Will Cam Scott Help Lead South Carolina to Even Better Season Next Year?

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Recently I posed the question, “can Lamont Paris sustain success in year 3 at South Carolina?”. I think he can and will and stated that it will ultimately come down to recruiting as South Carolina had some major holes in its roster. They took a massive step toward filling those holes this past week with the addition of Cam Scott and Jordan Butler. Cam Scott is the #1 player in the State of SC and the 54th player nationally. Needless to say, the Gamecocks’ men’s basketball program got a huge boost with his addition, but is it enough to lead them to an even better season in 2024?

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I think that South Carolina took an enormous step forward in assembling a team that will be more competitive than the one we witnessed last season. I’ve said before that it starts with having a player to build around and the Gamecocks have that man in Collin Murray-Boyles. 

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My concern was that losing Meechie Johnson and Ta’Lon Cooper would take away the guard play necessary to space the floor around their star big man. Jacobi Wright and Myles Stute are returning which definitely helps anchor the backcourt with experience, but we all know that in order to get the most of the CMB, South Carolina would need a dynamic guard. 

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They just landed that type of player in Cam Scott. At 6-5, he is a dynamic guard with solid shooting form from both inside and behind the arc. He is also not bothered by ball handling duties with the height needed to see and pass over defenders. This will be essential as the aforementioned Johnson and Cooper were the primary ball handlers for the Gamecocks a season ago. I think Wright can help in this department, but imagine the possibilities on offense with the ball in the hands of a player like Scott with a post presence like CMB.

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I think these two players can and will form a dynamic duo and will play off of each other well. Put these two in a pick-n-roll situation with shooters surrounding them and watch the fireworks happen.

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I don’t think South Carolina had a guard like this on the roster last year. A tall, long, athletic guard capable of shooting anywhere on the court, great vision and passing ability, combined with rim attacking skills. He can win at all 3 levels and will be dangerous with the ball in his hands in the open court. 

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I still think that South Carolina will look to build around CMB as he himself possesses an immense amount of talent but he has one thing Scott doesn’t have at this point: SEC experience. But a big like him needs spacing in the post to operate and the first step in limiting double teams on him is surrounding him with guys like Scott. 

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I think the supporting cast around these two players is improving as well with the return of Stute and Wright along with the addition of Butler. I would like to see more frontcourt depth added to take pressure off of CMB and to help him avoid foul trouble. In addition, I think they need another guard or two for depth purposes as well as to help fill the floor with shooters around their dynamic duo. 

At this point, I don’t think South Carolina will be better than they were a season ago simply because of the addition of Scott. They still have holes they need to fill, mainly from a depth perspective. However, if they are able to fill these holes in the roster and find a solid 7-8 man rotation, they definitely have a duo that far exceeds any one they had last year which could lead them to an even greater season.