Lamont Paris brought a special guest to a USC practice, and the result was magical
Lamont Paris believes in magic.
Not fairy-tale magic, the how-on-earth-did-you-do-that magic. The kind where one knows what’s about to happen and is still left bamboozled.
Sleight of hand magic.
So to close out USC men’s basketball’s last week-long break of the season, Paris invited Carl Michael to Columbia for an afternoon of team bewilderment less than two days before the SEC opener against Mississippi State.
“I wanted to do something fun for the guys and with the guys,” Paris said. “We’ve done this before with some of (my) teams in the past ... It just lightens things up.”
Paris said he met Michael during a football game this season. Michael travels across the country, performing magic shows for collegiate teams as team bonding events throughout the year. He’s made appearances on television shows, including ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show.
Michael watched South Carolina’s practice Thursday afternoon, eventually showing the Gamecocks how to throw playing cards and shooting hoops with the team before the big show.
Michael, in a black-on-black outfit and a tan jacket, had the cards rain down on BJ Mack, who held up the card box in his right hand. The Gamecocks then huddled around Michael as Paris walked away from the assistants hoping to get a better look.
Whatever trick Michael did, it worked, and the players were stunned.
“Oh it was amazing,” forward Myles Stute said after watching the card trick. “It had thrown me off.”
Paris said Michael’s visit has really been the only formal team bonding event USC has done throughout winter break. There aren’t many other students around, so it’s just the players and coaches most of the time.
That’s not a big deal, they’ve been having fun being with each other. If it’s not watching a movie or playing video games, it’s at practice.
“I think it’s good that they’ve forged such good relationships that they don’t feel the need to have to have thousands of people on campus,” Paris said. “They really value the time with each other.”
Paris said he’s noticed how this season, USC has spent a lot of time together away from the court. It went all the way back to the summer trip to the Bahamas, when the Gamecocks had an open day and spent it together, away from the coaches and exploring the area.
Michael’s known for using different programs’ mantras throughout his shows, whether it be sticking a player card in a sign on the wall or sharing a motivational speech about togetherness. Stute said watching USC from the outside last season, he noticed that togetherness wasn’t there. He played against the Gamecocks as a member of Vanderbilt’s lineup.
Now, Stute doesn’t believe they’re missing any connection; South Carolina is confident walking into its first conference matchup.
“This is a group that really just likes each other and loves each other on and off the court,” Stute said. “So that’s been making things a lot easier, just a lot of chemistry to get together.”
Michael dropped a few more card tricks as the Gamecocks slowly walked off the Colonial Life Arena court, causing a few ‘woahs’ and ‘no ways’ to echo across the empty arena.
The Gamecocks might end up believing in magic like Paris, thanks to Michael.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
