South Carolina Hires Former ACC Basketball Coach Steve Smith as Assistant Coach - What It Means

Former Clemson and Boston College assistant coach Steve Smith is joining Lamont Paris' coaching staff at South Carolina.

Steve Smith, left, an assistant for Clemson men's basketball team near head coach Brad Brownell, right, during the game in February 2019. Steve Smith An Assistant For Clemson Mens Basketball | Ken Ruinard / staff

Lamont Paris fills out his Gamecocks' coaching staff next season with the addition of former Clemson, Florida State, and Boston College assistant coach Steve Smith. Smith has a long track record of success at the college basketball level and will look to help build a competitive team in Columbia next season.

Head coach Lamont Paris is entering a pivotal year in his South Carolina and is making moves to get his squad back in postseason contention next year. Paris talks about Smith's connections to the southeast and what he can bring as soon as he steps on campus, per Gamecocks Online.

“Steve’s basketball connections throughout the southeast, and especially in the state of South Carolina, are as strong as any assistant coach in the country,” said Paris. “He is incredibly experienced and will undoubtedly bring immediate value to our program in numerous ways. With Steve growing up in the state of South Carolina and his wife being a USC alum, this is a true Welcome Home.”

Smith also spoke with Gamecocks Online sharing how excited he is to come to South Carolina and to work with Paris next season.

“I’m extremely excited to be blessed with this incredible opportunity,” said Smith. “Coach Paris is a great basketball mind whom I’ve admired from afar for many years. I can’t wait to get started with him and the rest of the staff. Forever to Thee!”

Smith most recently spent 2024-2026 with Boston College, but saw great success with Florida State before heading over to Chestnut Hill. During his time with Florida State, he helped lead the Seminoles to an ACC championship, ACC championship game appearance, and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021.

What it Means for South Carolina

🗣️ South Carolina coach Lamont Paris on the hire of Steve Smith https://t.co/4UDac6zLPK pic.twitter.com/CLhEXWcppr

— GamecockCentral.com (@GamecockCentral) June 2, 2026

As Paris mentioned above, Smith brings a good recruiting acumen with him as he joins the staff. He helped the Seminoles to a pair of top 25 classes during his time in Tallahassee. He was a part of landing high profile players like Scottie Barnes, Matthew Cleveland, and Jalen Warley.

Smith will be tasked with not helping develop a winner in Columbia soon, but also building out the roster both out of the portal and out of the high school ranks. Going into year five, the Gamecocks must show improvement in the win-loss category or sweeping changes could be made to the program going forward.

Speaking of recruiting, Paris and the Gamecocks picked up another international player for next season in forward Juan Fernandez. This is a big get for Paris as the 23 year old Fernandez played in Spain's top professional league and helped Argentina win the silver medal in 2025. He could challenge for a starting spot right away next season.