Paris making 2.2 million for a 55% winning record

[Gamecockben1979]

I'll ask you Ben......your question is trying to compare apples and oranges

Your trying to compare quality wins measured thru the glasses of the sec to quality wins within the glasses of the So Conf

I guess Bo Ryan is not a legitimate coach with experience on the court and with developing staff.....does Ryan's vote of confidence in him carries no weight?.....also you can't deny the job opportunity Paris has had has produced and grown year to year unlike what we have done here at Carolina .....we couldn't even capitalize on a final four run

Also the same phrases and sentiments were being said about Shane Beamer when hired and suddenly I don't hear those boo birds anymore

Lets get behind Paris and watch someone roll there sleeves up and go to work

Obviously you didn’t read my post about the quality wins Bob Richey had. Unless you’re going to tell me a guy in the same conference is comparing apples to oranges.

And then you didn’t read my post about the most impressive part of Paris’ resume was being an assistant to Bo Ryan but that being an assistant doesn’t guarantee success as a head coach.

Why would it carry weight that someone I worked with says I would do a good job. That’s like asking Bob Huggins if Frank Martin would do a good job.

As I posted in another thread Shane Beamer has done a good job. His best job was in recruiting. We were a stone throw away from losing to East Carolina and Vandy. Combine that with the self imploding of Auburn and Florida. Beamer is the only thing saving Tanner from a coup d etat.

I might support Paris. I might not. It won’t have one ounce of impact on whether he is successful or not.

 

[Cock-a-Doo]

I'll ask you Ben......your question is trying to compare apples and oranges

Your trying to compare quality wins measured thru the glasses of the sec to quality wins within the glasses of the So Conf

I guess Bo Ryan is not a legitimate coach with experience on the court and with developing staff.....does Ryan's vote of confidence in him carries no weight?.....also you can't deny the job opportunity Paris has had has produced and grown year to year unlike what we have done here at Carolina .....we couldn't even capitalize on a final four run

Also the same phrases and sentiments were being said about Shane Beamer when hired and suddenly I don't hear those boo birds anymore

Lets get behind Paris and watch someone roll there sleeves up and go to work

The anti-Paris group is going to have their heels dug in waiting for their “I told you so” moment for quite some time, I’m just learning to I need to stop engaging at some point.
One says show me a good win…OK, VCU (NET #56) on the road this year - no reply back to acknowledge…UTC was 1-2 vs. Quad 1’s and 3-0 vs. Quad 2’s…4-2 total (.667).
Oh, what were we you might ask? 3-8 vs. Quad 1’s and 4-3 vs. Quad 2’s…7-11 total (.388).
But…it doesn’t matter, those stats won’t mean anything to them “because we played better teams” - OK, umm, no sh*t? His time at Wisconsin doesn’t mean anything. Him improving his team every single season the 4 years after his 1st season doesn’t mean anything. The fact his school isn’t as likely to have “big wins” because they played 6 Quad 1/2 games vs. us playing 18 doesn’t matter, they’ll actually use it to spin their point.
They think we should have got Rick Pitino or some BS - but guess who we’re are to a Rick Pitino? We’re a Chattanooga to him…and that’s a harsh reality but it’s true! Someone is going to have to have a “Dabo-like” grassroots building of this program and I think the guy might be able to do even though he has “no experience”. His butt was in a courtside seat for the NCAA tournament as a coach for EIGHT seasons since 2010. How many times since 2010 was anyone on our coaching staff in that position…..if you guessed ONE then you are correct!!!! But, he has NO experience with any of that and it’s a “joke” to hear talk about getting to the tournament as a coach here?
I hope you’re getting the picture I’m painting here…I’ll leave it at that

 

[Cock-a-Doo]

When your program and its AD are so bad that you have to spend $2.2 M on your 3rd or 4th choice this is exactly what you get.

I almost fell out of the chair laughing about Paris talking about getting back to the playoffs. I tried to consider his experience in such but then I just stopped because its' too much in one day to contemplate

Funny, I had the same reaction reading your post!
What are the odds?!

And do you remember when we hired Beamer and he said the same stuff about getting back to playing postseason games? Ha, me too! What an idiot he was right???

