South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris still believes in his freshman
On Wednesday, South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris was with Derek Scott for this week’s edition of “Carolina Calls.” During the call-in show, Scott asked Paris to speak about his first-year players.
The Voice of the Gamecocks then asked specifically about true freshman Cam Scott. The local product has struggled through the first nine games of his college career. Scott is averaging less than three points per game on paltry 20.5%/12%/57.1% shooting splits.
Asked Derek Scott, “Let’s talk about the guys who are here now, the first-year guys. Because when you get to final exams, it’s a chance for, hopefully, those guys to maybe catch their breath a little bit…do you see an opportunity, maybe, for a guy like Cam Scott to catch his breath and maybe have a chance to catch his breath a little bit?”
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Paris agreed full-heartedly.
“Yeah…I talked about how important I thought this Christmas break would be for him to do that, exactly, to reset mentally, to really have time to spend working on a couple of things…Now, we can spend some real quality time trying to break a couple of things down with him over this break.”
However, the third-year South Carolina headman expressed his confidence in Cam Scott making the adjustments necessary to play up to his capabilities on the court.
“He’s such a willing listener, he’s a good listener, and he’s very, very intelligent. I anticipate real growth happening for Cam over this break.”
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That optimism echoes the tone Paris had for his star freshman during the preseason. The Gamecock head coach said repeatedly that he would “work for free next year” if Cam Scott doesn’t find his way onto an All-SEC Freshman team.
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While Cam Scott’s struggles haven’t been what anyone has wanted, Paris isn’t overly concerned. Scott, who is the all-time leading scorer at Lexington High School and a former top-50 prospect, is capable of making the big turn around his coach expects. Paris told the “Carolina Calls” audience that he knows adversity strikes everyone but growth is the key.
“All young guys need to grow. Some come in ahead of the others…[Scott] is a very special talent. He’s a really smart player. So, it will happen for him; it is just a matter of how quickly it happens.”
The Christmas break includes a week off for exams (one that is almost over now), over a week off surrounding Christmas, and just four total games over the four-week stretch from December 8th-January 3rd. The lighter load should allow Scott and the rest of the Gamecocks an opportunity to lock in as they get ready for SEC play.
Next up on the South Carolina basketball schedule is a home contest against USC-Upstate. The opening tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena. SEC Network+ will stream Saturday’s action.
