South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris could not have picked a better weekend to entertain one of his top 2025 targets. 6-4 Isaiah Henry of Harrisburg NC made an official visit with Paris and the Gamecocks, and he was able to absorb the energy of over 17,000 fans on hand to watch the Gamecocks defeat Florida.
Besides the game and atmosphere inside the Colonial Life Arena, what else stood out to Henry?
“Definitely just meeting and talking with the coaching staff I’d say for sure,” Henry said. “There’s a lot of love down there. Especially my brother (KJ Henry) being at Clemson, they don’t care about that. They are recruiting me. I can definitely say I experienced a lot of love from the coaching staff. Having dinner with the coaches, they are all just good guys. They all care about me as a player and my development. They can see me there and the want me there badly. Knowing that, that’s very important to me. And definitely the game, too. Just the atmosphere and the fans, seeing all that, I could see myself definitely there in a couple of years.”
The tight, tense game against Florida presented Paris with an opportunity to display his coaching skills at their finest. Henry took all of that in from his seat behind the bench.
“One thing I noticed, he just let his guys play, and that’s what I’m looking for in a coach,” Henry said. “He’s obviously going to coach you hard and get on you when you make mistakes, but he realizes we’re all human and we’re all fighting for the same goal. He’s just a team type of coach. He just all cares about the team and his players. He lets his players run the offense. They can make their reads and options and what cuts they want to make. They played a hell of a game. It was nice to watch.”
It’s an offense, Henry said, which would be a good fit for him.
“I can definitely see myself out there. That style fits me perfectly,” Henry said. “He likes big guards, and he sees me stepping out and shooting the three, too. Knowing my all-around game, watching film, I can definitely see myself out there. That offense suits me well for sure.”
This was the second official visit for Henry. He took one to Clemson last October. After the weekend in Columbia, he’s got the Gamecocks way up on his list.
“It’s high regard for sure,” he said. “When I come to make my decision, you have my word it will be a top school on the radar for sure. I don’t say that a lot about too many schools. It just checked almost every box for me. It was a very exciting experience taking it all in. Coach Paris, he is such a good coach, and a great atmosphere. It will definitely be on the top of my list of schools when I make my decision.”
Don’t discount Clemson with Henry either. Dabo Swinney loved coaching his brother for five years, and Brad Brownell would certainly love to have his time with the younger Henry.
“That will be a top school, too, when I come to make my decision,” Henry said. “They’ve been keeping in touch. They are really excited to see how I play this spring and summer. I know how they feel about me. They’ve got high regards about me, too. That’s another place I can see myself playing. All the coaches are great guys. They all text me a lot and let me know how they feel about me. I could definitely see myself there, too, for sure, and I love their style of play. It’s just a great school and I have high regards for.”
Henry was going to take an official visit to Virginia Tech this coming weekend, but spring break is going on there, so he will reschedule that in about a month. He also plans to take an official visit to Georgia in a month and one to Georgetown in the fall.