Without its top reserve, South Carolina reveals new-look (and bigger) lineup
Shortly after South Carolina had been selected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Selection Monday, coach Dawn Staley offered a little tease.
The Gamecocks would be without injured senior LeLe Grissett for the tourney, she had confirmed, but they had been working on some things in practice to make up for the loss of their top bench player — and she was “pleasantly surprised,” she said.
“We’ll leave it at that, and once we play (No. 16 seed) Mercer, we’ll unveil what that is,” Staley promised.
On Sunday in San Antonio, the Gamecocks lifted the curtain and revealed ... 6-foot-4 Laeticia Amihere, playing the “three” position alongside starting forwards Victaria Saxton (6-foot-2) and Aliyah Boston (6-foot-5).
That jumbo lineup didn’t make its appearance until midway through the second quarter against Mercer, after Staley had first tried a small ball lineup with four guards around Saxton in the post. That didn’t work, with USC’s lead slipping to two points and forcing Staley to call timeout.
Once the three bigs went in, things mostly righted themselves. Amihere, Saxton and Boston shared the court for a little more than 2:30, and the lead increased to five. They did it again in the third quarter for four minutes, and the advantage increased eight points. All three finished with more than 10 points and five rebounds apiece.
“I like the length,” Staley said of that lineup. “I like what LA can give us at that three spot. Because when we play her on the perimeter, she’s freer to roam. She can obviously dribble, she can kick the ball out, she’s got great passing ability. And it’s gonna take some time for her to get used to. I thought the two weeks we had between games allowed her to do some things that were very effective for us.”
Amihere stands just two inches taller than Grissett and sophomore guard Brea Beal, who have typically manned that three spot for the Gamecocks this season. But she boasts a massive 6-foot-10 wingspan and ability to post up that brings a different element to what South Carolina can do.
“To play 6-5, 6-4, 6-2, that front line is intimidating,” Staley said. “And she’s agile. Aliyah Boston and Victaria Saxton, they’re used to playing their role for us and playing ... in the little triangle, the blocks and the top of the key. LA, that was probably a little bit more confining for her.”
It wasn’t all perfect Sunday against Mercer — Amihere also turned the ball over six times, tied for a career high. But Staley sounded confident the issue can be fixed while maintaining the positives that come with a three-forward lineup.
Back in 2018, Amihere’s high school coach in Canada, Zelimir Stevanovic, predicted to The State that she would be either a three or a stretch four on the collegiate level thanks to her versatility. But that was before a second major knee injury and long road to recovery.
Part of the massively-heralded recruiting class of 2019, Amihere has taken more time to develop than her fellow sophomores. As of late, though, she has seemed to turn a corner.
“She’s known we need her,” Staley said before Sunday’s game. “But probably the playing time wasn’t as consistent as it needed to be for her. But the playing time is plentiful starting on Sunday and we’ll play her and put her in a position where she can do all the things that we saw her do during the recruiting period. It’s unfortunate that it took an injury for us to get here, but I’m mad at myself for not even putting her in a position that we’re putting her in this week because it’s a little bit different, a little bit better, a little bit freer for her.”
Staley returned to that idea after Sunday’s win, noting that moving Amihere out of post had made her more comfortable utilizing the full range of her athletic potential.
“I asked her while we were just practicing, does she feel any different, does she like the position a little bit better?” Staley said. “And she said yes, and she just said ‘I feel a lot more free.’”
Heading into South Carolina’s second round matchup against Oregon State, Amihere’s contributions will likely be even more crucial. The Beavers boast a roster with size to match USC’s, with four starters at 6-foot-4, 6-foot-3, 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-1, plus a 6-foot-9 forward as one of their top reserves.
Yet they also shoot 3-pointers at the best rate in the country and have good ball movement, with the nation’s 33rd best assisted shot rate. That versatility could test Amihere’s ability on the perimeter and in the post.
“With whoever we play in the next game, I think we can create a mismatch and create a size advantage for some of the things she can do off the bounce,” Staley said before Oregon State won and advanced to play South Carolina.
NCAA tournament: South Carolina vs Oregon State
What: NCAA tournament second round
Who: No. 1 seed South Carolina (23-4) vs. No. 8 seed Oregon State (12-7)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Watch: ESPN
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 8:08 AM.
