% (159-of-422 3FGs) from 3 and 81.2% (211-of-260 FTs) at the free throw line
- Fresh off a great season at George Mason in 2025-26 where he earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and NABC All-East District Second Team honors ; averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per contest in 33 games (32 starts)
- Helped the Patriots to a 23-10 (11-7 A-10) record and a berth in the NIT
- Ranked 11th in the A-10 in scoring and assists (95) ; his 88.7% (86-of-97 FTs) clip at the line was third in the A-10 (No. 22 nationally) ; led George Mason in made 3s (69) and 3-point percentage (38.9%)
- Scored in double-figures 24 times with a team-high seven 20-point outings
- Was named Sunshine Slam MVP after leading the Patriots to the Sunshine Slam title ; hit six 3s and had 22 points, four assists and two rebounds in a 93-69 win over Ohio (Nov. 24) ; went 7-of-12 from the floor and had 22 points with five assists in a 74-65 win over FAU (Nov. 25) in the championship game
- Earned All-Big South Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore at Presbyterian in 2024-25 after averaging 15.0 points, 4.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in 33 games played (33 starts) ; served as team captain and helped lead the Blue Hose to a postseason berth in the CBI
- His 144 assists were the fourth-most in a single-season at PC in the Division I era (dates back to 2007-08)
- Had 28 games in double-figures with a pair of double-doubles
- Tabbed a Big South All-Freshman Team selection in 2023-24 after averaging 6.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game ; played in 33 games (11 starts) in first collegiate season at PC
Paris on Mincy
“Kory is a very versatile point guard that was asked to do a lot of things for his team last year. He delivered in a big way as he led his team to 23 wins in the sixth-best conference in the country. He can shoot the ball from behind the arc, attack and create for others, as well as get to the free throw line. He is an extremely competitive player, which we witnessed first-hand a couple years ago, that has potential to be an outstanding on-the-ball defender as well.”
Jakub Nečas – 6-10, 240 pounds – Blansko, Czech Republic
- Played in 95 games (53 starts) in three seasons at Duquesne from 2023-26, averaging 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game
- Had 17 games in double-figures for the Dukes with four double-digit rebound performances ; also had 11 multi-block games
- As a junior in 2025-26, averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game ; had career-best shooting splits of 50% (76-of-152) from the floor and 36.4% (16-of-44) from behind the arc
- Matched his career-high with 15 points at Saint Joseph’s (1/7/26)
- As a sophomore in 2024-25, played in 29 games (21 starts) averaging 6.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game
- As a true freshman in 2023-24, played in 34 games averaging 11.1 minutes, 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game for a Dukes team that advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament
- Finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks (tied career high) in an NCAA Tournament Round of 64 upset of No. 6 seed BYU (3/21/24)
- Had eight points in the semifinals vs. St. Bonaventure (3/16/24) and eight points in the title game against VCU (3/17/24) helping lead Duquesne to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship
- In seven games playing for his native Czech Republic at the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket, led the tournament in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game ; added 8.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest ; had shooting splits of 44% from the floor, 38.8% from 3 and 95.8% at the free throw line in the tournament
- Played for Basket Brno in the Czech National Basketball League from 2019 through 2023
- Earned a spot on the all-star team at the 2022-23 Adidas Next Generation Tournament
Paris on Nečas
“As a starter of all 32 games he played in this year, Jakub brings a lot of experience to our front court. He has potential to be one of our more versatile bigs on the offensive end. He can shoot the ball from the 3-point line and has developed into a guy that is comfortable with his back to the basket in certain matchups. He is also very comfortable playing out of a shot fake and attacking from the perimeter or facilitating offense as a play maker out of the short roll.”