Sports

Notre Dame Coach Applauds Raucous South Carolina Crowd As A Fashion Movement Takes Over Columbia

by
South Carolina basketball coach talks to his team from the bench.

Getty Image


The South Carolina basketball team has been a surprise in 2023, starting a perfect 6-0 in non-conference play. The Gamecocks picked up a win over ACC foe Notre Dame on Tuesday to keep the momentum rolling.

Amid the blooming excitement surrounding the program, fans are looking to make their head coach’s in-game outfit choice go viral.

Lamont Paris is in Year 2 with the school, looking to improve upon an 11-21 debut campaign. Things have gone swimmingly to this point as the Gamecocks are already halfway to the point of matching last season’s win total.

Thus far, South Carolina’s picked up wins against Virginia Tech, DePaul, and now the Fighting Irish. The team has come out on top while competing in the Hall of Fame Series, the AZ Tipoff, and the ACC/SEC Challenge.

The quick start has garnered the attention of the fanbase, who SHOWED UP for a midweek matchup against a P5 opponent.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GamecockMBB (@gamecockmbb)

Picked to finish last in the SEC by the media, South Carolina is hoping to surprise this season. A strong home-court advantage could go a long way.

Based on what we saw in their most recent outing, Gamecock Nation will be up to the task.

South Carolina beat the Irish 65-53 with a stifling defensive performance. Limiting Notre Dame to just 33% shooting, the Gamecocks locked their opposition down to pull away in the second half of play.

Notre Dame shot just 1-of-11 from beyond the arc after halftime, a credit to the Gamecocks’ scheme and execution.

After the contest, Fighting Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry spoke on that effort while also shouting out the fans in the stands.

“[Lamont Paris] has this team believing. He’s got some experience playing different styles,” Shrewsberry said. “You’re not Kentucky, right? You’re not going to get the same caliber of player, so you can’t play the same way as Kentucky.

“He’s been in programs and systems that have played a different way. How they play is different, which gives them an edge in the league… Them playing a different style is going to make it hard on people to prepare for them.”

He went on to talk about the atmosphere in Colonial Life Arena, applauding the home fans for making things tough on the Irish.

“I was out there during warmups, and I saw those students pour in and I was like ‘Oh s—!'”

The crowd certainly came out to support the basketball team, which can’t be said for others in the SEC, but it seems there’s another agenda the Gamecock Faithful is pushing this season.

South Carolina fans introduce #QZipSZN to college basketball world.

As fans often do with their beloved coaches, many cling to one particular trait as a way of forming a bond with the team. In South Carolina’s case, that’s their head coach’s wardrobe.

“Q-Zip SZN” is in full effect.

Some coaches sport suits, others sport sneakers. Lamont Paris? He reps a quarter-zip pullover on the sidelines.

After the win on Tuesday, #QZipSZN began trending online.

Gamecock social media accounts have been pushing the fashion statement, and it’s beginning to spread.

A ‘Q-Zip Cam’ even made an appearance on the jumbotron during that Notre Dame game, flashing to fans in the crowd who chose to rock Paris’s now patented style.

It gained so much steam that SEC Network host (and South Carolina grad) Alyssa Lang mentioned it on the air.

“We’re embracing the quarter-zip out there in Columbia. If you know, you know.”

It’s a movement!

South Carolina is off to its best start since 2016-17 when the basketball team made a miraculous Final Four run. Expectations aren’t yet that high for this year’s squad, but Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks have done their part in winning over the fanbase.