South Carolina men's basketball embracing positionless basketball in 2025 season

When South Carolina’s 2025 men’s basketball roster came out, only two position types were listed: the team has nine guards and six forwards. The organization of Lamont Paris’s fourth roster as the Gamecocks’ head coach is indicative of the positionless style of basketball he loves to coach.

“Everybody talks about positionless basketball, I’ve been on that a long time,” Paris told 107.5 The Game in September. “I don’t know what a center is. You’re going to do the things you can do … If you can come off ball screens, you’re going to come off ball screens. If you can post (up), you’re going to post (up), whether you’re Eli Ellis or Jordan Butler. It doesn’t really matter.”

The art of positionless basketball most notably took form in the NBA and Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the mid-2010s. However, the loose style only recently took form in modern college basketball.

Paris drew back to the 2024-25 season, where they called ball screens for former Gamecock, now Toronto Raptors forward, Collin Murray-Boyles.

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Two key players in ensuring the style of basketball South Carolina wants to play are Mike Sharavjamts and Elijah Strong, Paris said during Carolina Calls on Oct. 2.

“When you talk about versatility, both of those guys. One at the guard spot and one at the forward spot,” Paris said. “Mike is a legitimate 6’8″ for a perimeter guy. He has tremendous vision; he’s always played the point guard spot for much of his life. So he’s comfortable off the ball screens, he can see over normal-size guards, he can attack the rim, he’s extremely athletic.”

Meanwhile, Strong is the kind of forward that is quintessential to Lamont Paris basketball, assistant Carey Rich said. The former Gamecock captain compared Strong’s role to BJ Mack’s during the 2023-24 tournament season.

“Coach Paris’s ideal post guy is a guy that can not only post (up), but can also play from the perimeter. He can shoot the three, and he could play from the elbow,” Rich said. “Well, Elijah Strong can do that because it confuses the defense and it forces them to make decisions.”

Much of the Gamecocks’ roster for 2025 has a level of versatility to their game. However, for assistant coach David McKinley, it’s shooting that jumps off the page.

“Just, across the board, we have a lot of guys that when they’re open, it has a pretty good chance to go in,” McKinley said during the team’s media day.

Paris’s style forces his most athletic players to “play basketball,” Rich explained.

When you can get that out of a bigger guy, it adds flexibility to your offense, Strong said. You’re not as fast as the other guy, but you’re gonna beat him to the spot regardless.

“It’s beautiful,” Strong said. “It’s beautiful because when you have a whole bunch of high IQ and highly talented players, you know, we’re not the most athletic, we know that. But we can outthink people. We can outwork people.”

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