Everything Lamont Paris said about GG Jackson

A rollercoaster 10 days for South Carolina and GG Jackson hit a boiling point Tuesday night. 

Over a week after Jackson vented frustrations on Instagram Live and three days after being benched against Ole Miss, he once again found himself on the bench and storming out of a huddle in the second half. 

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With just over 14 minutes to go, Jackson left the huddle despite his teammates trying to keep him in it. He spent time on the outside of the huddle, untucked his shirt and took off his wrist tape. 

“I didn’t notice any of that, to be honest with you. I’m into the game and the five guys on the court usually. Occasionally I’ll spend a little time with the guys who are on the bench if the game pertains to them. I didn’t notice any of that. I’m sure he was frustrated. He didn’t play particularly well. It happens to everyone. I played some guys in the second half,” Lamont Paris said postgame. 

“My job ultimately is to try and win the basketball game and there are some buttons I get to push. I don’t get to make layups. I don’t get to pass it to guys. But I do get to push a couple of buttons. Some of it has to do with personnel, combinations that are in at the right time, a couple of things to run.” 

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Jackson checked back in the game five minutes later but it was a short-lived stint. He only played four minutes in the second half, missing both of his attempts with one rebound. 

In 16 minutes overall, Jackson had just two points on 1-for-7 shooting and missed all six of his shot attempts. He was minus-30 on the night. 

“I thought our best chance at the time was that group that started the half. We made a run. Hayden turned it over and that ended the run. We made a couple of substitutions and they went on a run so I subbed back and we started clawing our way back,” Paris said. “Ultimately that’s what it boiled down to. Guys get frustrated at poor play or whatever it is. But frustration is never great for an athlete when it sets in. it can be an athlete’s worst enemy.”

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Tuesday’s performance marks another limited role for Jackson, who played just 12 minutes against Ole Miss where he had five points on 2-for-5 shooting and four turnovers. He’s also come off the bench the last three games as well after his post-Arkansas comments.

With Jackson on the bench for large stretches of the second half, the Gamecocks out-scored Vanderbilt by nine in the second half. 

South Carolina shot 43.3 percent from the field and 5-for-13 from three. The Gamecocks got to the line 18 times, making 15, and assisting on six of their 13 makes while averaging 1.31 points per possession. 

Jackson played a combined 10 minutes in the second halves against Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. In those 10 minutes, he didn’t score, going 0-for-3 from the field, with two combined turnovers. 

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It’s undoubtedly frustrating, something Paris said can really impact his confidence. 

“I don’t have a lot of conversations with guys about playing time. Some here and there but not a ton. Again, I’m committed to and will always play the guys who have the best chance to win the game. Usually, that comes down to how you’re performing. Sometimes that’s affected by other things you may have going on,” Paris said. 

“There are a lot of factors that go into how guys play. The emotional side of things is a real thing for any college-age kid and beyond. Certainly for guys who are younger. Then again, when you get frustrated it’s difficult to play well no matter how hard you’re trying. It’s difficult to play a good brand of basketball.” 

South Carolina has five regular season games remaining with one guaranteed SEC Tournament game. How Jackson responds to this stretch run is imperative, and he still has the support of his teammates. 

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“That’s my little brother, man. He’s young. He’s going through it. It’s tough, man. Me personally I’m trying to do the best I can to build him up and lift him up and keep him encouraged and positive,” Meechie Johnson said. 

“There is so much on his plate, so many people talking to him telling him to do this or that. He wants to go out there and has so many expectations for himself being a hometown kid and being the No. 1 player in the country. It’s a learning experience. The kid’s supposed to be in high school. You go out there and just want to perform. Sometimes he’s not doing that and it’s OK. With that being said, we’re going to be his teammates and riding with him to the end. That’s all we can do. Everybody else might hate him or criticize him but we’re all we got in that locker room.” 

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