Picking South Carolina women’s basketball all-decade team: A’ja, Alaina and who else?
The 2010s have been good to South Carolina women’s basketball. Very, very, very good.
The past decade has marked, without a doubt, the program’s greatest period of success. As Dawn Staley’s program took root and began to flourish, the Gamecocks won their first national championship, advanced to the Sweet 16 eight times, stayed in the AP Top 25 for more than seven years in a row (and counting) and racked up an impressive 261-65 record.
And the future is bright, too — the class of 2019 gave Staley her first No. 1 recruiting class, putting USC in prime position to contend into the early 2020s.
Looking back over the last 10 years, starting with the 2010-2011 season, here are our picks for the South Carolina women’s basketball all-decade team.
Starting five
Guard — Tiffany Mitchell (2012-16)
When star recruit A’ja Wilson stepped onto campus for the 2014-2015 season (more on that later), she joined a program that was already building toward the next level. The main reason for that was Mitchell, who left the program as its most decorated player to that point.
A star player out of Charlotte who stayed close to home, Mitchell was a three-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year. In her sophomore season of 2013-2014, she led the Gamecocks in points, assists, steals, free throw percentage and 3-point percentage, while also pulling down more than five rebounds per game.
Mitchell ranks sixth in program history in career points and second in career 3-point percentage. An electric player capable of creating her own shot, she was also a workhorse, starting 135 games and playing in 139, both program bests. She’s one of only three South Carolina players with more than 4,000 career minutes.
Guard — Tyasha Harris (2016-20)
Her career’s not over yet, but even as her statistics stand, she’s clearly one of the best point guards South Carolina’s ever had. Earlier this season, she passed the 1,000-point mark, and she’s already third on the program list for career assists, above every other player this decade and charting toward first overall with ease. Her 220 helpers in 2017-18 set a season record, and her career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4 is excellent.
Harris hasn’t always been the flashiest, highest-scoring player for South Carolina — that started her freshman year, when she stepped into the lineup and played distributor and fifth option behind four veteran All-SEC talents. But she’s been a consistent, steadying force for the Gamecocks, and her scoring ability has improved slowly but steadily, leading to this season, when she’s on track to set a career high.
Forward — Aleighsa Welch (2011-15)
Before the great post players mentioned below, there was Welch — undersized for a forward at 6-foot, scrappy and relentless in the paint. She scored 1,451 career points and pulled down 956 rebounds, one of only six players in program history to join the 1,000-900 club. Dawn Staley’s first in-state recruit, Welch played a pivotal role for the Gamecocks from her freshman season and went on to earn three All-SEC nods, including two first-team appearances. She also was twice named an honorable mention for the All-American team.
Statistically, Welch’s numbers actually dipped slightly in her senior season, but it wasn’t for lack of talent or effort. She was simply getting her teammates involved more. A three-time team captain, she was Staley’s “utility player,” ready and willing to do whatever was needed to win. And she was always extremely efficient, shooting higher than 55% from the field in each of her four seasons and finishing third in program history with a career rate of 57.7%.
Forward — A’ja Wilson (2014-18)
Duh.
The greatest player in program history and one of the best athletes to play in a South Carolina jersey ever is already getting a statue outside of Colonial Life Arena, for crying out loud.
Wilson’s name is all over the Gamecock record books, but here are a few highlights: 2,389 career points, 1,195 career rebounds, 54 career double-doubles, 363 career blocks, 55.0% career field goal percentage. All those are top-five marks in program history. She also ranks fourth in SEC history in blocks.
After a Final Four trip as a freshman and a national title as a junior, Wilson’s senior year in 2017-2018 ended in the Elite Eight. But the fact that she took the Gamecocks that far is still a testament to her greatness. Her 22.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game made her just the seventh player in program history to average a double-double over the course of the season, despite opposing defenses focusing on her more than ever.
Center — Alaina Coates (2013-2017)
Few people pulled down more rebounds than A’ja Wilson. Alaina Coates is one of them. With 1,230 career boards, the 6-foot-4 Irmo native ranks second in program history. With Wilson, she formed a fearsome combination in the post that was virtually impossible to get past — Coates also ranks second in program history with 210 career blocked shots.
Honored by the SEC as Freshman of the Year and co-Defensive Player of the Year as a rookie, Coates went on to earn four All-SEC nods and an honorable mention for All-American as a senior. She averaged a double-double in both her junior and senior years and finished her career with 57 double-doubles, eighth in the SEC record books.
And in 2015, she recorded a triple-double against Winthrop with 29 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks. It was only the sixth triple-double in program history and 28th in SEC history at the time.
Bench
Guard — Ieasia Walker (2009-13)
The SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, Walker is one of only three South Carolina players ever to record more than 1,000 career points, 250 career assists and 250 career steals. She was a three-time All-SEC selection and is the program’s leader in steals for this decade, fifth all-time.
Guard — La’Keisha Sutton (2008-12)
Like Walker, Sutton was crucial in the development of Staley’s program in the early years, elevating the Gamecocks from mediocrity back to the NCAA tournament. Especially as the decade began, Sutton became one of USC’s best players, earning All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive team honors her senior year and helping lead the team to the first Sweet 16 in 10 years. She also recorded more than 1,000 career points and 300 career assists.
Wings — Allisha Gray/Kaela Davis (2016-17)
Both Gray and Davis only played one season for South Carolina, but their impact was enormous, giving Staley a pair of long, athletic shooters who proved crucial in the Gamecocks’ national championship run. The pair each averaged more than 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game. As All-ACC transfers, their talent was undeniable and took defensive pressure off Wilson, unlocking her full game. In the NCAA tourney, Davis was the regional Most Outstanding Player, while Gray was on the regional and Final Four all-tournament teams.
