Lamont Paris wasn’t the obvious choice at USC. How he’s proven to be the right one
When Lamont Paris was hired, he wasn’t the guy that fans called for. He wasn’t the trendy pick. There were Gamecock supporters who felt South Carolina should’ve made a bigger splash in its coaching search.
Paris, a College of Wooster alum, had just come off a solid stint at mid-major UT-Chattanooga, where he’d led the Mocs to their best season in years, including a conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
But the buzz around him was low-key.
“Down here in the Southeast, maybe my name’s not sexy,” Paris said.
He made it work. After a less-than-stellar, 11-win debut coaching the Gamecocks in 2022-23, Paris led a quick turnaround in Year 2: 26 wins and the NCAA Tournament.
Now, Gamecock fans feel something different — a team many believe can finally compete with SEC giants.
But it wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Paris was entering uncharted territory, with no ties to the Gamecocks and zero SEC head coaching experience when he was hired in March 2022.
“I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to get it done there,” said Jeff Goodman, an NCAA basketball analyst and longtime acquaintance of Paris. “And not because he’s not a good coach. Just because it’s a hard job in a brutal league with NIL coming in at that point.”
Paris was facing off against heavyweight SEC coaches such as John Calipari, Rick Barnes, Bruce Pearl, Nate Oats and Eric Musselman — all proven recruiters with records to back them up.
“They were way ahead of him, so I didn’t know if he could compete with those guys,” said Goodman, also an associate of Paris for over 20 years.
Plus, he was in the mix with a fresh crop of SEC hires: Florida’s Todd Golden, Georgia’s Mike White, LSU’s Matt McMahon, Mississippi State’s Chris Jans and Missouri’s Dennis Gates.
It was just going to be tough for Paris. In his first year, he had the worst regular-season winning percentage among these new coaches, and the second-worst in SEC play.
By Year 2, however, he led the Gamecocks to the best winning percentage among that group, taking South Carolina to the NCAA Tournament for just the third time this century and securing the program’s highest SEC finish since 2016. USC, Florida and Mississippi State were the only teams in the bunch to make the NCAAs last year.
Last year’s Gamecocks also tied the program record in wins (26) — the record set by Paris’ predecessor, Frank Martin. The difference between Paris and Martin? Paris did it in just his second season.
“I’m not surprised,” said Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard, who has coached with Paris. “Everywhere he’s went, he’s had success.”
It took Martin three years to get South Carolina above .500 and five to make the tournament. Paris did it in half the time, but with no less work.
As a result, Paris has won over Gamecock fans. After nearly every game, a crowd lines up for photos, autographs or even just a handshake with the 2023-24 SEC Coach of the Year.
“We could not have predicted that it would take off the way that it took off,” Carey Rich said.
‘A basketball junkie personified’
When Paris accepted the position at USC — as coaches often do — he brought over his staff from UT-Chattanooga. Tanner Bronson, Eddie Shannon, David McKinley: They all were guys who understood how Paris operated a program.
But Rich, also entering his third season with the Gamecocks, was the outlier.
Rich, whose official title is special assistant to the head coach, had to get up to speed on Paris’ philosophy, his style of play and his beliefs. Over time, he’s learned and appreciates Paris’ intense and intricate basketball mind.
On a recent short flight, the two men chatted about everything from memories of playing ball on the playground to their moms’ favorite dishes (Paris’ is lasagna), to topics as broad as academic curriculum and stocks. But through all of that, Rich has noticed one thing about Paris that sets him apart: his love for the game.
“Basketball is life to him,” Rich said.
If Paris was given the choice, he’d be up doing something related to basketball at every chance possible.
Paris’ passion translates directly to practice. Every session starts with a 15- to 20-minute film review, covering games or yesterday’s drills. Then it’s onto the court, where Paris turns the hardwood into a classroom. He dives into details with his players — footwork, positioning, reading defenses, every little nuance that turns a turnover into a score.
These habits are woven camaraderie into the team’s fabric. Paris’ investment in these small teaching moments gives the Gamecocks confidence and comfort on and off the court.
“His level of communication allows unreal connectivity to our guys,” said Rich, a Gamecock great who played three seasons at USC in the 1990s.
Paris’ demeanor has even attracted NBA scouts, who note his approach would perfectly suit a professional locker room. While some coaches rely on old-school yelling to drive players, Paris believes in a different approach.
“We’re dealing with a different generation,” Rich said. “... So as a coach, you have to be willing to meet them in their place, and he does a really, really good job of that.”
Paris’ authenticity and commitment to doing what works for him have fueled his success, Goodman said. He doesn’t try to sell a dream to players — those around Paris know exactly what they’re going to get.
Said Goodman: “He’s incapable of bullsh--.”
“I am who I am, and I’m comfortable with that,” Paris said.
A new identity in the islands
The Gamecocks’ team trip to the Bahamas before last season was transformative. Paris, who believes closeness is the hallmark of a good program, saw it as a crucial bonding opportunity and a chance for the team to realize its potential.
