"One hole to the next hole": Lamont Paris embraces golf mentality for tough SEC schedule

Lamont Paris and the South Carolina men's basketball team got through a strong non-conference schedule, concluding with a remarkable streak of seven consecutive wins. As they prepare for conference play, Paris has adopted a specific mindset for the upcoming matchups.

Following their victory against Presbyterian on Dec. 30, Paris shared his perspective on the Gamecocks' approaching SEC games, using a golf analogy to illustrate his approach.

“I think you do have to be able to get on – to use the golf analogy again, I think you have to get from one hole to the next hole, right,” said Paris. “Coincidentally enough, we play 18 league games and there’s 18 holes in a round of golf. You may bogey the first hole, alright. I think there’s a couple bogeys that are baked into a really good score for a regular mo like me on the golf course. I mean, if you’re a pro, maybe you can’t bogey too many. But I think there’s some bogeys that are built in and you can, you can recover from those bogeys but you’ve got to be able to get to the next hole."

“If you’re thinking about the first bogey and then so now you’re trying to get a birdie or an eagle on the next hole, you’re likely to do something really bad – double bogey, maybe."

How Lamont Paris, South Carolina performed in last game

Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks prevailed in their non-conference finale against Presbyterian with a score of 69-59.

After trailing 32-24 at halftime, South Carolina used an 18-point turnaround in the second half to take down the Blue Hose. Three players scored in double-digits, with Collin Murray-Boyles leading the way with 22 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting. Nick Pringle comes next with 14 points and five rebounds, while Jamarii Thomas finished with 10 points, six assists and three rebounds.

The win improved their overall record to 10-3 on the season. They are putting up 75.6 points on 45.8% shooting from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc, beating opponents by a solid margin of 10 points per game.

To start 2025, South Carolina will play No. 17 Mississippi State at the Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. ET.