South Carolina men’s basketball rolled to an emphatic 87–58 victory over Radford on Tuesday night at Colonial Life Arena, and afterward, head coach Lamont Paris reflected on what he believes was one of his team’s most complete showings of the young season.
“A good team effort… an example of growth.”
Paris opened his postgame remarks by praising his team’s maturity and attention to detail.
“I thought it was a good team effort, really good team effort, good team win,” he said. As the Gamecocks built their lead late in the second half, Paris noted how well his players handled game situations: “You’re always looking for growth in your group, and there’s an example of growth. We handled the end of the game significantly better than we did in the last one.”
Two key points of emphasis going into the matchup were defensive rebounding and disciplined on-ball defense. Paris was pleased with both.
“We talked about that ad nauseam… guarding the ball with resistance in a way that we were not going to foul very much.” He even commended the officials, saying they did well letting physical plays unfold.
Elijah Strong’s Breakout: “He was really good.”
Paris highlighted Elijah Strong, who delivered energy, toughness, and efficient scoring.
“He was really good. He’s really talented, especially on the offensive end,” Paris said. Strong has improved defensively, an area Paris has pushed him on. Offensively, his polished post game stood out.
“He made two tough turn-around jumpers… a nice little baby hook… he even drew a foul on a really aggressive good duck-in.”
Paris believes Strong is still growing, but Tuesday was a major step forward.
Paint Presence Dominates the Night
South Carolina poured in nearly 50 points in the paint, something Paris stressed as essential on nights when three-point shooting isn’t consistent.
“That’s really good… you have to be able to generate stuff around the basket,” he said.
According to Paris, post-ups and sharp cutting were the two biggest weapons.
He praised Kobe Knox for reading the defense and making smart cuts, noting that such actions weren’t driven by set plays — just smart basketball.
Even with clean looks from deep early, the Gamecocks relied on high-efficiency scoring inside.
“It’s nice that you can still have that type of efficiency from two-point land when you’re struggling… from the three-point line.”
Consistency From Start to Finish
Paris loved that South Carolina played a full 40-minute game without major drop-offs.
“A small run didn’t turn into a big run… they’re talking to themselves differently,” he said, highlighting the team’s leadership and communication.
He used a familiar analogy to explain the group’s growth:
“I want these guys to be able to ride the bike on their own… we’ve taken the training wheels off at this point.”
Veteran guard Meechie Johnson continues to lead vocally and set the tone.
Depth Becoming a Defining Strength
Paris believes this may be the deepest roster he has coached.
“This was probably the overall deepest team that I’ve been around,” he said, noting this is the first time USC has had 15 scholarship players.
Bench scoring has been a theme all season:
“A lot of guys… could really have big games off the bench if the stars align right.”
What impressed Paris most was that his players embrace their roles.
“Not a lot of teams have that ability but are also willing to play that role… but it does appear we have that.”
A Potentially Elite Shooting Team
South Carolina shot a blistering 58% from the field, the best mark in the Paris era.
Does he think this is his best shooting team?
“In theory,” Paris admitted. He praised the number of reliable shooters on the roster and also highlighted the team’s ability to create high-quality looks.
He pointed to an early sequence from Johnson:
“What a pass he created to Kobe… not a set play… that’s a rare quality.”
Meechie Johnson Injury Scare
Johnson briefly exited the game, calling a timeout after appearing to hurt himself. Paris acknowledged the concern:
“He stopped the play… so he certainly was hurt. Thankfully, it was something that he was able to come back from.”
Johnson returned to the floor shortly afterward.
Looking Ahead: Greenbrier Weekend Test
The Gamecocks head into two tougher matchups at the Greenbrier Tip-Off, where they’ll face Butler and Northwestern.
Paris hopes his team uses their recent progress as fuel:
“Hopefully they feel like, ‘hey, we’ve cleaned a couple of things up… let’s go out there and play.’”
He referenced closed scrimmages vs. Georgia Tech and an exhibition vs. NC State as confidence builders.
In classic Paris fashion, he ended with a golf analogy:
“At this time of year, you’re playing against the course… What does good look like for us, and can we reproduce that?”
