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United States Lamont Paris is an acclaimed American college basketball coach, recognized for his transformative impact on programs and a history of success in NCAA tournaments.
South Carolina announced a 10-year partnership with Nike, a leading athletic apparel and footwear company.
Park Avenue partners with Carolina Rise to provide South Carolina student athletes with full-time agency resources, working personally with players on branding and growth.
The University of South Carolina announced a new multi-year partnership with Legends, a global content and experiences company.
A featured partner of South Carolina Athletics, Colonial Life is a provider of insurance and benefits.
An institutional partnership between athletic program and its parent university.
The official sports organization for the Southeastern Conference, which includes the University of South Carolina.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, governing body for college athletics.
Lamont Paris, born on November 11, 1974, in Findlay, Ohio, established himself as a respected figure in college basketball through a career marked by significant achievements as both an assistant and head coach. His journey began as a college player at the College of Wooster, where he was a two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection and captain during his junior and senior years. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business economics in 1996, and later earning a master’s degree in recreation and sports management from Indiana State in 2000, Paris transitioned into coaching. He served as an assistant coach at Wooster (1997-1998), DePauw (1998-2000), and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2001-2004), steadily building a reputation for his coaching acumen and ability to develop talent. These early experiences laid the groundwork for his future success, contributing to 20-win seasons and NCAA Division III and II tournament appearances.
Paris’s career progressed with impactful assistant coaching positions at the Division I level. From 2005 to 2010, he was an assistant at Akron, where the team achieved multiple 20-win seasons and secured their first 20-win season since 1974-75, along with a Mid-American Conference Championship in 2009. He then joined the Wisconsin coaching staff for seven seasons (2010-2017), a period during which the Badgers averaged 27 wins per year. At Wisconsin, Paris played a crucial role in two Final Four appearances (2014, 2015), including a run to the National Championship game in 2015, and four Sweet Sixteen appearances. His work with All-Americans like Frank Kaminsky and NBA draft picks such as Sam Dekker highlighted his effectiveness in recruiting and player development. His contributions led to his elevation to associate head coach under Greg Gard, further cementing his strategic influence.
In 2017, Paris became the head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, guiding the Mocs to an 87-72 overall record over five seasons, dramatically improving their performance with a 65-29 record in his last three years. His tenure culminated in 2021-2022 with their first Southern Conference title and NCAA Tournament berth since 2016, earning him the SoCon Coach of the Year award. This success led to his appointment as the head coach at the University of South Carolina on March 24, 2022, becoming the first African-American head coach in the program’s history. In his second season (2023-2024), Paris achieved a historic turnaround for the Gamecocks, leading them to a 26-8 record, a 15-win improvement, which tied for the second-best in the nation, and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2017. He was named the SEC Coach of the Year by both the league’s coaches and the AP, a testament to his immediate and significant impact on the program.
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