South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris has new but familiar role in mind for veteran sharpshooter

South Carolina basketball’s 2025-2026 roster has a lot of guards ready to contribute.

Meechie Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts, and Eli Ellis will be the team’s primary ballhandlers. Kobe Knox and Myles Stute will play a lot on the wing. Cam Scott, Grant Polk, and Abu Yarmah are young players with intriguing skillsets.

Conversely, the Gamecocks might not have a lot of ready-to-go post talent, especially defensively.

Christ Essandoko and Jordan Butler are the only players on the roster over 6-8. Nordin Kapic and Elijah Strong are capable scorers, but with both being 6-8 with less-than-elite athleticism, neither is a high-level defender in the paint. Hayden Assemian is more of an athletic tweener than a true post player.

As it turns out, Paris has a plan in place that will help solve that issue. In a conversation with CBS’ Jon Rothstein, the fourth-year head coach shared that he plans to slide Myles Stute to the four in some small-ball lineups.

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Stute, who is listed at 6-7 and 221 pounds, has played some power forward previously. During three seasons at Vanderbilt, he spent some time filling in at the 4-spot. The sixth-year senior–affectionately known as “Unc” by his teammates–has also gotten a few minutes here and there down low for South Carolina.

But based on Rothstein’s report, the small-ball look could be an important one for the Gamecocks.

If Stute can hang tough against bigger players at the 4 (presumedly next to a bigger player like Jordan Butler or Christ Essandoko at center), that would allow USC to play three guards at a time.

Fellow sixth-year senior Meechie Johnson is expected to handle a large scoring burden this season. He was an All-SEC contributor two seasons ago for the Gamecocks when he led the team in scoring and helped guide the program to its first NCAA Tournament since the 2016-2017 Final Four run.

Versatile transfer portal addition Mike Sharavjamts likely will start next to Johnson. At 6-8, he brings athleticism and multi-positional defense to the table, but he has enough ballhandling and passing acumen to legitimately play some point guard. His size, quickness, and offensive comfort level will allow Paris to play any type of player next to him when he is on the floor.

For now, Stute appears to be the starter on the wing, but in lineups in which he shifts down, a couple of other guys could see some time in the three-guard sets.

Eli Ellis, the Gamecocks’ highest-rated freshman, is a big-time scorer. He can shoot from anywhere and finishes well at the hoop. Though not a traditional point guard, Ellis can create for his teammates off the dribble, as well. His basketball IQ and competitive nature are elite, even as a first-year player.

When South Carolina needs more defense and athleticism on the floor, Kobe Knox might be the answer. He is a high-effort player with enough physical tools to bring a different look to the Gamecocks when he is in the game.

Cam Scott, Grant Polk, and Abu Yarmah likely are behind the other guys at this time. However, if any of them earn their way into the rotation, they bring enough size and (theoretical) shooting to play on the wing.

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When Paris put together a really good team on the court, Stute wore multiple hats for the Gamecocks. He was a starter early in the year before a minor injury shifted him to a bench role. Stute got most of his minutes on the wing, alongside Johnson and then-point guard Ta’Lon Cooper. But, like it seems Paris has planned for him in his final year of eligibility, he played some small-ball power forward, too.

Stute has enough size to hold up against a lot smaller post players. He is also not a major foul risk, having committed fewer than two infractions per game at USC.

Stute’s ability to play two roles worked out well for South Carolina. He made multiple 3-pointers in 12 different contests but also pulled down at least five rebounds on eight different occasions.

Because the USC offense utilized a lot of pick-and-pop action at the top of the key, Stute sometimes played the role of a “big,” setting a screen before taking a catch-and-shoot jumper.

With Carolina running a lot of “four-out” offense, Stute has had the freedom to roam the arc, no matter which position he played. That will continue this season, too. The career 37.5% shooter has shot nearly 4.5 outside jumpers per game as a Gamecock.

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Paris and the South Carolina coaching staff have compared this year’s team to the NCAA Tournament squad from two years ago. The comparisons don’t end with Stute’s potential for playing multiple roles, either.

Meechie Johnson returns after a year at Ohio State. Multiple new post players can fill the pick-and-pop role that BJ Mack played that season. Mike Sharavjamts, though a somewhat different player, has drawn comparisons to Ta’Lon Cooper thanks to his passing and two-way intensity.

If the Gamecocks can replicate the on-court success from that year, Carolina fans will be more than pleased. USC tied a program record with 26 wins and finished tied-for-second in the SEC standings. The six-seed in the NCAA Tournament was the program’s best since the 1997-1998 season, when South Carolina was a three-seed.

The chance to prove their own comparisons right will begin on Tuesday, November 4th. Colonial Life Arena will play host to South Carolina’s opener against North Carolina A&T at 7:00 p.m. The game will not be on traditional television but will stream on SEC Network+.

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