South Carolina and men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris have agreed on a new contract through the 2029-30 season, according to multiple reports. ESPN first reported the news of the agreement and that the deal will pay Paris more than $4 million a year.
Paris was named SEC Coach of the Year this month after leading the Gamecocks to a 25-6 record in the regular season, finishing one game behind Tennessee for first place in the conference. The Findlay, Ohio, native had emerged in several reports about Ohio State’s search for a new coach to replace Chris Holtmann, who was fired mid-season. South Carolina opens SEC tournament play Thursday afternoon against Arkansas and is currently projected as a No. 5 seed in The Athletic’s Bracket Watch.
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Paris engineered one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college basketball this season. The Gamecocks went 24-28 in Frank Martin’s final two seasons, then 11-21 last year in Paris’ debut. They were picked to finish last in the SEC by the league’s media this preseason, which led to a terrific rant from Paris. He came to SEC Media Day armed with stats — and standard deviations — on how bad reporters are at predicting the future.
“There’s not much in a pick,” Paris said in October. “But I will say this: The only thing I can thank them for is they picked us last. Second to last is nothing. What does that mean? I can’t even use that as bulletin board material. So last it is.”
But last it was not. South Carolina started 13-1, beat Kentucky and Tennessee — two current AP top-10 teams — in the span of a week and won nine road games, including at Tennessee, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. The Gamecocks are two wins away from a new program record, and their 25 victories are already most since Martin led USC on a stunning run to the 2017 Final Four.
It’s a far cry from last place, and that was always Paris’ plan.
“I do not aspire not to be last,” Paris told The Athletic earlier this season. “We are trying to build. We are building. That’s why some of these wins are program-type wins. We’re building a program that stands for something. We’re building a program that, when you think about South Carolina, my vision is that you’ll say, ‘They’re going to be in the tournament this year, again, like normal.’ That’s what we’re building.”
The raise and extension for Paris is also indicative of a larger commitment to men’s basketball in the SEC, which has been on a mission since commissioner Greg Sankey’s directive to improve in 2016. Paris, Florida coach Todd Golden and Ole Miss coach Chris Beard all received contract extensions this week, locking in three relative newcomers to a league that is loaded with top-shelf coaching.
(Photo: Petre Thomas / USA Today)
