COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lamont Paris is continuing a parade of head coaches making the move from the Southern Conference to the Power 5 level.
Mike Young went from Wofford to Virginia Tech, while Steve Forbes also went to the ACC, landing at Wake Forest after five seasons at East Tennessee State.
This past season was Wes Miller’s first at Cincinnati which will be moving to the Big 12. Miller is a former head coach at UNC Greensboro.
Paris was introduced Thursday at the new head men’s basketball coach at South Carolina. The Findlay, Ohio native spoke with News19 about a variety of topics including his message to current players on the Gamecock roster, the pressure of competing in a league where only one team goes dancing and what it’s like to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Paris’ fifth season at Chattanooga saw the Moccasins stun Furman in the So-Con Tournament Championship with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, punching their ticket to the Big Dance. That is a feeling Paris hopes his new team gets to experience.