The best point guard Frank Martin had was not going to play this past season but had Rakym Felder met all of Martin's expectations, he would have been fully reinstated to the program for the upcoming season.
But Monday morning, Martin announced that Felder has not met the expectations that were laid out for him and will not be a part of the program.
Felder was indefinitely suspended from the team last August after his July arrest on charges of third degree assault. He was not enrolled in school for the fall semester, but did return to school in the spring and also rejoined the program in a limited capacity after meeting with Martin who laid out guidelines Felder would have to adhere to. Martin announced that while he could have put Felder back on the floor in time for the SEC schedule, he decided that Felder would not participate in games, but would practice and sit with the team on the bench during games.
The goal was for Felder to meet Martin's criteria for full reinstatement and rejoin the team for the 2018-2019 season.
Instead, the talented Felder, who came on strong during USC's run to the Final Four in 2017, will not return.
In a statement, Martin said “When Rakym and I met to discuss his return to our program, there were certain things that I asked of him and unfortunately he has not met those expectations,” Martin said. “I’m disappointed that he did not take advantage of the opportunity to fully return to our program. We wish him the best with his future.”
Felder averaged 5.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a freshman in the 2016-2017 season. Although he was a backup point guard, Felder provided some pop off the bench, including a 15-point performance in Greenville as the Gamecocks upset of the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils. in the NCAA Tournament.
In a Monday morning tweet, Felder wrote "Thank You For The Love, The Memories, And Taking Me In With Open Arms Through The Positive & Negative".
