Tag: lamont paris

Former Wisconsin assistant a first-round exit from NCAA Tournament

Former Wisconsin assistant a first-round exit from NCAA Tournament

Former Wisconsin assistant Lamont Paris and the South Carolina Gamecocks were upset by the 11th-seeded Oregon Ducks in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 64 Thursday night.

The Ducks coasted to an 87-73 win thanks to guard Jermaine Couisnard’s 40 points, six assists and four rebounds.

South Carolina was sent home early after a resurgent season under Paris and a renewed optimism for the future. The program had entered March Madness after an incredible 26-7 regular season record and a 13-5 mark in SEC play. The team finished second in the conference after many had picked it to finish last.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers vs. James Madison Dukes: Preview and prediction for NCAA Tournament round of 64

The program’s breakout season occurred in only the former Wisconsin assistant’s second year on the job. His first year was an 11-21 rebuild, quickly leading to one of the program’s more successful seasons in recent memory.

Paris was an assistant on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s Wisconsin coaching staffs from 2010-2017 — present for the best run in program history from 2013-2017. He left in 2017 for the head coach’s job at Chattanooga, where he finished 87-72 over five seasons — improving from 10-23 and 10th in the Southern Conference his first season to 27-8 and conference champions in his final year.

South Carolina recently signed Paris to a lucrative contract extension, ensuring he’d stick around to see the improvement continue.

This year’s tournament result was a disappointment. But the season can be considered a resounding success for the Gamecocks.

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Longtime Wisconsin assistant named SEC Coach of the Year

Longtime Wisconsin assistant wins SEC Coach of the Year

Longtime Wisconsin basketball assistant and current South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was named 2023-24 SEC Coach of the Year Monday afternoon.

Paris has the Gamecocks at 25-6 in only his second year on the job. His team went 11-21 last season after he took over for longtime head coach Frank Martin and now has taken a gigantic leap to finish second in a tough SEC Conference.

Related: Full Big Ten Basketball Tournament preview, predictions

The fast-rising head coach was a Wisconsin assistant from 2010-2017 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s coaching staffs — present for the best run in program history from 2013-2017.

He left in 2017 for the head coach job at Chattanooga, where he finished 87-72 over five seasons — improving from 10-23 and 10th in the Southern Conference his first season to 27-8 and conference champions in his final year.

The same pattern appears to be happening at South Carolina, as the Gamecocks suffered one down season under his tenure before jolting toward the top of the SEC.

Related: Vegas betting odds released for 2024 Big Ten basketball tournament

Paris’ team is currently ranked No. 15 in the nation and projects as a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Former Wisconsin Badgers coach on late-season Naismith watch list

Former Badgers coach on Late Season Naismith Watchlist

The late-season watch list for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year was released Friday and former Wisconsin assistant coach and current South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was included on the list.

Paris has his group out to an impressive 22-5 overall record this season and No. 20 rank in the AP Poll. The former Badger is in his second season as the Gamecocks’ head coach, making a great leap after an 11-21 season in 2022-2023.

He spent eight seasons as an assistant coach in Madison under Bo Ryan and Greg Gard from 2010-2017 before leaving in 2018 to become the head coach at Chattanooga, his last stop before South Carolina.

Some other names on the Naismith watch list include UConn’s Dan Hurley, Alabama’s Nate Oats, Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger, Purdue’s Matt Painter and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson.

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Wisconsin basketball former assistant a real candidate for Naismith Coach Of The Year

Former Wisconsin basketball assistant making headlines at South Carolina:

Former Wisconsin basketball assistant coach Lamont Paris is surprising everybody in just his second year as head coach at South Carolina.

The Gamecocks went on the road and defeated No. 5 Tennessee earlier this week. The win improved the team to 18-3 on the season and 6-2 in SEC play. While somehow still unranked entering this week, the team is in the midst of a dominant four-game win streak including this week vs. No. 5 Tennessee, a 13-point win over Arkansas, a 17-point blowout over then-No. 6 Kentucky and an eight-point home win over Missouri.

Whether South Carolina is a true national contender this season is one conversation. The other is that Paris took over a middling program with one NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years (a Final Four run in 2016-2017) and took only one sub-par year to already have the program at 18-3 and a force in the SEC.

Paris was a Wisconsin assistant from 2010-2017 under Bo Ryan and Greg Gard. He left for the Chattanooga job, where he was from 2017-2022. Then came the move to South Carolina which already seems to be paying dividends.