Oh wait, I’m being told he did that in his first year and he even won the game….oh, damn. Well….may be true but it was a mayonnaise bowl, right? Yeah, Beamer still a clown who cares about a stupid mayonnaise bowl?!?

 

[adcoop]

Obviously you didn’t read my post about the quality wins Bob Richey had. Unless you’re going to tell me a guy in the same conference is comparing apples to oranges.

And then you didn’t read my post about the most impressive part of Paris’ resume was being an assistant to Bo Ryan but that being an assistant doesn’t guarantee success as a head coach.

Why would it carry weight that someone I worked with says I would do a good job. That’s like asking Bob Huggins if Frank Martin would do a good job.

As I posted in another thread Shane Beamer has done a good job. His best job was in recruiting. We were a stone throw away from losing to East Carolina and Vandy. Combine that with the self imploding of Auburn and Florida. Beamer is the only thing saving Tanner from a coup d etat.

I might support Paris. I might not. It won’t have one ounce of impact on whether he is successful or not.

Ben, you're trippin'. You honestly are advocating for a guy that just lost to Lamont Paris three times this season. You keep bringing up the 40 foot shot in the Conference tournament game. However, Richey had two other opportunities to beat UTC this year and lost each time. They were close, hard fought games, but Richey's team lost my man. Ever heard of the cliche, "The spoils go to the winner"? It doesn't say, "The spoils go to the loser who beat some other really good teams along the way". I can see being underwhelmed by the hire, but the guys you are advocating for have either never been a head coach (BJ) or just lost several times to the guy we just hired (Richey). You usually are pretty reasonable. However, on this one, you are all over the place.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

Ben, you're trippin'. You honestly are advocating for a guy that just lost to Lamont Paris three times this season. You keep bringing up the 40 foot shot in the Conference tournament game. However, Richey had two other opportunities to beat UTC this year and lost each time. They were close, hard fought games, but Richey's team lost my man. Ever heard of the cliche, "The spoils go to the winner"? It doesn't say, "The spoils go to the loser who beat some other really good teams along the way". I can see being underwhelmed by the hire, but the guys you are advocating for have either never been a head coach (BJ) or just lost several times to the guy we just hired (Richey). You usually are pretty reasonable. However, on this one, you are all over the place.

So I guess you just start counting wins over Richey once Paris gets the upper hand, completely ignoring the fact that Richey has a 5-3 edge, 5-0 before this season?

I appreciate the compliment about being reasonable. I think you are as well, even if we’re on opposite sides of this debate.

I just think it’s completely crazy we plucked one random dude on the fact that he improved every year. Heck, Frank improved this year. I could even see an Oliver Purnell type hire if you want to ride the reputation for a rebuilder. This guy has had one rebuild that led to one tournament appearance. We’re sliding a zero on the back end of his salary and hoping for the best.

I would not have advocated for BJ over a more proven hire (Miller, Pitino, Marshall, etc…). Those guys have a much stronger resume. If you’re going to go the route of hiring a guy from the Southern conference, I thought Richey would have been the hire with the edge being more ties to the local area.

Even if we throw that out, I’d probably rather it be BJ just based on the fact that it would have generated more interest and excitement among the fan base and definitely the local ties would have been stronger. How are we going to pitch to Larry Davis, Melvin Watson or JoJo English that their next star recruit should go to USC when the candidate they were lobbying for got passed over? Yeah it’s their alma mater but their guy just got passed up by an outsider.

 

[adcoop]

So I guess you just start counting wins over Richey once Paris gets the upper hand, completely ignoring the fact that Richey has a 5-3 edge, 5-0 before this season?

I appreciate the compliment about being reasonable. I think you are as well, even if we’re on opposite sides of this debate.

I just think it’s completely crazy we plucked one random dude on the fact that he improved every year. Heck, Frank improved this year. I could even see an Oliver Purnell type hire if you want to ride the reputation for a rebuilder. This guy has had one rebuild that led to one tournament appearance. We’re sliding a zero on the back end of his salary and hoping for the best.

