Lamont Paris has officially completed his roster for South Carolina’s 2025-26 season. He’s filled out the final spot on the team with one of his former players.
Eli Sparkman, who played for Paris in his first two seasons after being hired, is set to rejoin the program this season. South Carolina officially announced the news Monday evening.
Sparkman, who last played for the Gamecocks during the 2023-24 campaign, had retired from basketball in the summer of 2024. But after a year studying abroad in South America, he’s back with the team for what will be his third season overall.
A 6-foot, 153-pound guard, Sparkman joined the team as a walk-on in 2022. He appeared in 12 games, eight in SEC play, as he came off the bench and averaged 1.4 points in 6.2 minutes per game. He went 5-for-8 from three-point range and made a three-pointer in four of the team’s final five games of the season.
As a sophomore, Sparkman didn’t see as much playing time nor the same production as before. He averaged 1.0 points and went 0-for-4 from behind the arc.
Sparkman last played for the Gamecocks on Dec. 22, 2023. He was a member of that year’s team, which won 26 games and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years.
