How long of a winter has this been for Lamont Paris and the South Carolina basketball team?
Following a 97-89 triumph by his Gamecocks over visiting Mississippi State on Feb. 21, Paris was asked whether the 32-day gap between victories had taken a toll on him personally.
“I wasn’t counting, but it does sound different when it’s put that way,” Paris said in a press conference. “There are obviously challenges, and anything personal always comes so far down the list. We all have challenges, and our guys are probably less-equipped to handle those challenges. For me, personally, one of my strengths is that by the next morning around 10 o’clock, I’ve got my mojo back.
“There is never a day in practice when I don’t go in there with tremendous energy. Sometimes that’s dialed up and comes across as aggressive, like if we’re not rebounding well, but there is not a day when I don’t have tremendous energy when I go in there.”
Dialing up energy has been needed for weeks at South Carolina, which has a 12-17 overall record and a 3-13 mark in Southeastern Conference contests heading into Tuesday’s game (6 p.m. on the SEC Network) against Tennessee in Columbia. The No. 23 Volunteers are 20-9 overall and 10-6 within the league, and they will be looking to snap a mild skid after losing last week to Missouri and Alabama.