I would not have advocated for BJ over a more proven hire (Miller, Pitino, Marshall, etc…). Those guys have a much stronger resume. If you’re going to go the route of hiring a guy from the Southern conference, I thought Richey would have been the hire with the edge being more ties to the local area.

Even if we throw that out, I’d probably rather it be BJ just based on the fact that it would have generated more interest and excitement among the fan base and definitely the local ties would have been stronger. How are we going to pitch to Larry Davis, Melvin Watson or JoJo English that their next star recruit should go to USC when the candidate they were lobbying for got passed over? Yeah it’s their alma mater but their guy just got passed up by an outsider.

I don't personally know JoJo, but I live in the same town as Larry and Melvin. Trust me, they will be alright. Paris will be judged just like any other coach will be judged. If he proves to be a solid talent developer and tactician, he will get talent. If not, we will find someone else. You act like the hire makes no sense whereas I see the hire as reasonable considering the circumstances. Guys like Paris get jobs all the time. Todd Golden just got a job at Florida with a sub .500 conference record. Heck, Coach K had a sub .500 record when he was hired by Duke. The guy won something in a mid-major conference and he now gets a bigger opportunity. Happens all the time.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

I don't personally know JoJo, but I live in the same town as Larry and Melvin. Trust me, they will be alright. Paris will be judged just like any other coach will be judged. If he proves to be a solid talent developer and tactician, he will get talent. If not, we will find someone else. You act like the hire makes no sense whereas I see the hire as reasonable considering the circumstances. Guys like Paris get jobs all the time. Todd Golden just got a job at Florida with a sub .500 conference record. Heck, Coach K had a sub .500 record when he was hired by Duke. The guy won something in a mid-major conference and he now gets a bigger opportunity. Happens all the time.

Ok this is why I’m disappointed in the hire. I’m not going to assume that a media article is “the list” but I’ll attach this one from The State just for reference (sorry in advance for those that hate that). Where does Paris really rank on this list to you? That’s my disappointment. We always seem to end up with about the 8th best option and then it’s somehow pitched to us as the best.

https://amp.thestate.com/sports/college/university-of-south-carolina/usc-mens-basketball/article259395854.html

 

[Gamecockben1979]

The anti-Paris group is going to have their heels dug in waiting for their “I told you so” moment for quite some time, I’m just learning to I need to stop engaging at some point.
One says show me a good win…OK, VCU (NET #56) on the road this year - no reply back to acknowledge…UTC was 1-2 vs. Quad 1’s and 3-0 vs. Quad 2’s…4-2 total (.667).
Oh, what were we you might ask? 3-8 vs. Quad 1’s and 4-3 vs. Quad 2’s…7-11 total (.388).
But…it doesn’t matter, those stats won’t mean anything to them “because we played better teams” - OK, umm, no sh*t? His time at Wisconsin doesn’t mean anything. Him improving his team every single season the 4 years after his 1st season doesn’t mean anything. The fact his school isn’t as likely to have “big wins” because they played 6 Quad 1/2 games vs. us playing 18 doesn’t matter, they’ll actually use it to spin their point.
They think we should have got Rick Pitino or some BS - but guess who we’re are to a Rick Pitino? We’re a Chattanooga to him…and that’s a harsh reality but it’s true! Someone is going to have to have a “Dabo-like” grassroots building of this program and I think the guy might be able to do even though he has “no experience”. His butt was in a courtside seat for the NCAA tournament as a coach for EIGHT seasons since 2010. How many times since 2010 was anyone on our coaching staff in that position…..if you guessed ONE then you are correct!!!! But, he has NO experience with any of that and it’s a “joke” to hear talk about getting to the tournament as a coach here?
I hope you’re getting the picture I’m painting here…I’ll leave it at that

If it makes you feel better I’ll acknowledge that it looks like you’ve done some research and VCU was a pretty good win that I overlooked. They were an NIT team, but still a pretty good win. The 3-0 vs quad 2s is also uplifting

Now maybe we are Chattanooga to Rick Pitino but I would at least like to hear that our AD threw a boat load of cash his way and made a strong offer. No shame in getting rejected by the best looking girl in the class and shooting your shot. There is shame in settling for the 14th best looking girl when you could have had better but too afraid to ask—that’s the Ray Tanner problem and has nothing to do with Coach Paris. Heck if I were Coach Paris I would have hopped in the car and drove a thousand miles too. He’s just a man looking for a job. I don’t fault him one bit. I do think we should have been rejected by several other guys first. I’m sure we were rejected by Miller and McMahon, but I’m not sure anyone else did.

