Cam Scott is a Gamecock! South Carolina adds local star to recruiting class

South Carolina basketball just added a big addition to its 2024 recruiting class.

Lexington High four-star guard Cam Scott announced his commitment to the Gamecocks on Wednesday morning in a radio interview on 107.5.

The 6-foot-6 Scott is ranked as a four-star prospect and top-40 recruit in the country by all of the major recruiting services. The senior expected to officially sign with USC later Wednesday and enroll this summer to be part of the 2024-25 Gamecocks.

He had signed with Texas in November, but news of him wanting out of his National Letter of Intent spread over the weekend. He announced a decision Monday to break his pledge to the Longhorns.

Scott said in a social media post Monday that he was “looking to stay closer to my loved ones as I pursue the next steps in my basketball career.”

The process of Scott getting back on the Gamecocks’ radar this time started about 10 days ago and ended quickly without him taking another visit on campus.

He made several visits to USC before his original commitment to Texas in August, and South Carolina was one of Scott’s finalists when he announced.

“They were right there. Game of inches,“ Scott said of the Gamecocks shortly after his announcement to go to Texas. “It was real rough. I’m not going to lie.”

Recruiting Cam Scott

Scott has been top priority for South Carolina, dating back to when Frank Martin was the coach. The Gamecocks offered him in June of 2021. Since Lamont Paris arrived, the Gamecocks’ staff had turned up the recruiting efforts.

The Gamecocks have done well landing top in-state talent under Paris. GG Jackson committed to USC months after Paris took over and was the top-ranked prospect in the school’s history.

USC also has landed other in-state prospects such as Arden Conyers and Collin Murray-Boyles as well as in-state transfers in TaLon Cooper and Hayden Brown. Murray-Boyles was named to the All-SEC freshman team this year.

Scott’s reversal after already signing with another school is something doesn’t happen a lot unless there’s a coaching change or a decision to reclassify. But it has happened in recent memory. Five-star prospect Liam McNeeley got out of his Indiana NLI in March and has yet to find a new school.

Mackenzie Mgbako got out of his NLI to Duke in 2023 and ended up signing with Indiana.

Scott finished up his career as the most decorated boys basketball player in school history and helped Lexington to its first state championship since 2000. He was named S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight year, joining Lower Richland’s Stanley Roberts (1987-88), Pinewood Prep’s Milton Jennings (2007-08) and Edisto’s Brice Johnson (2011-12) to accomplish that feat.

Scott was all-state five times and finished with a school-record 2,475 points. He also holds the school record for steals in a season with 100 and single-game scoring record with 43.

Scott averaged 22 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.3 steals per game this season. He had 21 points in the championship win over Byrnes.

Scott’s addition gives USC coach Lamont Paris three signees for the Class of 2024, joining Harlan (Ky.) County’s Trent Noah and Okku Federiko of Finland. USC also has two commitments for Class of 2025 in Overtime Elite’s Eli Ellis and Powdersville’s Hayden Assesmian.

The Gamecocks have two spots left for the Class of 2024 and likely will add through the transfer portal. Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian visited South Carolina last weekend. Mount St. Mary’s Dakota Leffew will visit the Gamecocks this weekend and has USC in its top schools with Georgia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova, and Xavier.

The Gamecocks are coming off a 26-8 record and first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2017. USC finished ranked in the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll. The 25 regular-season wins were most in school history and 26 wins tied the team’s record set in 2017.