Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball team begins their season in less than a month. On November 4th, the North Florida Ospreys will travel to Colonial Life Arena for the opener, and the 2024-2025 Gamecock season officially will be underway. In the weeks leading up to the first game, GamecockCentral will profile each member of the team. Today we will look at returning wing player Zach Davis.
Jamarii Thomas (Senior, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, 5’11”, 190 pounds)
Last Season (with Norfolk State Spartans): 33 games (30 starts), 16.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.4 turnovers, 2.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 40.4%/38.0%/80.9%
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After two years with the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks and another with the Norfolk State Spartans, Jamarii Thomas is a Gamecock. The 2023-2024 MEAC Player of the Year will step into the Gamecock rotation looking to help the team fill the voids left behind by Ta’Lon Cooper (graduation) and Meechie Johnson (transfer portal).
Thomas is different than most players who have donned garnet and black in recent years. A small guard, he is a ball of energy who makes a major impact on both ends of the floor.
Despite his size, Thomas was an All-Defensive Team selection in the MEAC last year. He is a pest on the ball and also excels at getting his quick hands in passing lanes. He won’t be at his best defending longer guards, but against other smaller ballhandlers, Thomas could be a defensive bulldog.
Thomas is a candidate to start at point guard. However, on offense, he won’t play a similar style to his predecessor. Ta’Lon Cooper was a deliberate floor general who only took open shots (other than when he lit up Kentucky from all over the floor). Thomas, though, doesn’t mind taking a lot of shots if that’s what his team needs.
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Depending on his adjustment to being a Gamecock, Jamarii Thomas could be one of the team’s most important players. Lamont Paris demands good defense; Jamarii Thomas likes to play defense. Lamont Paris encourages his team to “like the perimeter, love the rim;” Jamarii Thomas took nearly 70% of his shots from the paint or outside.
If Thomas can improve both his efficiency as a shooter (made just 40% of his shots) and passer (committed 2.4 turnovers per game) just a bit, the Gamecocks will have a big-time senior transfer point guard once again this season.
Thomas and the Gamecocks hope to follow up a record-tying 26-win season and 2nd-place SEC finish with another strong year. Another trip to the NCAA Tournament would mark South Carolina’s first back-to-back berths in the Big Dance since the 1990s.
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