Now the problem with going the Dabo route is you may mow through a lot of coaches trying to find that WR coach turned solid head coach. It’s a heck of a leap and rarely does it work out.

 

[rogue cock]

If it makes you feel better I’ll acknowledge that it looks like you’ve done some research and VCU was a pretty good win that I overlooked. They were an NIT team, but still a pretty good win. The 3-0 vs quad 2s is also uplifting

Now maybe we are Chattanooga to Rick Pitino but I would at least like to hear that our AD threw a boat load of cash his way and made a strong offer. No shame in getting rejected by the best looking girl in the class and shooting your shot. There is shame in settling for the 14th best looking girl when you could have had better but too afraid to ask—that’s the Ray Tanner problem and has nothing to do with Coach Paris. Heck if I were Coach Paris I would have hopped in the car and drove a thousand miles too. He’s just a man looking for a job. I don’t fault him one bit. I do think we should have been rejected by several other guys first. I’m sure we were rejected by Miller and McMahon, but I’m not sure anyone else did.

Now the problem with going the Dabo route is you may mow through a lot of coaches trying to find that WR coach turned solid head coach. It’s a heck of a leap and rarely does it work out.

Heck, even Florida's, LSU's and Mississippi State's supposedly "professional" ADs never "threw money" at Pitino, Marshall, or even Miller (who was actually available) . Think perhaps they all knew something that we, as fans, did not? It is much easier to criticize when you choose to look at things in a vacuum.

You have to think through the whole situation and look at what is happening at similarly situated schools. We went after Miller and probably had him UNTIL Xavier quickly did a "due diligence" in 3 days (if you believe that) and offered last Saturday, Miller immediately accepted.

Other than Xavier, no one demonstrably made a better hire than we did....not Florida, LSU, Mississippi State. You could make an argument regarding UGA, but White was on the hot seat at UF and jumped fast.

 

[taiwancock]

Heck, even Florida's, LSU's and Mississippi State's supposedly "professional" ADs never "threw money" at Pitino's, Marshall's, or even Miller's (who was actually available) way. Think perhaps they all knew something that we, as fans, did not? It is much easier to criticize when you choose to look at things in a vacuum.

You have to think through the whole situation and look at what is happening at similarly situated schools. We went after Miller and probably had him UNTIL Xavier quickly did a "due diligence" in 3 days (if you believe that) and offered last Saturday, Miller immediately accepted.

Other than Xavier, no one demonstrably made a better hire than we did....not Florida, LSU, Mississippi State. You could make an argument regarding UGA, but White was on the hot seat at UF and jumped fast.

And the jury is out even on Xavier. Miller has to now learn now to buy players though NIL instead of outright cheating.

 

[rogue cock]

And the jury is out even on Xavier. Miller has to now learn now to buy players though NIL instead of outright cheating.

He still has prospective NCAA sanctions hanging over his head also. Nothing has been decided on what those may be.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

Heck, even Florida's, LSU's and Mississippi State's supposedly "professional" ADs never "threw money" at Pitino's, Marshall's, or even Miller's (who was actually available) way. Think perhaps they all knew something that we, as fans, did not? It is much easier to criticize when you choose to look at things in a vacuum.

You have to think through the whole situation and look at what is happening at similarly situated schools. We went after Miller and probably had him UNTIL Xavier quickly did a "due diligence" in 3 days (if you believe that) and offered last Saturday, Miller immediately accepted.

Other than Xavier, no one demonstrably made a better hire than we did....not Florida, LSU, Mississippi State. You could make an argument regarding UGA, but White was on the hot seat at UF and jumped fast.

That’s fair. I don’t know why two of the three appear to have not been approached. I know Maryland made contact with Pitino, but he seems to have rejected them.

Xavier clearly had eyes for Miller the same way Smart had eyes for Georgia. Once it became a competition, we lost out. But it also appears that we lost out on a candidate to both Xavier and LSU.

