The South Carolina men’s basketball program may be in the heart of their offseason during the month of June. But that hasn’t stopped Gamecock head coach Lamont Paris, and South Carolina from keeping busy over the last couple of days.
In recent days, Coach Paris has signed a pair of international players to his 2026-27 roster, including Juan Fernández and Hugo López from Argentina and Spain, respectively. And it seems that he wants to keep the international trend continuing in Columbia.
On Wednesday, the South Carolina program announced that it would be playing in an international competition in the Bahamas ahead of its regular season later this summer. The Gamecocks will play in a couple exhibition games against international teams during the 2026 Baha Mar Hoops Summer League during August 7-11.
The trip to the Bahamas marks the second time that the program has played overseas before the regular season. The Gamecocks did so before the 2023-24 season, which saw South Carolina make the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2017 season.The trip was successful for South Carolina, as the team defeated Argentinian Club Oras 106-67, and took down Žalgiris-2 out of Lithuania 86-60. While there are other college teams set o b announced for the tournament, South Carolina will join Valpariso on the action.
The Gamecocks will have several new faces on the court next season, including incoming transfers in Aleksas Bieliauskas from Wisconsin, former Drexel guard Shane Blakeney, former Texas forward Camden Heide and Alabama addition Davion Hannah. Coach Paris said in the school's official release that he looks forward to using the tournament in the Bahamas as a team bonding opportunity.
“Roster turnover in men’s basketball has become increasingly prevalent, and I believe the opportunity to have 10 full practices leading into playing in actual games against good competition goes a long way in accelerating the process of a group of new faces transitioning into a true ‘team,’" Paris said. "This event will undoubtedly provide a good basketball experience for our players, but most importantly, it will provide valuable time with one another during travel, down time, meals and extracurricular activities."
According to the school, the Gamecocks began summer workouts as a team this week. Fans interested in attending the tournament and watching the Gamecocks in the Bahamas can follow this link for information about tickets, hotel rooms and VIP packages. South Carolina's first game, per the tournament's website, will be on Saturday, Aug. 8. There will surely be some Gamecock fans who will be up for a trip to the Bahamas later this summer to watch South Carolina play.
After a 13-19 season last year for South Carolina, this is an important season for Coach Paris and the Gamecocks. Kudos to the head coach for taking the opportunity to give his team some much-needed international experience ahead of the regular season.
The Gamecocks' 2026-27 season opener will tip off sometime in late October, with a full regular season schedule set to be released in the coming months.
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