South Carolina basketball preseason player profiles: Cam Scott
Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball team begins their season in less than a month. On November 4th, the North Florida Ospreys will travel to Colonial Life Arena for the opener, and the 2024-2025 Gamecock season officially will be underway. In the weeks leading up to the first game, GamecockCentral will profile each member of the team. Today we will look at freshman guard Cam Scott.
Cam Scott (Freshman, Shooting Guard/Small Forward/Point Guard, 6’6”, 170 pounds)
Last Season (with Lexington High School Wildcats), 22 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.3 steals as consensus 4-star prospect
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One of the highest-rated recruits to sign with the South Carolina basketball program in the modern recruiting era, Cam Scott will play his college ball just about 20 miles east of where he broke records at Lexington High School. A two-time winner of the Gatorade Player of the Year Award in South Carolina, Scott has extremely high potential.
However, according to his new head coach, the 6’6″ guard is ready to be a big-time contributor right away. On multiple occasions, Lamont Paris has said variations of “If Cam Scott doesn’t make the Freshman All-SEC team, I’ll work for free next year.” Considering Paris’ contract extension pays him around $4 Million annually, he’s placing a large bet on his new star freshman.
Scott’s length and athleticism will allow him to play the wing (and potentially start) as soon as the season’s first game. However, Paris’ long-term goal is to make the hometown kid into a point guard. He has the skill and court vision to make it happen, so if his feel for the game develops well, fans might see him play minutes at all three perimeter spots during the 2024-2025 campaign.
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Listed at just 170 pounds, Scott is slim. He likely won’t be asked to guard thicker wings or do too much switching onto post players. However, he plays stronger than his size and has enough fight in him to hold his own when necessary. When guarding smaller players, Scott can swallow up opposing guards with his long arms and quick feet.
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Where Cam Scott really will make his impact, though, is on the offensive end. An effortless scorer, Scott can put the ball in the basket at all three levels. He is an aggressive finisher who doesn’t mind throwing down big dunks among taller post players. His jumper is comfortable, and he can take and make shots from tough positions on the floor. If he adjusts well to college defenses, he could be one of the top Gamecock scorers as a freshman. He also has a solid feel for offensive movement and anticipates where his teammates will be, giving him above-average passing ability.
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Scott’s multi-faceted skillset and length at the guard spot will allow Coach Paris some lineup flexibility. He’s got enough size to help cover for smaller guards like Jamarii Thomas or Jacobi Wright. He’s got enough ballhandling and scoring ability to help ease the burden off of a more defensive-minded player like Zach Davis. Essentially, Paris can play Scott next to just about anyone.
Almost assuredly a future NBA player, Cam Scott is good enough to get some buzz in the association after his freshman year.
Scott and the Gamecocks hope to follow up a record-tying 26-win season and 2nd-place SEC finish with another strong year. Another trip to the NCAA Tournament would mark South Carolina’s first back-to-back berths in the Big Dance since the 1990s.
