Lamont Paris Encouraged With Scrimmage Efforts

South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris liked what the Gamecocks put forth in their first scrimmage on Wednesday evening.

Head coach Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks played against a different opponent in front of their home crowd for the first time this fall, as they took the court against Mars Hill university, a small private four-year school in western North Carolina. 

Unlike their intra-squad scrimmage at Garnet and Black Madness, the Gamecocks played a 40-minute game against the Mountain Lions, which gave the media and fans a better opportunity to see what this year's team could look like.

An Unselfish Offense

One thing I noted when it comes to coach Paris' offense is how much the team prioritizes constant movement with their positioning and the basketball. Unless the team's nearing the end of the shot clock, you'll rarely see a complete sequence where an isolation play is called.

The emphasis on ball movement showed itself Wednesday night, as nine of the eleven Gamecocks that played recorded at least one assist.

"I think we shared the ball really well, especially in the first half," Lamont said in his postgame presser. "We were getting a lot of extra passes that were leading to really good shots… I love to see that kind of unselfishness. It's hard to balance unselfishness and aggression at the same time... I think that's going to be a calling card for us."

Some Flashes And Lapses Defensively

When the Gamecocks were on defense, it was evident how much Paris and his staff prioritized working together as a unit. 

The communication between the players was constant; off-ball defenders always hedged on screens affecting the primary defender, and they made correct decisions at a high rate, something Paris noted.

"We switched at some times that I thought were the exact right time to do it... it's not clear cut… there's some decision that's involved which leads to communication that has to happen, you have to recognize some things really early."

Overall, Paris saw plenty to build on as his team officially gears up to start the regular season next week.

"We did a good job overall of establishing who we're going to be. Again, it's not done after today, but I do think we laid a preliminary foundation as to what it's going to look like for us."

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