Report: South Carolina hires Chattanooga's Lamont Paris as next head coach

According to a Monday report, South Carolina has hired their next head coach in Lamont Paris, the former coach of Chattanooga. The report indicates that Paris and the Gamecocks have finalized a five-year coaching deal already, although the announcement has not yet been made official.

South Carolina hires Lamont Davis

“South Carolina and Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris have finalized a five-year deal to make him the school’s next head coach,” stated ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “Paris led Chattanooga to a 27-8 record this season and the school’s first NCAA bid since 2016.”

The Gamecocks finished their 2021-22 season with a 9-9 record in SEC play, and an 18-13 overall record on the season. South Carolina’s former coach Frank Martin was dismissed by the program after ten seasons with the team, opening the coaching search in earnest for the school. Earlier on Monday it was reported that South Carolina had “zeroed in” on Paris as their next head coach, a report that appears to have been further verified with the length of his contract.

After spending the past five seasons with the Chattanooga Mocs as his first-ever head coaching job, Paris will now have his first one inside of a Power Six conference with South Carolina.

Paris took over at Chattanooga during the 2017-2018 season, going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time this past season. The Mocs won the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament championship before facing off against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Round of 64. Even with an early exit, it was the program’s first appearance in March Madness since 2016.

Matt McMahon chooses LSU over South Carolina

An additional report on Monday highlighted the coaching search that South Carolina underwent, as LSU’s newest head coach Matt McMahon allegedly chose the Tigers over the Gamecocks. The decision appeared to be one that painted the Gamecocks program as inferior in McMahon’s eyes — as he decided to join the school facing heavy NCAA sanctions over a clean slate at South Carolina.

“McMahon was able to negotiate a seven-year deal with LSU,” detailed CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. “South Carolina tried to push, but it speaks to the allure of each job that, despite NCAA punishments sure to come, McMahon still preferred to head to Baton Rouge.”

The punishments that Norlander is referring to are the expected penalties imposed by the NCAA for violations committed by former head coach Will Wade and LSU. Although the school acted quickly once the investigation turned up evidence and they received a formal statement of allegations, the severity of any punishments handed down to them is expected to be notable.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this article.