Breaking down the finances of South Carolina retaining Lamont Paris as head coach
Lamont Paris will return as South Carolina’s head basketball coach next season.
That decision, which the Gamecocks athletic department confirmed to The State on Tuesday, received mixed reviews from fans.
To some, South Carolina’s decision to retain Paris was a signal that USC is willing to tolerate sub-par results in men’s basketball. One could imagine the thought process of a loyal South Carolina supporter: How else do you explain the Gamecocks keeping a coach who finished last and third-to-last in the SEC over the past two seasons, respectively? Who has won 25 combined games in the last two years while winning 17% (6-30) of his conference games?
To others, this was not a Paris issue. Only two seasons ago, he led South Carolina to, arguably, its best regular season in program history and landed the Gamecocks in the NCAA tournament for just the sixth time in nearly 50 years. Those in that camp could argue: Paris proved he’s a heck of a coach, an optamist could say, he just needs more NIL resources.
Per USC athletics sources, South Carolina’s NIL budget ranks near the bottom of the SEC — possibly the lowest in the conference. That was the case in 2024-25, when The State reported Paris’ entire roster was making under $2 million, and that remained true this season, despite South Carolina substitutionally increasing the NIL budget. USC athletics sources indicated the MBB NIL budget more than tripled.
However, the Gamecocks were still woefully behind some of the top spenders in the SEC. Kentucky’s $22 million roster is from the largest reported men’s basketball NIL budget in the country. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported that at least five other SEC programs budgeted $8 million or more for the year.
If South Carolina had expectations of winning next season, it needs to provide its head coach with adequate resources. In other words: USC is going to have to increase its NIL budget for next season, regardless of who the head coach is.
Knowing that, if USC’s choices boiled down to firing or retaining Paris, one can better understand why the Gamecocks opted for the cheaper option. But just how much cheaper?
Let’s take a look at the numbers.
Lamont Paris buyout: ~ $12 million
If South Carolina chose to part with Paris, it would have owed him a buyout exceeding $12 million — a figure that comes from 65% of his remaining $18.5 million contract.
However, that $12 million would have been paid out in monthly installments until Paris’ contract ended on March 31, 2030, perhaps easing the burden for the Gamecocks.
Assistant coaches’ buyouts: ~ $80k
Unlike South Carolina’s assistant football coaches, everyone on Paris’ staff was on one-year contracts that end March 31.
Because of that, if South Carolina moved on from Paris, it would only owe his assistants pay for basically three weeks.
When accounting for the salaries of his top staffers — Tanner Bronson ($395k), Will Bailey ($336.6k), Eddie Shannon ($275.4k), David McKinley ($129k) and Carey Rich ($245.8k) — their combined salaries were about $1.4 million for the entire year. Paying each out for three weeks would cost about $80,000.
Next head coach salary+buyout: ~ $4 million to $8 million
OK, let’s assume South Carolina hired another head coach. It’s likely the Gamecocks would have to pay that person — at least — what it was set to pay Paris next year ($4.25 million).
It should be known that despite Paris’ massive contract extension following the 2024 season, his salary was still in the bottom half of all SEC coaches.
So, likely at a minimum, the Gamecocks would have been spending over $8 million on head basketball coaching salaries next season.
But, unless South Carolina was able (or willing) to hire someone who themselves just got fired — think: Bobby Hurley (ASU), Jerome Tang (Kansas St.), Damon Stoudamire (Georgia Tech) — it would have been forced to buy out the coach it wanted. What could that have looked like?
Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun, among the hottest names this coaching cycle, would owe a buyout of more than $3 million. If he left before April, New Mexico’s Eric Olen would have to pay the Lobos $2.65 million over 36 months.
New assistant coaches: ~ $2 million to $5 million
This would vary wildly depending on, (1) how many additional staffers were added and, (2) how many of those staffers had buyouts.
Knowing that the top South Carolina assistants made about $1 million this year, one would expect that to jump to about $2 million with a new staff, considering all the support folks who would be hired. if a new coach wanted top-tier assistants, that number could more than double.
As for the buyouts, it’s hard to get a good gauge. South Carolina’s assistants, for example, wouldn’t owe the university anything if they left for another job. On the other hand, Clemson’s men’s basketball assistants — most of whom are on two-year contracts —would owe 20% of their remaining base salary if they left.
Ticket sales: ~ $500k loss
As surprising as it is, the Gamecocks men’s basketball program is not fiscally beholden to ticket sales.
In 2023-24, the best USC season in years, the Gamecocks made $2.15 million via ticket sales. Last year, as South Carolina floundered to a 12-20 record, the total ticket revenue dropped by about $150,000 — a 6.6% decrease from 2024.
It’s unclear how much ticket sales dipped this season, but it’s reasonable to imagine there was another similar decline.
Looking ahead, let’s get hyperbolic and imagine a situation where a swath of disgruntled fans, furious Paris was retained, cancel their season tickets.
Even if South Carolina’s ticket sales dropped 25% from last season (which seems impossibly high), it would only equate to a $500,000 loss. That’s not a financial killer when considering the men’s basketball program made almost $7 million from its SEC TV deal in 2025.
Total accounting of firing Lamont Paris
When accounting for Paris’ full buyout, it’s reasonable to think firing Paris would have cost South Carolina close to $25 million all-in and, perhaps, up to $17 million over just the next year.
Paris is still slated to make $4.25 million next season. His assistants, whether returning or new, will probably earn around $1.5 million, or over $2 million total if positions are added.
So, let’s assume Paris and his staff make a combined $6 million next year. Even if ticket sales fall by $500,000, it could have still cost the Gamecocks somewhere between $5 million (low side) and $10 million (high side) to move on from Paris.
For now, it makes financial sense to retain Paris. But if the Gamecocks have another poor season, it could become even more expensive for South Carolina. At this time next year, Paris buyout will still be $9.3 million.
