USC men’s basketball hosts open practice on heels of Bahamas trip. What we learned
A decade ago — when Lamont Paris was still an assistant coach at Wisconsin — the Badgers traveled to Ottawa, Ontario, for an exhibition game against Division III school Carleton College.
Stunningly, the Badgers lost. Paris will never forget the way head coach Bo Ryan handled that moment.
“The next two games that we played there, the starters got a lot of minutes,” Paris recalled, laughing.
Now entering his second year as head coach of the South Carolina men’s team, Paris is preparing his Gamecocks for their own international trip — somewhere a little more tropical than Canada.
On Thursday, the Gamecock men will board a plane and head to the Bahamas for two exhibition games against Zalgiris-2 (from Lithuana) on Friday and against Obras Basket (from Argentina) on Sunday.
Expectations for this USC team aren’t quite as high they were for the 2013-14 Badgers, who used that Carleton loss as motivation on their way to the Final Four. Still, this Bahamas trip will be valuable for a new-look USC team under a second-year coach.
Paris said he hopes his team, which includes four transfers and three freshmen, will use the opportunity as a chance to bond and jell as a group. But the basketball is important, too. It’ll be the first time most of USC’s players have shared the court together in a live game.
“I’m really interested in having everybody be a part of this experience,” Paris said. “Aside from the stories that they’ll have on the beach and the water slides, I want them all to have a basketball story. So I’ll be committed to trying to get everybody in the games.”
Per NCAA rules, teams are allowed to take foreign trips every four years, and teams are allotted 10 summer practices to prepare for those trips. The Gamecocks have made use of those practices to try to build off of the foundation of last season’s 11-21 team. Wednesday’s practice was open to the media, with players running a variety of drills and scrimmaging against each other.
Paris said that it’s still too early to draw conclusions about roles and players and that he’s keeping drills simple at this stage of the offseason. But in contrast to last season, when Paris and his staff had little time to put together a roster, this year’s group more closely resembles the style of teams Paris coached in his five years as head coach at Chattanooga.
The additions of versatile big men B.J. Mack (Wofford) and Stephen Clark (The Citadel) make the frontcourt more dynamic than a year ago, and point guard Ta’Lon Cooper (Minnesota) and sharpshooting forward Myles Stute (Vanderbilt) could give the offense more juice. Paris said his offensive system emphasizes “space and pace,” and the 2023-24 roster has a skill set more in line with that style.
“Significantly closer to what I like,” Paris said. “We’re much more skilled, I think from top to bottom. We’re doing some different offensive things, a lot of read-and-react type situations.
“I think just in our guy’s DNA as players, we’re suited a lot more to play the way that I want to play offensively.”
Observations from USC’s practice
▪ Sophomore Zachary Davis saw progressively more playing time near the end of last season and was a fixture in USC’s 1-3-1 zone defensive sets — but he was raw offensively. Davis turned in a polished practice on Wednesday and showed improvements in his decisiveness on the offensive end, even making a contested 3-pointer at one point. Davis shot just 17% from the 3-point line last season. The lanky 6-foot-7 guard seems like he added good weight over the season, adding muscle to his frame.
▪ Freshman Collin Murray-Boyles rose up recruiting rankings in his final high school season and came to USC as a four-star prospect. Assistant coach Tanner Bronson told The State he thought Murray-Boyles could make an early impact for the Gamecocks with how he’s transformed his body, and the 6-foot-7 forward looked the part with his burly frame, displaying his physicality during practice.
▪ Cooper, who played for Dorman High before landing at Minnesota, gives the Gamecocks an experienced facilitator at the point guard position and looked smooth handling the ball and directing the offense, as well as showing his range with a 3-pointer. The Gamecocks will likely play two point guards on the court throughout the season with guard Meechie Johnson and Jacobi Wright both returning. Both players have drawn praise for the improvements they made, with Johnson improving his cutting and decision-making and Wright showing improved confidence and comfort in Paris’ system.
