Form over fashion … but fashion is important

First-year South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris won’t be shy about doing some things differently when it comes to what his team will wear on game days. The throwback white uniforms were a real hit for the Gamecocks recently, bringing back a classic look, and those were soon followed by the throwback garnet duds.

Uniforms are always a great topic for fans and players alike, and Paris is certainly willing to do something that is unique. He did so in his last stop at Chattanooga.

Paris earning trust of returning players

“I did a gold uniform that I can take credit for, and a black one in one of my first years that had the city skyline on it. That became a new thing, that logo,” Paris told TheBigSpur.com recently in a one-on-one interview.

“The basketball uniform we did was a tremendous hit. I like to make sure we’re good before I do too much out there, but I’m not afraid to step out there, if it’s something the guys want. I’m not fashion over form; I want to make sure we are who we want to be before we start going too crazy with the uniforms.”

South Carolina debuted its throwback white uniforms in 2019, which were an ode to the teams from the 1970s. All-time greats like Mike Dunleavy, John Roche, Alex English, Brian Winters and plenty of others wore uniforms of the same style, and the strips quickly became fan favorites.

Garnet uniforms of the same style came last season, but black had not yet arrived.

With Paris at the helm, he certainly embraces doing whatever the players want to do, provided the program is in a good place.

“I appreciate it,” Paris said of players wanting to have style. “Between uniforms and shoes and whatever, the guys can go out there and have a little swag. I get that, I like that.”

Something new may not be in the cards for the Gamecocks this season, but look for Paris to get his own creative juices flowing, and also potentially lean on the players for their expertise as well.

One thing is for certain, though, that he’s going to let the players bring their own style to the court, to include what they’re wearing.