I think that’s where our fan base gets frustrated with our AD. Not sure if it’s all his fault, but it does seem to happen more to him than previous ADs here.

I am reasonable enough to say the White hire at Georgia was not a better hire. He has a better resume, but Florida had him on the hot seat. White was actually wise to make the move and reset his coaching clock before he got the ax. More coaches should do what he did.

 

[rogue cock]

That’s fair. I don’t know why two of the three appear to have not been approached. I know Maryland made contact with Pitino, but he seems to have rejected them.

Xavier clearly had eyes for Miller the same way Smart had eyes for Georgia. Once it became a competition, we lost out. But it also appears that we lost out on a candidate to both Xavier and LSU.

I think that’s where our fan base gets frustrated with our AD. Not sure if it’s all his fault, but it does seem to happen more to him than previous ADs here.

I am reasonable enough to say the White hire at Georgia was not a better hire. He has a better resume, but Florida had him on the hot seat. White was actually wise to make the move and reset his coaching clock before he got the ax. More coaches should do what he did.

True....but a McMahon hire would have been just as roundly criticized. I think the only reason LSU got him is that he was LSU's first choice and our second behind Miller. No one would have been happy if we didn't make a run at Miller, including me.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

True....but a McMahon hire would have been just as roundly criticized. I think the only reason LSU got him is that he was LSU's first choice and our second behind Miller. No one would have been happy if we didn't make a run at Miller, including me.

Just from your sources and opinion, where do you think Paris was on Tanners list. I know he’s always going to say he was #1. I think we all know better than that though. And I’m not faulting Tanner for that, every AD has to save face in those situations. Sometimes they even end up being successful and prevent a train wreck.

 

[rogue cock]

Just from your sources and opinion, where do you think Paris was on Tanners list. I know he’s always going to say he was #1. I think we all know better than that though. And I’m not faulting Tanner for that, every AD has to save face in those situations. Sometimes they even end up being successful and prevent a train wreck.

Third if I had to guess. I think BJ was probably 4th as he had some support. Heard Miller and McMahon more than Paris....which was being reported in the press. Never hears Florida's or Mississippi State's new coaches mentioned at all....I was surprised at those selections...had never even heard of them before. Richey pulled out way too early to know where he would've landed on the board....don't think he wanted the position at all.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

Third if I had to guess. I think BJ was probably 4th as he had some support. Heard Miller and McMahon more than Paris....which was being reported in the press. Never hears Florida's or Mississippi State's new coaches mentioned at all....I was surprised at those selections...had never even heard of them before.

Just my take. If this was our list, we would have been better off keeping Frank Martin. Only Miller would have been considered an upgrade. So it appears we went all in on firing a coach to have no real upgrade in place.

I get fan apathy and this is a business so maybe the empty seats contributed more than anything. The team did show significant improvement from last year to this one.

I apologize in advance for taking this conversation in several different directions!

 

[Cock-a-Doo]

One thing about Miller I haven’t heard much on is the fact his last 3 seasons was maybe the worst stretch of his career.
You coach long enough I think you allowed to have a skid here and there and admittedly before those 3 years he never had a skid.
Just wonder if he truly was cheating on the level he’s accused of was the bill of his success just smoke and mirrors. Once caught there was a noticeable drop in performance.

 

[rogue cock]

Just my take. If this was our list, we would have been better off keeping Frank Martin. Only Miller would have been considered an upgrade. So it appears we went all in on firing a coach to have no real upgrade in place.

I get fan apathy and this is a business so maybe the empty seats contributed more than anything. The team did show significant improvement from last year to this one.

I apologize in advance for taking this conversation in several different directions!

Don't disagree.....butts in the seats had to be a huge factor and it was before this year. Have to find some way to generate excitement behind your program and Martin just couldn't do that the last several years. Losing early in each season trying to figure out the right rotation didn't help him at all....fans just gave up and everyone from the ADs office to the BOT knew it.

 

[Cock-a-Doo]

Just my take. If this was our list, we would have been better off keeping Frank Martin. Only Miller would have been considered an upgrade. So it appears we went all in on firing a coach to have no real upgrade in place.

