Lamont Paris ‘checks all of those boxes’ USC had for new coach, Ray Tanner says
South Carolina officially has its new men’s basketball coach.
The USC board of trustees Thursday approved a contract for former Chattanooga head coach Lamont Paris to replace Frank Martin after 10 years at the helm in Columbia.
“Lamont Paris is the right choice to lead our men’s basketball program,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said in a news release. “When we began this search, I said we wanted to hire someone with a winning coaching history, who has the energy, passion and commitment to excellence in all areas of the student-athlete experience. Coach Paris checks all of those boxes.”
Paris’ contract will pay him $12 million over the course of five years. His annual salary will begin at $2.2 million and increase in increments of $100,000 each year.
The Ohio native recorded an 87-72 overall record during his five seasons guiding the Mocs , including a 65-29 mark over his last three campaigns. Chattanooga narrowly missed out on upsetting No. 4 seed Illinois in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament, falling by a point.
Paris previously spent time as an assistant coach at Wooster, DePauw, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Akron and Wisconsin prior to landing the head coaching job at Chattanooga.
During his seven seasons at Wisconsin, the Badgers averaged 27 wins per year, reached two Final Fours, four Sweet 16s and were the national runners-up in 2015.
Here’s what Paris’ former bosses, colleagues and players had to say about the Gamecocks’ new head coach, per the school’s official news release Thursday:
Greg Gard — Head coach, Wisconsin
“The University of South Carolina has made a terrific hire with Lamont Paris. He’s a phenomenal teacher of the game, excellent evaluator and recruiter of talent, and most importantly, a first-class person. Lamont has been instrumental to the success of every program he’s been a part of in his career and was an outstanding coach to work with and have on my first staff here at Wisconsin. The coaching in the SEC just got even better with Lamont’s arrival in Columbia and I sense exciting times are on the horizon for his Gamecock basketball program.”
Bo Ryan — former head coach, Wisconsin
“When I think about Lamont Paris, I think about the reasons I first hired him at Wisconsin. He stands for all the good things in college athletics. He’s got an old school bedrock with creative and new school energy and ability. He paid his own way to play at a D3 school. He knew he was doing it for love of the game and he’s translated that mindset to his coaching style as well. His purpose as a coach is to help young men understand not just here and now, but also what comes after basketball. He is able to relate with all types of people. His work ethic in drills, film work, scouting reports is so thorough that I never had to critique his work. I could just turn him loose. His ears and eyes were always open and will continue to be open. South Carolina is getting a good one.”
Brad Stevens — Director of Basketball Operations, Boston Celtics
“I’m really excited for Lamont. He is a great coach and person - who will bring both tremendous experience, and everyday, positive energy to his new role at South Carolina. He is a hard worker, he is really bright and he genuinely cares about others. I can’t wait to watch his teams play.”
Sam Dekker — former Wisconsin forward
“Coach Paris is everything you could want as a coach. There is no box that he doesn’t check. From film study, to practices, to gametime, his love for the game and attention to detail is second to none. But above all that, what separates Coach Paris, is the person he is. The relationships he built with his players is truly unique. He communicates with respect, will actively listen to every person in the room, and knows the best ways to help his players reach their full potential. When he says he’s a call or text away, he truly means that; to this day he’s never backed from that promise. I hope every young basketball player has a chance to be coached by someone like Coach Paris. South Carolina’s got a good one.”
Mark Wharton — Vice Chancellor & Director of Athletics, Chattanooga
“We congratulate Lamont on this move. He built our program into a consistent winner again after starting from scratch following the graduation of the last great Mocs teams. We worked side-by-side over that time, and I developed a great deal of respect for how he handled his program on and off the court. He will be missed in Chattanooga, but we look forward to following the championship years ahead at South Carolina.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 1:18 PM.
