Jermaine Armontae Couisnard (born November 25, 1998) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oregon Ducks.
 Couisnard with South Carolina in 2021 | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 25, 1998 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024 | Lavrio |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life
editCouisnard grew up in East Chicago, Indiana and began playing basketball at a young age, receiving the nickname "Little J." He joined the ECG Ballhogs travel basketball team in third grade.[1] Couisnard attended Central High School in East Chicago, where he was coached by Pete Trgovich. East Chicago native and NBA player E'Twaun Moore served as a mentor to Couisnard.[2] As a junior, Couisnard averaged 17.2 points, six rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game and was selected to the Indiana Junior All Stars North squad.[3] He scored 45 points against Benjamin Bosse High School and 36 points against Indianapolis North Central High School. Couisnard averaged 29.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a senior, but missed the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Games due to a knee injury.[4] He decided to take a postgraduate year at Montverde Academy to improve his academics and receive more recruiting attention. Couisnard averaged 23 points, six rebounds, and seven assists for Montverde, playing against RJ Barrett in practice.[5] On January 27, 2018, he committed to playing college basketball for South Carolina, choosing the Gamecocks over Illinois and Louisville.[6]
College career
editCouisnard redshirted his freshman year due to an academic issue.[7] On February 5, 2020, he scored a career-high 28 points in a 84–70 loss to Ole Miss.[8] As a redshirt freshman, Couisnard averaged 12.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors. He averaged 10.1 points and 3.2 assists per game as a sophomore.[9] Following the season, Couisnard declared for the 2021 NBA draft but did not hire an agent and ultimately returned to South Carolina.[10] He missed a game against Coastal Carolina on December 1, 2021, due to a groin injury.[11] Couisnard also missed several games in December due to an ankle injury.[12] He averaged 12.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a junior. Couisnard transferred to Oregon after the season.[13] He averaged 12.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a redshirt junior, playing 19 games. Couisnard announced he was returning for his final season.[14] On March 2, 2024, Couisnard got a career high 39 points vs Arizona in a 103–83 loss. On March 19, 2024 Cousinard broke that career high with 40 points in a March Madness win over his former team South Carolina with a final score of 87–73.
Professional career
editAfter going unselected in the 2024 NBA draft, Couisnard joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2024 NBA Summer League.[15]
On August 2, 2024, he signed with Lavrio of the Greek Basket League (GBL).[16] However, the deal was voided due to Couisnard having to remain in the United States for family reasons.
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | South Carolina |  Redshirt
| ||||||||||
| 2019–20 | South Carolina | 30 | 16 | 26.0 | .392 | .290 | .669 | 2.8 | 3.2 | .8 | .1 | 12.1 |
| 2020–21 | South Carolina | 17 | 14 | 27.0 | .302 | .289 | .580 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 1.3 | .1 | 10.1 |
| Career | 47 | 30 | 26.4 | .358 | .290 | .643 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 1.0 | .1 | 11.4 | |
Personal life
editCouisnard is the son of Jermaine Couisnard and Raven Merkerson and has two younger sisters, Kalani and Maya. His father works as a maintenance repair technician. In October 2020, Couisnard's best friend Andre Carr was shot and killed. In August 2021, his mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and Couisnard contemplated leaving school but was persuaded to return by her.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Lananna, Michael (December 21, 2021). "Grief-stricken Couisnard almost walked away from USC basketball. Why he's still here". The State. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Ramspacher, Andrew (February 4, 2020). "East Chicago swagger drives Gamecocks' Couisnard". The State. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Hutton, Mike (April 3, 2016). "Fab Five". Chicago Tribune. p. 2-2. Retrieved December 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hutton, Mike (June 28, 2017). "East Chicago's Jermaine Couisnard heading to Montverde Academy". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Ramspacher, Andrew (February 4, 2018). "Recruit Jermaine Couisnard seen as taller Duane Notice for Gamecocks". The State. p. B3. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hutton, Mike (January 28, 2018). "All in good time: Jermaine Couisnard heading to South Carolina after prep school". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ "Martin: Gamecocks' Couisnard eligible next year". ESPN. Associated Press. March 26, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Wellbaum, Chris (February 5, 2020). "MBB: Gamecocks can't stop Tyree, Ole Miss". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Anderson, Reggie (June 2, 2021). "Bryant, Cousinard will return to the Gamecock program". WLTX. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ "Jermaine Couisnard returning to South Carolina". The Times of Northwest Indiana. June 2, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ McLemore, Dwayne (December 1, 2021). "Jermaine Couisnard won't play tonight in Gamecocks road trip to Coastal, report says". The State. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ "Gamecocks get healthier in time to face Army". CBS Sports. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Crepea, James (May 5, 2022). "Former South Carolina guard Jermaine Couisnard commits to transfer to Oregon men's basketball". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ Crepea, James (March 10, 2023). "Jermaine Couisnard, Nate Bittle returning to Oregon men's basketball in 2023-24". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Pelicans announce NBA 2K25 2024 Summer League roster presented by TripADeal". NBA.com. July 10, 2024. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ "Ο Jermaine Couisnard συμφώνησε με το Λαύριο!". LavrioBC.gr (in Greek). August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
External links
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