Cam Scott will join South Carolina next season. What’s he bring to the table?
The Gamecocks locked down one more incoming freshman for next season: Cam Scott. With only a few months left until the Lexington High School four-star moves to Columbia, here’s what USC is getting with its newest guard.
Scott is a shooting guard who has range. He averaged 22 points and 6.4 rebounds his senior year with Lexington, including a 21-point performance in the state championship game against Byrnes.
Scott’s considered one of the most decorated basketball players in Lexington High history. He holds the all-time career points record with 2,475 points and the school record for single-season steals with 100. Scott also broke the single-game scoring record with 43 points. To cap it off, Scott’s the first back-to-back S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year since Brice Johnson in 2011 and 2012.
Scott said on his radio interview Wednesday that he views his offense as an easy fit to what Lamont Paris expects of his team. Scott has trained with women’s basketball assistant coach Khadijah Sessions previously, as has his future teammate Collin Murray-Boyles, which Scott said has helped get him acclimated to the expectations of South Carolina basketball.
“Being able to actually go out and experience some of the things that she was talking about,” Scott said about training with Sessions on the radio Wednesday. “It made a whole lot of sense.”
At 6-foot-5, Scott has a ton of length for a shooting guard and can pass the ball well. He’s shown throughout his recruitment he can score in a variety of ways — jump shots, layups, long-distance, etc.
It’s no hidden secret Paris likes his offense to shoot the long ball while scoring in the paint and through those mid-range jumpers former shooting guard Meechie Johnson could knock down. Scott has the capability of handling mid-range shots, so if there’s a cold-shooting night from the 3-point line, Scott can still knock down a few two-point buckets.
He also calls himself a spark plug and likes to inject some energy into the lineup. Scott has an overwhelming passion for basketball, and wants to be a piece in everyone’s game, not just be the star of his own.
As lengthy of a guard Scott is, one of his biggest offseason tasks will be putting on muscle.
He’s currently at 180 pounds heading into a physical conference. Scott has the height for a guard, but adding on additional muscle will help his game tremendously in the SEC.
Scott didn’t say how much he plans on bulking up this offseason, but he’s already working out details with Lexington High’s speed and strength trainer Trevor Hudson and South Carolina’s strength and conditioning coach Scott Greenawalt on training regimes moving forward.
“Definitely going into the weight room a lot,” Scott said. “Just seeing what we can do. Eating right is a big factor, nutrition. All of that will be a big piece of my life.”
Scott joining the team helps alleviate some offense USC lost with Johnson transferring back to Ohio State, and Scott could likely stay at the shooting guard position with Myles Stute, Jacobi Wright and Zachary Davis all confirming their return for next season. Incoming freshman Trent Noah is also an additional guard and Okku Federiko will join as a new forward.
The Gamecocks still have two scholarships available, and will need a natural point guard and forward to fill holes left by BJ Mack and Ta’Lon Cooper.
South Carolina roster tracker
Confirmed returners: Jacobi Wright, guard; Myles Stute, guard; Zachary Davis, guard; Collin Murray-Boyles
Expected returners: Austin Herro, guard; Eli Sparkman, guard; Morris Ugusuk, guard; Danny Grajzl, guard; Arden Conyers, guard; Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, forward; Josh Gray, forward
Incoming freshmen: Trent Noah, guard; Okku Federiko, forward; Cam Scott, guard
Leaving via transfer portal: Meechie Johnson, guard (Ohio State); Ebrima Dibba, guard
Leaving/out of eligibility: Ta’Lon Cooper, guard; BJ Mack, forward; Stephen Clark, forward
