Lamont Paris shares insights to success at South Carolina
South Carolina men’s basketball has put together quite a run in 2024 with Lamont Paris at the helm. The Gamecocks sit at 17-3 through their first 20 games and are also a game back of the conference lead.
Paris joined College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein on the College Hoops Today podcast to talk about the turnaround the program has had.
In Paris’s first season the team finished 11-21 and 4-14 in the SEC. He learned a lot in that first season and the lessons are showing in year two.
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“I think a lot of it was the league and how teams like to play. What plays well in this league. I think that’s the biggest part of it. Just the length and athleticism in this league,” Paris said on what he learned in year one. “There are really good coaches and they recruit to to their systems very well. But I think that was the biggest thing was just logistically what teams want to do, especially on the defensive end.”
Paris loaded up in the transfer portal and the experience is paying off. The Gamecocks rank first in the SEC in scoring defense allowing just 64.4 points per game.
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“When we got into portal, we were we were more equipped to retool in a way that I thought we’d have a better chance to win games,” Paris said.
Paris’s team has also won a number of close games this season. A big part of that is the experience that South Carolina brings to the table.
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“I mean, I don’t want to diminish the experience factor. We have got some older guys that have been around and I think that’s a big part of it. But also we don’t get flustered up or down in close games,” Paris said. “We’ve been in a good number of close games, and we typically do a good job of taking care of the ball that helps secure and defensive rebounds. And then we have a variety of guys that can make a play.”
Having a wide variety of players that can step up is crucial. Paris says that it is also one of his team’s best qualities.
“I think sometimes when you get a situation where everybody knows one guy to make the play,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a little easier to prep for that, but we have got a lot of fun guys that have made plays.”
The Gamecocks prepare for a big-time matchup with No. 5 Tennessee on Tuesday. They also have to travel to Athens to face Georgia on Saturday.
