COLUMBIA — It hasn't been the best of experiences when it comes to South Carolina and the NBA draft.
The Gamecocks have mostly been ignored by the league, and since the heyday of Frank McGuire's powerhouse dwindled to just a powerful memory, the draft has usually been a time for Gamecocks fans to catch up on the new football roster.
Collin Murray-Boyles will change that, as he changed USC's program.
The forward is expected to go during the first round of the draft on June 25, which would make him just the ninth such selection in program history and first since 2006 (Renaldo Balkman).
Projections from national NBA resources (ESPN, USA Today) place Murray-Boyles from 14-19. Others say he'll go as high as 10th.
By those projections, Murray-Boyles only has a slight chance of matching or besting the Gamecocks' highest draft picks. Gary Gregor in 1968 and Tom Riker in 1972 each went eighth.
But any spot in the first round comes with a guaranteed two-year contract and team options for years 3-4. Second-round picks do not get guaranteed deals.
The last pick in the first round, No. 30, is set to make close to $2.3 million next year. So the money will be plentiful no matter where Murray-Boyles goes.
There is also an advantage in the "nobody good picks first" realm: Going lower often means a chance to join a team with a better chance to win next year, such as the recently crowned NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder at pick No. 15.
Wherever Murray-Boyles goes, it's a fitting conclusion to a brilliant two-year career. A Columbia kid stayed home and averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
He finished second in the USC books in field-goal percentage (59 percent) and was a force behind the Gamecocks' 10th NCAA Tournament trip in 2024.
No, last year wasn't fun results-wise. But nobody could blame Murray-Boyles for not doing all he could. He had 11 20-point games and nine double-doubles while leading the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks. He was second in assists.
"I recommend these guys to draft Collin, not on his ceiling, but draft him on his floor," said USC coach Lamont Paris, who said he's fielded numerous calls from NBA teams about Murray-Boyles, including a recent one from a team interested in trading up to get him.
"Once Collin learns how to move in the NBA, what the rules are, the rule changes … I think any team that gets him is going to be shocked at how viable an option he would be to actually put in the game pretty early on."
His skills are tremendous, arriving to the NBA with a mastery of inside moves as well as an ability and a willingness to ram his face into the fan on defense.
All he has to do to really flourish in today's NBA is become more consistent with his outside shot, something he worked on during last season. But it's very much an "Ah, we can teach him to do that" instead of a deterrent.
Murray-Boyles is ready. He'll be in the green room at Brooklyn's Barclays Center with Paris, program right-hand man Carey Rich and family. He shouldn't have to wait long and does not stand to be the lonely guy left backstage as picks go by.
Other players in USC's past (BJ McKie, P.J. Dozier) were hoping to get drafted and weren't. Others (Sindarius Thornwell) were picked much lower than perhaps they should have been, at least in fans' eyes.
Even a Naismith Hall of Famer, Alex English, wasn't a first-rounder.
Murray-Boyles will be the second Paris player picked in three years after GG Jackson went 45th to Memphis in 2023. Perhaps it's the start of a consistent wave of sending Gamecocks to the league.