South Carolina is seeking a waiver to let this transfer play right away, Staley says

South Carolina is seeking a waiver from the NCAA to allow Te’a Cooper, a Tennessee transfer to the Gamecocks, to play immediately this season, coach Dawn Staley announced Thursday.

Cooper was one of the most highly regarded players in the nation coming out of high school, ranking as the 12th best player in her class, according to ESPN. She was ranked as high as No. 1 by D1Spects.com.

In her freshman year with the Lady Volunteers, Cooper started 15 games and appeared in 36, averaging 8.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

Cooper missed her sophomore season rehabbing from a torn ACL before deciding to transfer this past offseason and choosing South Carolina. According to NCAA transfer rules, undergraduate student-athletes must sit out a season before they can play varsity sports at their new school. Another player on the Gamecocks, forward Alexis Jennings, missed the 2016-2017 season after transferring from Kentucky.

But according to Staley, the team is asking the NCAA to let Cooper play right away because of the season she missed with the ACL injury.

“Yes, you have to serve a year of residency, but if you sat out and you have to sit out again, I do believe she’ll lose a year of eligibility. And we don’t want to penalize an athlete for that,” Staley said.

Staley pointed out that other teams across the country have applied for the same waiver. She said the request for Cooper’s waiver has already been submitted, and that she expects the NCAA will reach a decision in a week.

Should Cooper become eligible, she would likely immediately contribute to the Gamecocks, who lost two starting guards from last season’s national championship team.

“I mean, she’s versatile. She can play the point guard position. We can slide her over and she can play the guard position. She’s a guard that can create her own shots. She’s a guard that’s incredibly competitive. She plays both sides of the ball. She’s extremely aggressive and she’s been a great addition to our team,” Staley said.

In addition to potentially Cooper, Staley’s backcourt this year will likely include a rotation of sophomore guard Tyasha Harris, graduate transfer Lindsey Spann and senior Bianca Cuevas-Moore.

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 5:02 PM with the headline "South Carolina is seeking a waiver to let this transfer play right away, Staley says."