COLUMBIA, S.C. — New head men's basketball coach Lamont Paris announced the first member of his staff with the addition of former Gamecock great Carey Rich on Thursday. Rich will serve as special assistant to the head coach.
In his role, he will provide assistance on a variety of special projects, with heavy involvement in alumni relations, community outreach and recruiting efforts.
"I'm very excited to have Carey joining my staff here at South Carolina," Paris said. "He is so connected and well-respected in our community and with basketball in the Palmetto State. This role is something that will evolve over time, but I'm excited to have him hit the ground running. Alumni engagement is something that I'm going to emphasize going forward and I expect Carey to play a very vital part in that."
After playing one season at Western Carolina, Rich returned home and was a three-year letterwinner for the Gamecocks from 1993-95. He scored 784 career points and dished out 340 assists playing in 79 career games. Rich ranks sixth all-time in Carolina history with 4.30 assists per game, and his 5.16 assists per game during the 1994 season are seventh-most in a single season in program history. As a senior, he led the team in scoring averaging 13.4 points per game. Rich served as team captain his final two seasons in Garnet and Black.
"Everything happens for a reason, and I'm deeply honored the time has come for me to return to my alma mater with the opportunity to assist coach Paris as he assumes this new leadership role of the program," Rich said. "My heart and soul will be in this assignment. I'm humbled and ecstatic about this journey and this next phase of basketball at the University of South Carolina."
Born and raised in Columbia, Rich was a 2018 Allstate SEC Basketball Legend and was also inducted into the Richland One Hall of Fame in 2017. He returns to the Gamecocks after serving the past seven years as recreation superintendent with the City of Columbia's Parks and Recreation Department. Rich also served as a liaison to the Columbia Police Department. He's been hugely impactful on youth in the Midlands community.
