South Carolina men's basketball recognize milestone but remain hungry for more
When Lamont Paris was officially introduced as head coach of South Carolina men’s basketball in March of 2022, he made it clear that he had goals to return the Gamecocks back to the NCAA Tournament in a hurry.
“I don’t think it’s a six-year project. I’d like to add quickly to that,” said Paris in 2022.
Fast forward to now, and South Carolina has done just that. On Sunday, the Gamecocks received their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2017. Slotted as a 6-seed, USC will play 11-seed Oregon on Thursday in Pittsburgh, PA.
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“I didn’t think it was a six-year process to get to the NCAA Tournament,” said Paris. “I also said that I aspire that our fans will be so ho-hum for us to get to the NCAA Tournament that they’ll only judge us by how many times we advance in the tournament. We’re still working on that but this certainly in year two is the first step in that.”
Never mind the fact that a year ago this team had 11 wins or that they were picked to finish last in the SEC and are heading into the tournament tied with the most wins in program history (26). What really stands out the most about this year’s team is that Paris was able to sell a vision make to make it back to March Madness to a group that is made up of 50 percent transfers.
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“When I was going through my recruiting process with coach (Lamont) Paris and the coaching staff, that’s really what I told him,” said BJ Mack. “I said that I want to make sure that we get back to being in the NCAA (Tournament). I’ve never been there and that (was) one of my goals. Now, it’s complete.”
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Junior guard Meechie Johnson was the first first player to commit to Paris after he was hired by the Gamecocks. Johnson shared during the SEC Tournament that when he left Ohio State to transfer to South Carolina, many people called him stupid. Ignoring the noise and believing in Paris’ vision two years ago left Johnson feeling vindicated on Sunday.
“I feel it all. The goosebumps going through my body right now,” said Johnson. “I’m ready to get to Pittsburgh and get to work. It’s time to show everybody why we are who we are and why we earned this. I’m just super excited. I know there’s a lot of people doubting us but we’re going into this thing with the mindset that we’re gonna win it.”
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This will mark the tenth time in program history that South Carolina has reached the NCAA Tournament. A moment that Paris is extremely grateful for, starting with the people around him.
“I think it says that we have the right people. I think that’s what it says more than anything,” said Paris . “It doesn’t say that the plays I run are the best plays on planet Earth but it says that we have the right people. That’s everything from our coaches on the staff, to our players, most importantly, to our administration, to everybody that has poured into making this happen as quickly as it has.”
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