Lamont Paris talks South Carolina's open scholarship
South Carolina is currently going through the start of the season battling the injury bug but also playing with one scholarship player under the limit.
The Gamecocks have 12 players on scholarship, one shy of the NCAA limit of 13. That means there is the potential, though, of bringing in a player midyear.
Lamont Paris was asked about the chance of filling that roster spot soon on his call-in show Monday and if that’s a stupid question six games into the season.
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“It’s not, it’s a really good question,” Paris said on 107.5 FM. “It’s a special set of circumstances that would have to be satisfied for that to happen. Most likely what would happen is you would take a young man at semester. He would be eligible the following year.”
South Carolina’s academic calendar for 2022 is coming to a close. Classes end Friday with Reading Day Saturday.
Exams begin Dec. 5 and run for seven days before a roughly month-long break. The spring semester begins Jan. 9.
Paris did mention there is an option to bring someone in, specifically mentioning the transfer portal. South Carolina could opt to bring in a high school player as well, similar to what Frank Martin and his staff did by bringing Tre-Vaughn Minott in midyear for the 2020-21 season.
Paris was largely non-committal in if South Carolina will or not. But if the Gamecocks do, it seems Paris wants an immediate impact player on the roster regardless of which level he comes from.
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“But, there’s a small, small, small number of people out there that did not play or compete in any activities this year thus far in the first semester that would put their name in the portal, transfer and potentially be eligible to semester,” Paris said.
South Carolina has dealt with a bevy of injuries through the first part of the year. Ebrima Dibba is already out for the year before the season began.
Meechie Johnson and Chico Carter Jr. have missed time with ankle injuries. Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk missed the Gamecocks’ opener with an ankle injury as well. A hamstring injury limited Hayden Brown in the preseason.
The Gamecocks were down to nine scholarship players last week with Johnson, Carter Jr. and Dibba all out.
Bringing in someone else, especially if it is someone who can play early, would certainly help depth issues.
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Paris mentioned on his call-in show as well South Carolina is going to wait until Johnson is fully healthy again before playing him. He also said the staff is hopeful Carter Jr. can play this week in Washington D.C.
The Gamecocks (3-3) travel to George Washington Wednesday night (9 p.m., CBS Sports Network). They’ll then play at Georgetown Saturday (noon, FS1).
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