South Carolina’s lineup hasn’t changed all year. How it’s happened, what it means
When South Carolina trots out its starting lineup to face Vanderbilt on Monday, the five names will almost assuredly be the same they’ve been all season — senior guard Tyasha Harris, freshman guard Zia Cooke, freshman guard Brea Beal, senior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and freshman forward Aliyah Boston.
Heading into the 2019-20 women’s basketball season, there was some question of how Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley would formulate her lineup. Would her talented freshmen start right away, or would the more experienced players take the floor first?
But after starting sophomore guard Destanni Henderson in place of Beal in USC’s exhibition, Staley settled on the combination of three rookies and the two most veteran players on her squad.
“They work well as a unit. Some other people that are coming off the bench could start. I think they’re OK with where they’re coming in the basketball game and I think we’re settled in that way,” Staley said in early February.
And presuming that doesn’t change Monday against Vandy, the Gamecocks will have started the same lineup 26 times in a row, the longest stretch to start a season in Staley’s tenure at USC.
It’s not a philosophical change Staley’s made to keep that lineup consistency.
“Usually ... once we start a starting lineup, I like to keep that, just to keep everybody true to form,” she said.
But it speaks to the well-defined roles the team has maintained — and the good fortune the Gamecocks have had with injuries. The only real threat to the streak was when Boston suffered a lower leg injury against Tennessee and was a game-time decision against Arkansas. (She went on to dominate that game, showing no ill effects.)
Noting that luck, Staley knocked on the hardwood floor at Colonial Life Arena on Sunday.
The last time South Carolina went deep in the season without changing its lineup was 2012-13 — for three games late in the year, Tiffany Mitchell came off the bench instead of starting, then returned to the lineup as the Gamecocks reached No. 14 in the polls and won 25 games.
That’s no coincidence, Staley said.
“When we’ve been the most healthy ... we’ve been the most successful,” Staley said. “So when we’ve not been able to start our starting lineup, or have people come off the bench and play the normal rotations, that’s when things get a little muddy.”
When the Gamecocks advanced to the program’s first Final Four in 2014-15, they started the same lineup in 30 of their last 31 games. In their run to a national title in 2016-17, an injury to starting center Alaina Coates forced them to make late adjustments. Even then, the Gamecocks had three main starting lineup combinations.
And though obviously she would rather avoid it, Staley said she’s confident her lineup could survive a change.
“If we needed to change the lineup or something happened, I think we got people that have had enough experience to just seamlessly step into the lineup and do well,” Staley said.
When do the Gamecocks play next?
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (24-1, 11-0 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (13-11, 3-8 SEC)
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