I get fan apathy and this is a business so maybe the empty seats contributed more than anything. The team did show significant improvement from last year to this one.

I apologize in advance for taking this conversation in several different directions!

I was definitely reaching fan apathy as you call it. While our team had a different look and feel this year they still had 4 classic Frank Martin Carolina attributes:
1. Loss a few ridiculous early non-con games
2. Make a mid season run where you think “holy crap this team is good!” only to be in a position at the end where we HAVE to win out our last 3 or 4 games…
3. Once that stage hits of having to win out because we’re running out of time the team reverts back to early season form and limps across the finish line
4. Terrible free throw shooting

that little formula playing out year after year is reason enough to make a change. Just throw in an NCAA appearance every 3 years or so and he’d have been safe

 

[Gamecockben1979]

Don't disagree.....butts in the seats had to be a huge factor and it was before this year. Have to find some way to generate excitement behind your program and Martin just couldn't do that the last several years. Losing early in each season trying to figure out the right rotation didn't help him at all....fans just gave up and everyone from the ADs office to the BOT knew it.

I honestly do not know what would put butts in the seats. Seems like the last time home basketball tickets were truly hard to get was 1998. Coming off a great season in 1997, playing in a small arena and having a great team coming back probably contributed to that.

I don’t think it had anything to do with all the warm and fuzzy things said in interviews and press conferences about bringing people to games. Win big and they’ll show. We probably do not market mens basketball well enough either, but that’s a whole different story.

 

[adcoop]

Just my take. If this was our list, we would have been better off keeping Frank Martin. Only Miller would have been considered an upgrade. So it appears we went all in on firing a coach to have no real upgrade in place.

I get fan apathy and this is a business so maybe the empty seats contributed more than anything. The team did show significant improvement from last year to this one.

I apologize in advance for taking this conversation in several different directions!

The team showed significant improvement from last year because last year was abysmal. Our 18-13 record was the same as it was in 19-20. Besides the PJ Dozier years, we were stuck at 17-18 wins for the past 6-7 years. Martin was stuck and the program had become beyond stale. Martin was one of those coaches that should have reset the clock 3 years ago. I know of few coaches that lasted 10 years with a program with one tournament appearance. Maybe Mooney at Richmond? The only reason he was able to hold on was because of the Final Four Run. I am grateful for that and happy that he found another job, but it was time for him to go. The lack of winning, the passive-aggressive tact he took with the fanbase, and his on-court act had worn thin here.

 

[Neanderthal]

Ties to local area = a very over-rated factor, a factor of almost no consequence.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

Ties to local area = a very over-rated factor, a factor of almost no consequence.

In most cases yes. When you have a #1 player in this class in Columbia and another very highly rated one in the class of 2024, I think it’s more important than people realize. Those are 2 program trajectory changers.

 

[rogue cock]

In most cases yes. When you have a #1 player in this class in Columbia and another very highly rated one in the class of 2024, I think it’s more important than people realize. Those are 2 program trajectory changers.

The latest on GG.

#STRecruiting: Paris to meet GG Jackson Monday

GG Jackson New USC men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris will make his first in-person visit with 6-10 GG Jackson of Ridge View Monday. Lou Bezjak of The State first reported the meeting, and J…

sportstalksc.com

 

[Gamecockben1979]

The team showed significant improvement from last year because last year was abysmal. Our 18-13 record was the same as it was in 19-20. Besides the PJ Dozier years, we were stuck at 17-18 wins for the past 6-7 years. Martin was stuck and the program had become beyond stale. Martin was one of those coaches that should have reset the clock 3 years ago. I know of few coaches that lasted 10 years with a program with one tournament appearance. Maybe Mooney at Richmond? The only reason he was able to hold on was because of the Final Four Run. I am grateful for that and happy that he found another job, but it was time for him to go. The lack of winning, the passive-aggressive tact he took with the fanbase, and his on-court act had worn thin here.

I think we can both agree the Covid year was an outlier. But the team did have 18 wins and was very competitive in the SEC.

Honestly the huge buyout and contract signed after the Final Four run probably made it difficult for both sides to move on around the time you mentioned.

