The South Carolina men's basketball team has improved massively in Lamont Paris' second season as head coach, with the Gamecocks setting a program record of 25 wins in the regular season and finishing fourth in the SEC after an underwhelming year of 11 total wins in the regular 2022-23 season.
While Paris' newly recruited players contributed to this improvement, including graduate forward B.J. Mack and graduate guard Ta'Lon Cooper, there are also returning players who have improved this season.
One of those players is sophomore guard Zachary Davis.
Davis is a South Carolina native from Orangeburg, SC who was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He was a two time all-state player and three-time all region pick that led Denmark-Olar High School to a 18-7 record as a senior. Davis was also named the 1A Boys South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year in 2022.
Zachary Davis was originally recruited to the Gamecocks by former South Carolina head coach Frank Martin as the first recruit in July of 2021 for the recruiting class of 2022.
Martin was later fired, and while other players left, Davis was one of the few players to stay after seven players entered the transfer portal after the firing of former head coach Frank Martin.
As a freshman for the Gamecocks, Davis played in 30 games — averaging 2.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He shot 38.2% from the field.
In his sophomore year, Davis started in 14 games, doubled his points per game and increased his rebounds per game in the regular season. He went from shooting 38.2% from the field to a more efficient 44% during this season, partially due to his increase in shots taken per game.
As Davis made improvements as a scorer, Paris got him more minutes of play time during his sophomore season, especially during the latter half of the season as the Gamecocks attempted to secure a regular season title.
He would get his first start of the 2023-24 season in an away game against Arkansas on Jan. 20. Davis scored 12 points along with four rebounds as well as going perfect from the charity stripe after 2 attempts.
During a press conference the following week, graduate guard Ta'Lon Cooper complimented Davis on his first start.
"Growth. Maturity. He had an amazing game and played really good defense on (Tramon) Mark," Cooper said.
Davis said he credits his success and improvement in his scoring ability later in the season to gaining confidence as a scorer. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Davis averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds a game.
"It's a confidence boost. Just going out there and just playing," Davis said. "Just knowing what I can do, I can just go out there and do it."
In a close win on the road against Texas A&M on Feb. 28, Davis scored on a layup with three seconds to go, allowing the Gamecocks to secure a win against the Aggies. This game monumental for Davis as he scored his season-high 16 points in addition to two assists that night.
After the game, Paris praised the sophomore guard's game-winning play against the Aggies.
"Zach broke late, and (junior guard Meechie Johnson) gave it to him right at the rim. So it was a great individual — tremendous individual play," Paris said.
Davis has also grown defensively and has been given more responsibility on the defensive end, such as when he was placed at the top of the 1-3-1 zone against Florida this season. On the offensive end, he put up 16 points and was rewarded for his hard work in the passing lanes with two steals along with zero turnovers.
Davis has kept the turnovers to a minimum this year with his game-high only at three.
Davis' defense has been a strength on a team that has held opponents to under 60 points — specifically the road win over then-No. 4 Tennessee and a home win over Ole Miss.
"Our defense has been something we could fall back on when we don't have a good day on offense," junior guard Jacobi Wright said. "It's been working pretty good for us."
Davis looks to continue contributing offensively and stay dominant on the defensive end as the Gamecocks compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. South Carolina will face the Oregon Ducks in Pittsburgh on March 21 as part of the tournament's first round. The game will be televised on TNT and NCAA March Madness Live with tip-off set for 4 p.m.