Lamont Paris did not have the full picture of what he was walking into when he took over as University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball coach in April 2017, but the former Wisconsin assistant would quickly find out.
He would learn the program had an academic progress rate - a system the NCAA put in place to track both the eligibility of student-athletes as well as the retention of them - of 922, the Mocs' lowest mark in six seasons. He saw a roster that was already pretty gutted with the expected loss of five seniors, a number that grew to nine exiting players before he ever coached a game at UTC, which caused the dip in APR.
As seasons began and ended, Paris started to figure it out. In 2019, the last year the NCAA tracked APR, the Mocs had a score of 958 - and that progress off the court mirrored progress on it.
Those APR issues limited which players Paris could recruit, and the program won just 22 games in his first two seasons. But as the off-court challenges were addressed, the quality of players he could bring in started to improve, which led to better results. The Mocs won 65 games in his final three seasons, including a 27-8 record this season, when they swept the regular-season and tournament titles in the Southern Conference.
Now, though, the 47-year-old Paris is swapping one SC for another. He was announced as the new head coach at South Carolina on Thursday after his hire was approved by the university's board of trustees, and the school held an introductory news conference later in the day.
It was an expected move previously reported by multiple media outlets, including the Times Free Press.
In joining the Southeastern Conference program, Paris immediately broke ground as the first Black head coach of Gamecocks men's basketball.
UTC athletic director Mark Wharton released a statement congratulating Paris and thanking him for building the program "into a consistent winner again." Wharton said Paris "will be missed in Chattanooga, but we look forward to the challenge ahead," adding that the school will begin a nationwide search immediately.
Wharton also pointed out that three of the past four UTC coaches have won SoCon titles and taken the Mocs to the NCAA tourney. Paris had the team back in the 68-team event for the first time since 2016, and the 13th-seeded Mocs nearly pulled off an upset of fourth-seeded Illinois before falling just short in the first round.
"Our program's history and future will draw another talented coach to our program," Wharton, who also must replace women's basketball coach Katie Burrows, said in the release.
In the meantime, assistant Tanner Bronson, who will likely join Paris as part of his staff in Columbia if he doesn't take over at UTC, will serve as the interim coach. Bronson was as an assistant with Sioux Falls of the NBA G-League (2009-11) and Saint Louis (2012-16) prior to joining Paris in Chattanooga.
During his introductory news conference at South Carolina, Paris didn't refer to Bronson by name, but he suggested there would be a spot available if Bronson doesn't get the Mocs' head job.
Paris signed a new contract at UTC in May 2021, extending his deal through April 2027. It also bumped his salary up to $300,000, with benchmarks the program reached in his final season adding an additional $65,000 ($45,000 for reaching the NCAA tournament, $10,000 for being in the top 150 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool, or NET, $5,000 for being named SoCon coach of the year and $5,000 for winning the SoCon regular-season championship). There were also academic incentives that could add an additional $20,000.
Because he is leaving before April 30, 2023, either Paris or South Carolina will owe UTC $450,000, or 150% of his base salary. The amount will be due in 180 days.
Paris signed a five-year deal worth $12 million with the Gamecocks, who have been to just nine NCAA tournaments but did reach the 2017 Final Four. The deal is worth $2.4 million a year, starting at $2.2 million with an increase of $100,000 each season.
He is replacing Frank Martin, whose 10 seasons included a single NCAA tourney trip and finished with an 18-13 record this season, including 9-9 in SEC regular-season games.
In South Carolina's release announcing the hire, athletic director Ray Tanner called Paris "one of the bright young coaches in the profession."
Added Tanner: "When we began this search, I said we wanted to hire someone with a winning coaching history, who has the energy, passion and commitment to excellence in all areas of the student-athlete experience. Coach Paris checks all of those boxes."
Attempts to reach Paris on Thursday were unsuccessful, but in the release he told the Gamecocks' fans "we will have a program that you will be proud of and one that will compete for championships."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.