Former Wisconsin Basketball Coach Named to Naismith Watchlist

Last week, the watch list for the Naismith College Player of the Year was released. It featured the top players in college basketball this season in the running for the award. Now, the Naismith Coach of the Year watch list has been released. There are 15 coaches on the list, including former Wisconsin basketball coach, Lamont Paris.

Lamont Paris was a Wisconsin basketball assistant coach from 2010-2017. In his time in Madison, the Badgers won 74 percent of their games, going 189-66 in 255 games. While he was an assistant coach in the program, the Badgers finished as a ranked team in six of the seven seasons. They also appeared in two Final Fours and the National Championship game in 2015.

He left the program in 2017 to take the head coaching vacancy at Chatanooga. It took him just three years to get the program headed in the right direction. In his third season leading the program, the Mocs won 20 games. Just two years later, he led them to a conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 4 Illinois by one point in the opening round.

Former Wisconsin Basketball Coach Lamont Paris Named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Watchlist

In 2022, he was named the head coach of South Carolina.

In his second year leading the South Carolina basketball program, he has the Gamecocks sitting in fourth place in the SEC with a 9-4 conference record and No. 20 in the AP Poll with a 21-5 overall record.

It’s a complete turnaround from last year when they finished 12th in the SEC and an overall record of 11-21.

No wonder he made the Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watchlist.

🚨IT IS HERE🚨

Introducing the 2024 @wernerladderco Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List, presented by @axiatimellc 🔥 #AxiaTimeNaismith | #WernerLadderNaismith

Click the 🔗 for full list and more: https://t.co/0ZLwlTgs0k pic.twitter.com/atp1v3c2WF

— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) February 23, 2024

Another Wisconsin connection to a coach on the list is Alabama head coach Nate Oats. Oats is a native of Watertown, Wisconsin, just about an hour from Madison. He played his college basketball in Wisconsin as well, playing for Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown. He also received a master of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in kinesiology and exercise science.

Some Badger fans would argue that Greg Gard deserves to be on this watch list with the season Wisconsin is currently enjoying. He has helped get the Badgers back to the NCAA Tournament after missing it last year.

Either way, it’s nice to see a former Wisconsin basketball coach go off and succeed in his coaching career.

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