Former Clemson, ACC assistant joins Lamont Paris’ staff at South Carolina
South Carolina men’s basketball has hired another assistant on Lamont Paris’ staff.
Former Clemson and Florida State assistant Steve Smith will join Paris’ staff, the school announced Tuesday.
He is the latest new hire on the Gamecocks staff, joining Bob Donewald and former Wisconsin standout Sam Dekker. South Carolina also hired Charlotte Hornets executive David Duquette as a consultant who will have a big role in the Gamecocks’ front office.
“Steve’s basketball connections throughout the Southeast, and especially in the state of South Carolina, are as strong as any assistant coach in the country,” Paris said in a statement. “He is incredibly experienced and will undoubtedly bring immediate value to our program in numerous ways.”
The Gamecocks had a pair of openings with Eddie Shannon and Will Bailey not back next season. Bailey left for a job at Loyola (Illinois),
Smith, who grew up in South Carolina, played at Wade Hampton High School and began his coaching career in Columbia as an assistant coach with the Allen University women’s program. But the majority of his career came on the Division I level with stops at Georgia Southern, USC Upstate, Clemson, Florida State and Boston College.
“Coach Paris is a great basketball mind whom I’ve admired from afar for many years. I can’t wait to get started with him and the rest of the staff,” Smith said in USC press release.
Smith was on Brad Brownell’s staff at Clemson from 2012-19, but his contract wasn’t renewed after Smith was caught on an FBI wiretap discussing the recruitment of Zion Williamson, the Clemson men’s basketball program and the Tigers’ football team. The wiretap was played as part of testimony during a 2019 FBI trial related to corruption within college basketball.
The Tigers couldn’t get Williamson, and he ended up going to Duke. Smith was never charged or penalized in the situation.
After Clemson, Smith landed on Leonard Hamilton’s staff at Florida State from 2019-24. The Seminoles had the No. 2 recruiting class in the country during his first full season there. FSU won the 2019-20 regular season Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
Smith was at Boston College the last two seasons, reuniting with head coach Earl Grant. Both were on Clemson’s staff together. Grant was fired after this season and replaced by Luke Murray.
