Lamont Paris mentioned for open Ohio State job
South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris has been mentioned by national media as someone Ohio State could target for its open head coaching position.
The Buckeyes on Wednesday morning dismissed Chris Holtmann after seven seasons at the helm in Columbus.
In his second season in Columbia, Paris has orchestrated a dramatic turnaround for the South Carolina hoops program. USC currently sits just outside the top ten nationally according to the AP Poll and is range to potentially win the Southeastern Conference.
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The Gamecocks are 21-3 as of Wednesday evening, with a 9-2 mark in SEC play.
During the 2022-23 season, his first at USC, Paris went 11-21. That was after five seasons as the head coach at Chattanooga, where he was 65-29 in total over the course of his last three years. He also spent seven seasons as an assistant at Wisconsin, where the Badgers reached four Sweet 16s, a Final Four, and posted a national runner-up finish.
After his hiring at USC, Paris was given a five-year contract at over $2 million annually, with the salary figure escalating by $100,000 each year of the deal.
“We feel very good about where Coach Paris is, and we want him around for a very long time,” athletics director Ray Tanner said during a radio appearance on 107.5 The Game last week.
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Jeff Goodman, the first to report on Holtmann’s dismissal at Ohio State, mentioned Paris as a candidate that could come up during Ohio State’s search process.
“Lamont Paris is an interesting name because of what he’s done at South Carolina. He’s got Midwest ties,” Goodman said on The Field of 68.
The number one candidate, according to Goodman, is Xavier’s Sean Miller, who was also involved with the South Carolina search that ultimately led to Paris.
