South Carolina Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley signed her shoes and gave them to a fan.
South Carolina Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (12) signed her shoes and gave them away to a fan after South Carolina women’s basketball vs Oregon State in NCAA Tournament Elite 8.
COLUMBIA — Lamont Paris made it very clear.
Players from South Carolina were his to get. Paris wants his staff to recruit in-state talent to South Carolina basketball.
“When you look at the best basketball teams that South Carolina (men’s basketball) has had in the last three decades, there is a direct correlation tied to the main players being from South Carolina,” Rich Carey told The Greenville News.
Rich is an assistant for the men’s team and helps with recruiting, a role in which Paris knew he would be authentic, since Rich played basketball for South Carolina from 1993-95 and grew up in Columbia.
The 2023-24 season was a breakthrough for men’s basketball, and the women’s team won its third national title in April.
Now, the two programs enter the 2024-25 basketball season with 10 total players from the state of South Carolina, seven of whom are on the men’s team. It’s the highest number since 2015-16, when there were 11 across the two programs.
“From day one, Paris said we were going to be very intentional and deliberate … we have to win the battles of the best players from South Carolina,” Rich said.
The recent local success began with P.J. Dozier and elevated with GG Jackson, who played for the Gamecocks from 2022-23. Jackson, from Columbia, was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2023 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA’s second-team All-Rookie team in May.
“I am of the belief that if GG Jackson doesn’t come here, I am not sure Cam Scott comes here,” Rich said.
Scott, a four-star guard from Lexington and the state’s No. 1 prospect, committed to South Carolina on April 17. In November 2023, he signed with Texas but asked for and received a full release from his National Letter of Intent, then decided to play for Paris.
More in-state talent came along via the transfer portal. Nick Pringle, from Seabrook, transferred to South Carolina after two seasons at Alabama and Jordan Butler, from Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, transferred to South Carolina after spending his freshman season at Missouri.
Other in-state players on the men’s team: Zach Davis (Orangeburg), Arden Conyers (Columbia), Collin Murray-Boyles (Columbia) and Jacobi Wright (Fort Mill).
“One thing that I wanted to do when I joined the staff here is (make) it hard for a prospect that to say no to us because we needed to dispel the notion that you had to go other SEC programs or neighboring ACC programs to reach your goals,” Rich said.
Philip Deter, assistant athletic director and men’s basketball coach at the Cardinal Newman School in Columbia, said the success of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, Paris and the men’s team’s Final Four run with Frank Martin in 2017 inspire high school coaches to create a more competitive atmosphere.
Now there are more travel teams, summer clinics and chances to grow as a player, but Deter and Rich said basketball in the state of South Carolina has always been a hidden gem to the outside world.
“I think the talent level that has come out of the state right now is at an all-time high,” Deter said. “If you are a high level prospect and you see the kids that are going (to South Carolina), that only helps.”
Deter said any coach would want to produce the next hometown hero, and Rich made it clear that Paris wants to recruit the best talent in South Carolina.
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A’ja Wilson set the standard as the first hometown hero for South Carolina.
Wilson, born and raised in Columbia, left South Carolina the most decorated basketball player, carrying South Carolina women’s basketball to its first national title.
“When (Staley) and her staff would come to watch a game, it was like next-level stuff,” Deter said, referencing when Ashlyn Watkins was being recruited out of Cardinal Newman.
Watkins is one of three players from South Carolina on the roster this year, and one of two from Columbia, along with rising sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley. Incoming freshman Joyce Edwards, the 2023-24 Gatorade National Player of the Year joins the Gamecocks from Camden.
Staley has the best women’s team in college basketball right now, but assistant coach Lisa Boyer explained exposure to the women’s game in general has made all the difference.
“It’s all about visibility. It’s all about where kids can see these people play,” Boyer said. “What I am seeing is that the level of their skills is way different than it was even 10 years ago because they are seeing it on TV, studying people’s games.”
There is now a more widespread view of the women’s college game, and players who want their talent given respectable coverage see that South Carolina is a place to find that.
“These kids who come here can go anywhere, and we are fortunate that they are here,” Boyer said.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