I will agree Martin getting into it with fans on Twitter wore thin, as did the on court antics.

Where I am looking for Paris to make a significant upgrade is in the schedule. I think Martin failed to schedule in a way where we had a shot to make the tournament. We need to start playing more tournament teams if we expect to get there.

 

[gamecock stock]

Paris was not my first choice for the job. He was either my 5th or 6th choice. So he was not on my short list (Top 3). Having said that, it looks to me, based on his background, that he can "coach and develop". He was at UTC for 5 years. Both his conference record and overall record improved each season. That signals to me that he can coach and develop. I think his UTC team was seeded around 13th in the Big Dance and gave a Illinois , which I think was seeded 4th (seeded number one the prior year) all they could handle, losing by just one point to the Illini. So, yes, there are indications that Paris knows a thing or two about "X and O's".

I know some folks want to say that he is Darren Horn 2.0 because he comes from a mid-major school. A big difference is that Paris, as an assistant, worked for Bo Ryan whereas Horn, as an assistant, worked for Tom Crean. Compare Ryan and Crean's careers, if you are not familiar with them.

The only question mark, in my mind, is whether Paris can recruit well. Mediocre recruiting, which, along with a poor offense, was a Frank Martin trademark, in my opinion. If Paris turns out to be a good recruiter, then, I believe, we would have found a "diamond in the rough".

I learned long ago that I can't always get what I want. Worrying about the past and future does no good. You just have to be here NOW.

 

[Neanderthal]

That’s fair. I don’t know why two of the three appear to have not been approached. I know Maryland made contact with Pitino, but he seems to have rejected them.

Xavier clearly had eyes for Miller the same way Smart had eyes for Georgia. Once it became a competition, we lost out. But it also appears that we lost out on a candidate to both Xavier and LSU.

I think that’s where our fan base gets frustrated with our AD. Not sure if it’s all his fault, but it does seem to happen more to him than previous ADs here.

I am reasonable enough to say the White hire at Georgia was not a better hire. He has a better resume, but Florida had him on the hot seat. White was actually wise to make the move and reset his coaching clock before he got the ax. More coaches should do what he did.

Like Shaka

 

[Neanderthal]

In most cases yes. When you have a #1 player in this class in Columbia and another very highly rated one in the class of 2024, I think it’s more important than people realize. Those are 2 program trajectory changers.

And would never be on the same roster. OADs or transfer portal.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

And would never be on the same roster. OADs or transfer portal.

No they wouldn’t be on the same roster but getting these two would:
1. Signal that we are locking up the top in state talent
2. Likely have a solid shot at the tournament
3. Building consistency in the program.

 

[king ward]

Tanner is retiring within 2 years regardless. That's when his contract is done....just needs to finish a few facility upgrades, including one to the baseball stadium.

Is one on the way?

 

[Gamekem]

I know people are disappointed but I kinda like the Paris hire. For one had we got Miller he could be looking at his own personal sanctions that's in the pipeline and as he shown he would have left here for the first good offer he got. The only other potential candidate I would have chose over Paris would have been McMahon, due to his success and recruiting of Ja Morant and even Hannibal.

What makes Paris a good hire to me are these things.
-20 years of assistant coaching experience
-5 years of head coaching experience
-12 NCAA appearances
-Winning culture everywhere he's been
- Improved each season at Chattanooga
-Seems likeable and easy going

The only real knock on him, is his lack of established SC connections but thats where picking good assistant coaches and building relationships come into play.

 

[rogue cock]

Is one on the way?

I believe football has one on schedule. Baseball had been discussed for a couple of years (basically some cosmetic improvements due to wear and tear and I have heard some to the fan areas around the concessions and along the first base side....not sure exactly what they are. Think there also has been discussion about the stands in the outfield. Just trying to make it looks nicer and improve fan experience.

 

[king ward]

While I see some opinions here that are well founded strictly in terms of business, we have to remember that Paris isn't being paid according to what he did at Chattanooga. He's being paid for what he will be expected - required - to do here.

The package is commensurate with where he is and what the constituency expects. One pitfall with the previous regime is that many of our stakeholders and leaders required too little for too long, but the school continued to pay for more anyway. It's affecting how some of us are thinking about compensation now.

