Lamont Paris's summer update on South Carolina men's basketball

Lamont Paris said freshman Cam Scott is a good fit for the South Carolina men's basketball team. Scott, from Lexington, joins a handful of other athletes from the state, and Paris said there was “an automatic connection.”

“Our older group has done a really good job of encouraging him to be himself as a player and as a person,” Paris said. “I think they've embraced him and embraced him completely and totally.”

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Scott was originally scheduled to attend the University of Texas, but was released when he decided to stay closer to home.

“I don't think anyone questions for a second how he got here or why he's here,” Paris said. “I think everyone in our program has welcomed him with open arms and that's why he's blossomed this summer.”

Paris' goal for Scott is to help him get “as close to his potential” as possible at South Carolina. One way Paris sees Scott's impact on the team in his first season is through his feel for the game.

“I think that's one thing — because he has such a good feel for the game, he slows down a little bit,” Paris said. “He's an incredibly good listener. That's what I say so early on when I talk about his strengths: He's really focused on listening, learning and asking questions.”

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Paris believes Scott's basketball knowledge will help slow down the game as the pace of play changes from high school to college. He also mentioned Scott's length and athleticism as traits that will help him adjust to college basketball.

“He's a very intellectual guy, he loves basketball,” Paris said. “He has a real thirst for knowledge about basketball and just tries to get better at basketball.”

Paris also called Scott an “SEC player in every way.” He said Scott's desire to do well is obvious and he knows Scott recognizes the benefits of learning from others.

“He takes what you teach him and then implements it into his game pretty quickly,” Paris said. “That's very difficult for young people, for anyone really. But especially for young people, it's very difficult to hear it, to process it and then allow that information to change their actions and behavior.”