A way-too-early look at South Carolina women’s basketball for 2020-21
It’ll likely be awhile before South Carolina women’s basketball fans fully move on from the gut-wrenching end to the 2019-20 season — no opponent was able to stop the Gamecocks for more than three months, but the spread of COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the NCAA tournament and denied Dawn Staley’s No. 1-ranked team a shot at a national title.
Still, there’s always next year, and South Carolina is set up to remain at or very near the very top of the SEC and the country in 2020-21. Here’s a very early look at how next season’s squad will look:
BY GRADE
SENIOR
LeLe Grissett, guard
JUNIOR
Destanni Henderson, guard
Victaria Saxton, forward
Destiny Littleton, guard
Elysa Wesolek, forward
SOPHOMORE
Zia Cooke, guard
Brea Beal, guard
Olivia Thompson, guard
Laeticia Amihere, forward
Aliyah Boston, forward
FRESHMAN
Eniya Russell, guard
BY POSITION
GUARDS
Zia Cooke, sophomore
Destanni Henderson, junior
Destiny Littleton, redshirt junior
Eniya Russell, freshman
Olivia Thompson, sophomore
WINGS
LeLe Grissett, senior
Brea Beal, sophomore
POSTS
Victaria Saxton, junior
Elysa Wesolek, junior
Laeticia Amihere, sophomore
Aliyah Boston, sophomore
The Gamecocks will lose two major pieces in graduating seniors Tyasha Harris (guard) and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (forward). The faint hope that they might get to extend their collegiate careers vanished when the NCAA voted not to grant eligibility relief to winter sport athletes, but given both were taken in the top eight of the WNBA draft, it wasn’t all that likely they’d return anyway.
In their place, Staley will add guard Destiny Littleton, who sat out this past year after transferring from Texas, and guard Eniya Russell, USC’s lone commit in the 2020 class. Both are former McDonald’s All-Americans, with Littleton providing raw scoring prowess and Russell adding length at 6-foot.
Still, that leaves a definite need for some depth at forward — Wesolek hasn’t seen the court much at all in her first two seasons, while Grissett has spent time at forward but seemed to thrive most as a big guard/wing this year.
Expect Staley to try to address that need on the transfer market. The Gamecocks could make do with Boston, Amihere and Saxton, but given how much Staley has said she likes to base her offense around post play, a strong fourth option would be ideal. USC has added a transfer every offseason for five years now.
Who will replace Herbert Harrigan in the starting lineup may be the biggest question of the offseason — on one hand, Amihere possesses absurd athleticism and talent and may have the greatest potential of anyone on the team. On the other, she struggled at times while coming back from a major knee injury that forced her to play with a brace all year. And Saxton is an energetic player who’s shown a willingness to battle in the low post despite being a little undersized. She was also far more efficient shooting than Amihere this past year.
Or perhaps the coaching staff decides to switch things up entirely and go with Grissett, who would give the lineup a lot of experience, defensive intensity and energy, albeit at the expense of some size in the paint, especially against bigger teams.
As for the backcourt, South Carolina is loaded even with the departure of Harris, the program’s all-time assists leader. Destanni Henderson thrived off the bench in her sophomore season, averaging 8.5 points and 2.8 assists per game, and Staley has said she’ll likely figure into the starting lineup. Assuming that’s the case, she and Cooke would combine to form one of the most explosive guard combos in the country.
That leaves Littleton to step into Henderson’s role from this past year and lead the second unit. Staley has said she liked Littleton for her pure scoring ability, and having someone like that off the bench will ensure the dropoff between the starters and reserves remains small.
Of course, how the starting lineup and rotation looks at the beginning of the year could be different from what it looks like halfway through the season or in the 2021 NCAA tournament. This past year’s incredible consistency is the exception, not the norm.
Way-too-early top-25 rankings from ESPN have South Carolina as the No. 1 team in the nation, in large part thanks to the returning depth and talent the Gamecocks have. Perhaps the biggest question, though, is if the team chemistry, so finely tuned throughout 2019-20, can remain intact with the departure of two impactful seniors Staley consistently praised as leaders.