 

[gamecocks247]

Ben, you're trippin'. You honestly are advocating for a guy that just lost to Lamont Paris three times this season. You keep bringing up the 40 foot shot in the Conference tournament game. However, Richey had two other opportunities to beat UTC this year and lost each time. They were close, hard fought games, but Richey's team lost my man. Ever heard of the cliche, "The spoils go to the winner"? It doesn't say, "The spoils go to the loser who beat some other really good teams along the way". I can see being underwhelmed by the hire, but the guys you are advocating for have either never been a head coach (BJ) or just lost several times to the guy we just hired (Richey). You usually are pretty reasonable. However, on this one, you are all over the place.

lol so you're going to go off 1 seaso?.... Before this season, he was 0-7 against Richey and finished behind Furman every year but this year. With your logic we should have keep Martin b/c he had that 1 great season! gfto

 

[Clevercock3]

Funny, I had the same reaction reading your post!
What are the odds?!

And do you remember when we hired Beamer and he said the same stuff about getting back to playing postseason games? Ha, me too! What an idiot he was right???

Oh wait, I’m being told he did that in his first year and he even won the game….oh, damn. Well….may be true but it was a mayonnaise bowl, right? Yeah, Beamer still a clown who cares about a stupid mayonnaise bowl?!?

Hey do I hope Paris does well? Sure! Is it also fair to note that, yet again, our AD managed to get his 3rd or 4th choice in a coaching candidate. If you don't like the cake that you keep baking maybe you should change the recipe.

 

[Clevercock3]

I'll ask you Ben......your question is trying to compare apples and oranges

Your trying to compare quality wins measured thru the glasses of the sec to quality wins within the glasses of the So Conf

I guess Bo Ryan is not a legitimate coach with experience on the court and with developing staff.....does Ryan's vote of confidence in him carries no weight?.....also you can't deny the job opportunity Paris has had has produced and grown year to year unlike what we have done here at Carolina .....we couldn't even capitalize on a final four run

Also the same phrases and sentiments were being said about Shane Beamer when hired and suddenly I don't hear those boo birds anymore

Lets get behind Paris and watch someone roll there sleeves up and go to work

I think most people miss the point. Are you saying Paris is a trade up from Frank?

If so, why?

 

[Goody101]

in a dang SoCon conference where he was making $250k…. This is absolutely insane to pay him this much with his lack of experience.

Well look at what Chump got with experience!!! 🤔

 

[Clevercock3]

lol so you're going to go off 1 seaso?.... Before this season, he was 0-7 against Richey and finished behind Furman every year but this year. With your logic we should have keep Martin b/c he had that 1 great season! gfto

The Kool Aid is strong my friend....

 

[Cock-a-Doo]

Hey do I hope Paris does well? Sure! Is it also fair to note that, yet again, our AD managed to get his 3rd or 4th choice in a coaching candidate. If you don't like the cake that you keep baking maybe you should change the recipe.

The challenging part of all of this is I’m in agreement with the idea of moving on from Ray Tanner…so it’s hard to separate support for a new coach because it assumes some level of support for Ray. Yet, it’s also two separate issues.
I think our athletics programs are in general poorly managed and our BOT generally sucks.
That being said, I don’t think Paris is the terrible hire many others do. Do I wish we had the guts or the pull to lure a big name proven coach? Of course! I just am trying to support the Gamecocks like I always have despite our seemingly consistent shortcomings in our admin. Ultimately we are all in that boat together like it or not.

 

[Clevercock3]

His record the last 2 seasons was 45-16 (.737 win %).
He took them over as a team on the bottom, those of you spewing his 5 year coaching record are misleading by not acknowledging his recent success….if you throw in his last 3 years (since he has winning records all those years) his record is 65-29 (.691 win %).
Again I’ll grant he wasn’t a splash hire but some of you guys have you’re head in the sand if you think the University of South Carolina is going to go make a splash hire with a current hot coach (that’s on the university admin and a whole separate conversation).
The guy did everything you would want to see from someone. Improved his record EVERY single season.

If he was so awesome how come he was our 5th place candidate?