What to expect from a Lamont Paris offense and defense at South Carolina
If you’re looking for a fast-paced style of offense, that probably won’t happen with Lamont Paris at South Carolina.
Chattanooga Times Free Press writer Gene Henley covered Paris’ teams at Chattanooga. In a radio appearance Tuesday with “The Early Game” on 107.5 The Game in Columbia, Henley talked about what kind of on-court style USC fans might expect from Paris’ teams.
Paris will be the next men’s basketball coach at South Carolina. That’s expected to be made official during a USC board of trustees meeting Thursday.
“He cares about efficient offense,” Henley said. “It is not going to be fast-paced. Chattanooga has one of the slowest paces in the country. But when you get down court, be effective with it.
“When he gets his guys, that offense will look like all five guys on the court will be weapons. They will all be effective. He will take whatever he has and be the best he can with it. But he is a good guy and is going to be unapologetically himself.”
The Mocs’ offense ranked 304th nationally in adjusted tempo, according to the Ken Pom advanced college basketball rankings with 64.8 possessions in 40 minutes. But Chattanooga was 69th out of 358 teams in offensive efficiency, while this season’s Gamecocks were 203rd.
Defensively, Henley said Paris’ teams aren’t going to throw a lot of wild looks, and they are very good in halfcourt, man-to-man defenses.
In addition to Paris’ offensive and defensive styles, many are curious about his recruiting ability. He spent seven seasons as an assistant at Wisconsin and was part of two Final Four teams with the Badgers.
Paris helped to land Nigel Hayes, Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminksy at Wisconsin. Both Dekker and Kaminsky are in the NBA.
Paris also got Tyler Herro, who was an all-star this season with the Miami Heat, to commit to the Badgers. Herro ended up going to Kentucky, not Wisconsin, after Paris left to take the Chattanooga job.
At Chattanooga, he focused on the transfer portal, especially this season. He landed Kansas’ Silvio De Sousa and South Alabama/St. Bonaventure forward Josh Ayeni. De Sousa was a top-30 recruit coming out of IMG Academy in 2017.
“It might take a year but he will get his guys,” Henley said. “I think you will see a pretty solid product at South Carolina.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
