Lamont Paris anticipates a strong season from Arden Conyers off his redshirt year
South Carolina forward Arden Conyers spent his freshman season learning from the bench. He took a redshirt year last season and Gamecocks head coach Lamont Paris thinks it paid off.
“I said this about a year ago when people asked me about our plan in terms of constructing a roster. I would always say, ‘Hey, you’ve never heard of Arden Conyers,'” Paris said. “You don’t know him if you’re outside of the city of Columbia, certainly outside the state of South Carolina, you’ve probably never heard of this guy.”
Paris believes sometime soon everyone, SEC basketball fans especially, will know Conyers’ name.
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“He hasn’t disappointed. He’s on a very good trajectory right now, he really took advantage of the redshirt year last year,” Paris said.
Paris called Conyers “versatile” and said that he’s athletic and explosive. He also noted Conyers’ ability to make good shots and his size at 6 feet 7 inches tall.
While redshirting, Paris said sometimes learning defense falls into the background, and paying attention to the offense is easier. He said this could be the case with Conyers, but they are working on teaching the defensive scheme. Over the past year, Paris has seen Conyers create “some real tools offensively.”
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“I’m excited for him to be in the mix again after going through a redshirt year,” Paris said. “His redshirt year was very productive and I anticipate him having a great chance to play a significant role for us this year.”
The Columbia native joined the team from Westwood High School in Blythewood, S.C. last season. Conyers was a three-star recruit out of Westwood and the No. 3 player in the state.
This year he’s a part of a brand-new roster, but Paris said returners like Conyers, who didn’t play, are helping with team chemistry and keeping the culture going for the newcomers.
