Lamont Paris, Ta'Lon Cooper Talk Emotions Of Senior Day
In the menagerie of storylines surrounding tonight's battle between two ranked teams, the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Volunteers, one storyline has been put on the back burner due to the SEC regular season title implications this game possesses: it's senior night. Tonight, three one-year transfers, guard Ta'Lon Cooper and forwards BJ Mack and Stephen Clark, will be partaking in the senior day festivities, and suiting up for their final home game in their college careers.
Although each of those players only spent one season in Columbia, head coach Lamont Paris made it clear when he met with the media on Tuesday afternoon that that doesn't mean a deep bond wasn't created with these guys.
"I remember I used to think that when there were one-year guys like 'well, what could you [feel about a] one-year guy on a senior day?', but you know it's amazing how close you can get to some of these guys and being around them for one year, actually less than probably a full calendar year," Paris stated. "I couldn't be happier and more proud of what they've accomplished and more excited for what's still out there for them. I think those guys have been the foundation of us being able to build what we've built here quickly. It really added to it."
Cooper chatted with the media not long after his head coach did, and he conveyed that tonight's game is a full-circle moment that will bring mixed feelings with it.
"This is a moment that I didn't want to see come, but it's here now and was a perfect way to end it. It's the same way I'm in my high school career, the same gym. So just a bittersweet moment."
When looking back on the Gamecocks' season, one that's seen the program both tie and break several marks, Ta'Lon didn't mention any wins the team secured or big shots that he hit. Instead, he thought of the camaraderie the team has fostered and the fact that he's been able to bask in the little moments of this season in front of the people who care about him the most.
"[The] group of guys that this coaching staff put me around. I mean, it made the season amazing for all of us and including myself, being around this group of guys and playing in front of my family and home state."
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