South Carolina is awarding 2023-24 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball Coach of the Year Lamont Paris with a new six-year contract, ESPN reported Thursday.
The deal reportedly carries an average annual value of more than $4 million and runs through the 2029-30 season, pending approval by the board of trustees.
The lucrative agreement keeps Paris, 49, off the market, where he had already been mentioned as a candidate for the Ohio State vacancy.
South Carolina (25-6) is ranked No. 15 in the country and is on the brink of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. The fifth-seeded Gamecocks face No. 12 seed Arkansas on Thursday afternoon in the second round of the SEC tournament in Nashville.
South Carolina finished 13-5 in SEC play in the regular season. The Gamecocks were 11-21 (4-14 SEC) during Paris’ first season in Columbia in 2022-23.
Paris compiled an 87-72 record in five seasons at Chattanooga (2017-22), earning an NCAA tourney berth in his final season before being hired to replace Frank Martin at South Carolina.
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, whose undefeated Gamecocks are chasing a third national championship, signed a seven-year, $22.4 million extension in October 2021. Her salary tops out at $3.5 million in the final season in 2027-28.
–Field Level Media
