Lamont Paris talks recruiting state of SC, but he can’t talk about new job just yet
The news is not yet official, yet all indications point to Chattanooga’s Lamont Paris becoming the next South Carolina men’s basketball coach.
ESPN reported late Monday night that Paris and USC finalized a five-year contract for an undisclosed amount and that an announcement would come this week. The State confirmed the pending hire, with something official from South Carolina expected as early as Wednesday.
On3’s Jamie Shaw reported that Paris intended to meet with his Chattanooga players Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking on ESPN Chattanooga on Tuesday afternoon, Paris didn’t comment on the situation at USC, with radio hosts making note that the news is not official and that Paris is still the Mocs coach at present. However, Paris — known for his recruiting ability as an assistant at Wisconsin — did field a question about whether he’s ever recruited in the Palmetto State.
“Not much,” Paris said. “So luckily, it doesn’t just come down to where a person’s from or where they’ve been. I mean, we recruited a kid when I was at Akron. His name was Jimmy Conyers from Baltimore. And he ended up being first team, all league and defensive player of the year. We had never recruited a kid from Baltimore ever before.
“We had the freshman of the year here at Chattanooga, from Indianapolis. I don’t know how many times they recruited a guy from Indianapolis.”
Paris, 47, coached Chattanooga for five seasons. The Mocs went 27-8 this season and made the NCAA tournament, and Paris holds a career 87-71 record with the program. This year’s March Madness bid was Paris’ first as a head coach, and the No. 13-seed Mocs lost by one point to No. 4-seed Illinois. Prior to arriving in Chattanooga, he served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2011-17, working under Bo Ryan and then Greg Gard.
That’s where he established his reputation as a skilled recruiter. Born in Ohio, Paris has spent the majority of his career and life in the Midwest and will likely face questions about his ability to recruit in the Southeast.
“I get that,” Paris said. “But at the end of the day, you’re going to recruit hard and be successful with it or you’re not.
“I’ve always recruited well in the state that I live in.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Lamont Paris talks recruiting state of SC, but he can’t talk about new job just yet."