“We left the Bahamas feeling very encouraged, which is what prompted the chip on the shoulder,” Rich said.
Goodman was also in the Bahamas with his daughter at the time and saw the chemistry firsthand. Paris was at every activity with his team.
“The chemistry of that group — I could see it then,” Goodman said. “That was the difference maker.”
Paris had a conversation with Goodman after beating a team in the Bahamas, confiding that he genuinely believed that his team could make waves that year. Soon after, signature wins over Virginia Tech and Grand Canyon reinforced that belief. And while USC lost to Clemson a couple of weeks later, the Gamecocks led most of the game, putting them in the national spotlight, Rich said.
Rich also points to the close losses of the 2022-23 season as growing pains that ultimately shaped the team. They dropped all three of their SEC overtime games that year, including a nail-biter against then-No. 2 Alabama at home.
“Intentionality” is one of the words that you’ll hear the Gamecocks use often — whether it’s what worked in the past, what they’re doing in practice or what it will take to win games. They just need to be intentional about all aspects of the game.
Rich said that started after that tumultuous first season.
“We became very intentional about what we needed,” he said. “We became very intentional about the positions that we needed. We became very intentional about how we wanted to play.”
USC then started to turn those close losses into close wins. The Gamecocks went 8-2 in games decided by five or fewer points, up from 5-4 from the previous year.
“What that allowed us to do more than anything, it allowed us to identify what we needed to move forward in a successful manner,” Rich said.
Fuel for the fire
Being picked last in the SEC preseason poll going into last season lit a fire under Paris.
He’s known to have a more even-keeled personality. He’s never too up and never too down when something happens. He never cares what anyone else thinks about him, his team or otherwise, Rich said.
But it was something about being rated so low by the outside world that motivated Paris this time around. It was almost like he had something to prove.
Like Michael Jordan admitted in “The Last Dance,” “He took it very personally.”
Said Rich: “He was taken aback. He was bothered. He was almost insulted.”
That moment of vulnerability from Paris galvanized the team, which now had a reason to play with a chip on its shoulder. While Paris typically keeps his squad focused on its game, the players noted what was said about them, and used it as motivation.
The Gamecocks now have the challenge of continuing their success from last season, though SEC media predicted an 11th-place finish for USC among 16 teams. But Paris and company said they aren’t worried about the outside narratives.
“Coach Paris does a great job of making sure we’re focused on who we are and doing what we do — not deviating from that,” Rich said.
Paris, too, is focused on growth. While finding time to do it is tough, he made efforts to talk to as many other coaches as he could to soak up knowledge. This year, he attended Bo Ryan’s Hall of Fame induction and spent time at a Boston Celtics practice to learn from the reigning NBA champs.
“Just constantly trying to learn from the best,” Paris said. “I’m always consumed by greatness and trying to understand why teams or individuals achieve it. So I spent time diving into that and focusing on improving the mental aspect of it.”
Even so, Paris and the Gamecocks know what’s been said about them. It sets the stage for them feeling like they have to validate themselves again.
Goodman said the team is different now, with expectations to match. For South Carolina, maintaining success means holding onto the camaraderie that brought them this far.
“It’s a group that respects each other at the highest level,” Paris said. “They enjoy being around each other. After workouts in the summer, 30 minutes later, they’d still be sitting around talking about the Olympics or whatever. We don’t tell them to do that — they just like being together. That always helps in your effort to be a good team.”
South Carolina Basketball 2024-25 Schedule
- Nov. 4 vs. North Florida, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 8 vs. SC State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 12 vs. Towson, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 16 at Indiana, 3 p.m. (Peacock/streaming only)
- Nov. 21 vs. Mercer, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 25 vs. Xavier – Fort Myers Tip-Off – 8:30 p.m. on FS1
- Nov. 27 vs. Michigan/Virginia Tech – Fort Myers Tip-Off 6/8:30 p.m. on FS1
- Dec. 3 at Boston College, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
- Dec. 7 vs. East Carolina, TBD (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 14 vs. USC Upstate, TBD (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 17 vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Dec. 22 vs. Radford, TBD (SEC Network)
- Dec. 30 vs. Presbyterian, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 4 at Mississippi State, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 8 vs. Alabama, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 11 vs. Auburn, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 15 at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 18 at Oklahoma, TBD (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
- Jan. 22 vs. Florida, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 25 vs. Mississippi State, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 28 at Georgia, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 1 vs. Texas A&M, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 8 at Kentucky, noon (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Feb. 12 vs. Ole Miss, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 15 at Florida, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 18 at LSU, 9 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 22 vs. Texas, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 25 at Missouri, 9 p.m. (ESPN2/U)
- March 1 vs. Arkansas, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
- March 4 vs. Georgia, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
- March 8 at Tennessee, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published November 2, 2024 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Lamont Paris wasn’t the obvious choice at USC. How he’s proven to be the right one."
