Lamont Paris Finalizes the South Carolina Basketball Roster for 2026-2027

With the additions of Mathias Alessanco, Nasi Hines, and Ford Wilder, the 2026-2027 Gamecocks roster is set. Here's a quick breakdown of the team and what makes it a pivotal year in the program.

Feb 28, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Lamont Paris reacts on the sideline during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The 2026-2027 South Carolina basketball roster is set. Lamont Paris enters a pivotal year five as the leader of Carolina basketball. Will this roster be the one to get the program back to NCAA Tournament contention?

Overtime Elite forward Mathias Alessandro, Palm Beach State College forward Nasir Hines, and Wilson Hall multi-sport athlete Ford Wilder were added to a Gamecocks roster that is now finalized heading into next season. Here's a quick look at the newest additions to the team and what they add to the roster overall.

Alessandro is a 6-foot-8 and 235 pound forward with Overtime Elite in Atlanta. The Brazilian forward will take a redshirt this season after tearing his ACL in May. He made his national team debut for Brazil at 16-years old back in November of 2024. Last season, he appeared in 18 regular season games for Overtime Elite, averaging 8.7 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 block.

Paris had this to say about Alessandro: “Mathias is a very talented young prospect that plays with tremendous poise and pace for a player of his age. He has outstanding basketball instincts and has shown the ability to create offense in a variety of ways. Mathias is the type of player that will generally have some advantage in most of his matchups. While his knee injury was unfortunate, I believe Mathias is equipped with the determination, commitment and discipline required to take full advantage of this next year. He will learn our system, improve his basketball skills and fine tune his body in a way that there is little doubt he will come out on the other side stronger in every facet of the game.”

Hines appeared in 31 games last season for Palm Beach State College. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest in limited action, shooting 58.0% (29-of-50) from the floor. He helped the Panthers to a 33-3 overall record.

Wilder is a multi-sport athlete at Wilson Hall. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks as a senior this past season.

Pivotal Year for Paris

Mar 3, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Lamont Paris speaks with forward Elijah Strong (31) against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

After two down seasons each of the last two years, Paris enters year five with his job likely on the line this season. South Carolina isn't known to be a national powerhouse, but these last two seasons won't cut it at any program in the country.