Five new faces: Here’s what Dawn Staley had to say about USC’s talented newcomers
Dawn Staley keeps a watchful eye.
As the South Carolina women’s basketball program starts official practices this week, Staley knows she has a wealth of talented players lining the roster.
Consider the facts: The Gamecocks return every member of last year’s NCAA Final Four team, reload for the future with this year’s top recruiting class and add high-profile Syracuse transfer Kamilla Cardoso.
It’s a luxury to manage such depth, Staley said, and it means she’s always promoting stiff competition.
“I tell our team all the time, ‘I’m looking for you not doing what you’re not supposed to so we can have a better rotation,’ ” Staley said with a laugh.
The Gamecocks’ four freshmen — Raven Johnson, Saniya Rivers, Bree Hall and Sania Feagin — along with Cardoso have been making early impressions on Staley as they compete for minutes on USC’s loaded roster.
Raven Johnson
Johnson, the No. 1 point guard and No. 2 overall player in the class of 2021, has shown Staley an impressive ability to move the ball to playmakers and an aggressive nature on defense. The 5-foot-8 freshman from Atlanta dominated her time in high school, leading Westlake to four state championships.
“We’re asking her to do a lot of things, and she’s embracing them,” Staley said. “I mean, she looks pretty darn good.”
Saniya Rivers
Staley said Rivers is an elite passer with plenty of upside. The 6-foot-1 guard from Wilmington, North Carolina is the kind of player who seeks perfection, Staley said, but she’s optimistic about Rivers’ ability to create her own shots.
Rivers was named the 2021 National Player of the Year by Gatorade and USA Today after dropping 36.8 points per game in her senior year at Eugene Ashley High School.
“Once she gets it on a consistent basis, the sky’s the limit for her,” Staley said.
Bree Hall
Hall, known around the team as “Breezy,” has shown her ability to drain 3-point shots in early practices. The 6-foot guard from Dayton, Ohio finished her time at Wayne High School as the school’s all-time leading scorer.
But Staley said it’s Hall’s talent on defense that sets her apart.
“She’s a terror defensively,” Staley said. “She is probably the gutsiest one of them all that doesn’t mind guarding any position.”
Sania Feagin
Staley said she’s still working to gauge Feagin, the No. 1 forward and No. 3 player in the class of 2021 from Forest Park High School in Georgia. Feagin is in competition with veteran Gamecocks Aliyah Boston, Laeticia Amihere and Victaria Saxton.
Kamilla Cardoso
Then there’s Cardoso, the 6-foot-7 Syracuse transfer who finished last season as ACC Freshman of the Year and Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Staley said she’s looking for Cardoso to be more aggressive with scoring opportunities, but she’s thankful to have Cardoso’s force on the roster.
“She’s a quick learner,” Staley said. “She understands, and she can execute fairly quickly. That’s some of the things you don’t know about when you take a transfer, how well they process information and if they can just fit in like clockwork. And she’s done that for us.”
Staley said the team as a whole is further along than years past, and she’s been particularly impressed with the pace, defensive prowess and competitive nature she’s seen through preseason workouts.
The five new faces are moving along too, and Staley is honest on her evaluation of them heading into official practices.
“As a whole, I would just say that it’s good, bad and ugly,” Staley said on the newcomers. “That’s the way it’s gonna be for them all season long. Super competitive.”
South Carolina will tip off in exhibition against Benedict at home in Colonial Life Arena at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 before traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina for a season-opening matchup with N.C. State at 7 p.m. Nov. 9.
The Gamecocks will hold a preseason scrimmage at Colonial Life Arena this Friday at 6:30 p.m. that’s free and open to the public. Doors at the arena’s main entrance open at 6 p.m. for 2021-22 G-Hive members and 6:15 p.m. for the general public.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 9:15 AM.
