Lamont Paris Lands P5 Portal Target Ta'Lon Cooper

South Carolina MBB Coach Lamont Paris had his work cut out for him last off-season when he joined the Gamecocks program in the middle of the open portal period, with several players already finding a landing spot. This season, he's been able to target who he wanted with more immediacy. The first domino in that process fell today when Minnesota Grad Transfer Ta'Lon Cooper announced his decision to play for the Gamecocks next season on Twitter.

Cooper is rated a 4-star in the Portal by Rivals.

The 6'4" 190 lb Guard is originally from the Palmetto State, growing up in Roebuck, SC, and playing for Dorman. He started his college career at Morehead State before transferring to Minnesota this past season, where he averaged 36 minutes a game and scored 9.8 PPG, and secured 4 rebounds per game. Another key element is his ability to shoot the 3-ball, making 37.8% of his 98 attempts this season.

Cooper should step into immediate minutes with the Gamecocks, playing the Chico Carter role from this last season, but with a more complete statistical profile, and he also brings some stronger on-ball defense. Resident GamecockScoop coach Perry McCarty had this to say about Cooper: "Cooper has superb body control and understands angles, which allows him to get into the lane and finish around the basket. His size and length grants the option to play Cooper anywhere from the 1-3 positions."

Cooper visited South Carolina this past weekend, and has been mentioned multiple times on our portal watchlist.