Lamont Paris talks about losing Meechie, breaks down South Carolina roster additions

Lamont Paris hardly had time to process the season.

Just four days after South Carolina’s 2023-24 campaign ended with a loss to Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, leading scorer Meechie Johnson announced he was entering the transfer portal.

This was the guy who arguably became the biggest star as the Gamecocks rose from an afterthought to the squad that won 26 games, set milestone after milestone, upset Kentucky and nearly won the SEC.

He was charismatic. He was genuine. He seemed to love Columbia. And, just like that, he was gone. Off to the school he came from, Ohio State. Just as fans found their favorite player, he was on a new team.

If he was stunned, Paris didn’t show it. Months later, in an interview with The State at SEC spring meetings in Florida, Paris said he doesn’t hold a grudge.

“There’s no such thing as a surprise when it comes to a roster,” Paris said. “No ill will whatsoever. I love the kid. I love his dad. I’ve gotten text messages from both of them. Meechie called me 10 to 12 days ago.

“They’re gonna be family forever. When he gets married, he’s gonna invite me to his wedding and I’m gonna go to it. It’s just a decision he made.”

Johnson wasn’t the only starter who departed. Guard Ta’Lon Cooper and forward BJ Mack both graduated, leaving Paris in charge of replacing three starters.

And, well, he might’ve done one better, bringing in four newcomers who should all contribute — if not start — right away for South Carolina in the 2024-25 season.

Roster additions for Gamecocks

The big addition was Nick Pringle, the Alabama transfer forward who played in 36 games for a Crimson Tide team that made the Final Four. From Seabrook, Pringle is finishing off his college career in his home state and giving the Gamecocks a 6-foot-10 veteran forward to pair next to Collyn Murray-Boyles.

“His family was really excited about the prospect of seeing him play,” Paris said of landing Pringle.

The key, Paris said, is unlocking Pringle’s offensive potential. Pringle averaged under 7 points a game last season at Alabama and made just over half his free-throw attempts.

“I know what he can do from a runner, jumper, rebounder, defender scenario,” Paris said. “But there’s not a lot of evidence, necessarily, of what he’s been able to do offensively. And I’m excited about trying to see what that really looks like.”

The other major victory was getting four-star Lexington High standout Cam Scott to flip from Texas and sign with South Carolina.

USC recruited Scott hard out of high school. After he signed with Texas and seemingly moved on, Scott’s “camp” (Paris’ word) reached out to USC. They inquired about Scott going to South Carolina instead, “where they felt like it was more of an opportunity for him,” Paris said. The Gamecocks gladly welcomed him to the roster.

If that wasn’t enough of South Carolina natives becoming Gamecocks, Paris and his staff also added Missouri transfer forward Jordan Butler. The 7-footer who attended Christ Church Episcopal in Greenville played his freshman season at Missouri, averaging 11 minutes and 2 points for a squad that didn’t win an SEC game.

It’s likely that he will start his South Carolina career on the bench, able to sub in for either Pringle or Murray-Boyles and add depth to the Gamecocks frontcourt. He was also another guy the Gamecocks recruited out of high school, lost and then got him back.

“He didn’t make a lot of shots last year, but I’ve always had a lot of faith in his ability to make shots,” Paris said. “I think he can be a good player without that. But if he can do that, it allows us to unlock a whole ’nother level.”

Then there’s the guy who is perhaps most responsible for replacing Johnson — Norfolk State transfer point guard Jamarii Thomas.

Last year’s MEAC Player of the year, the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder will spend his final collegiate season in Columbia. And, if nothing else, he will bring scoring to the Gamecocks. A year ago, Thomas averaged 17 points and nearly shot 40% from beyond the arc while also tallying two steals and four assists a game.

“He’s been in a lot of games and he’s an ultra-competitive guy, which is what I like the most about him,” Paris said. “And he makes shot. I’m really excited about him. Really excited about this whole group.”

South Carolina roster tracker

• Returners: Jacobi Wright, guard; Myles Stute, guard; Zachary Davis, guard; Collin Murray-Boyles; Austin Herro, guard; Morris Ugusuk, guard; Arden Conyers, guard; Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, forward; Danny Grajzl, guard (walk-on)

• Incoming freshmen: Okku Federiko, forward; Cam Scott, guard; Lance Piper, guard (walk-on); Weston Coggeshall, guard (walk-on)

• Coming via transfer portal: Jordan Butler, center (Missouri); Nick Pringle, center (Alabama); Jamarii Thomas, guard (Norfolk State)

• Leaving: Meechie Johnson, guard (transfer/Ohio State); Ebrima Dibba, guard (transfer/Cleveland State); Josh Gray, forward (transfer/Missouri); Ta’Lon Cooper, guard; BJ Mack, forward; Stephen Clark, forward; Eli Sparkman, guard