Freshman Saniya Rivers growing as USC looks to build on 7-game SEC winning streak
Ask Saniya Rivers how she managed to carve out 18 minutes on the floor against Vanderbilt and 20 minutes against Ole Miss, and she’ll give a simple answer.
That’s what burpees at practice will do for you.
During the eight-day break in conference play last week, South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley instituted a rule at practice: Every time you turn the ball over, you do a burpee.
Rivers took those practices to heart. After turning the ball over 14 times in her first 11 games, the freshman hasn’t committed another turnover in the past two games. She finished the Ole Miss game Thursday with five points, four rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist.
“My focus coming in (was) no turnovers, no turnovers,” Rivers said. “Just execute the plays, execute what you’re supposed to do and you’ll stay on the floor. That’s what I did. I didn’t want to do any more burpees.”
The Gamecocks’ bench has progressed as a whole, averaging 33.5 points on 53.3% shooting and 16 rebounds in the past two games. In conference play, Rivers averages the most minutes of this year’s talented freshman class, which came to Columbia as the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.
Rivers missed the Gamecocks’ first two SEC games against Missouri and Mississippi State due to health and safety protocols, but she has built up her time since the Kentucky game on Jan. 9. Rivers has logged 15.5 minutes per game in USC’s last four matchups.
“She’s more comfortable,” Staley said after Ole Miss. “She’s less afraid to make mistakes. What’s really good about Rivers is she gets out of her own way. She doesn’t do things that don’t feel comfortable to her. She knows our sets. She’s finding her spots to score. I hope she can score a little bit more, just be a little bit more aggressive.”
Rivers has flashed bright spots throughout her freshman campaign, scoring four points and grabbing four rebounds in 25 minutes against then-No. 8 Maryland on Dec. 12.
Building Rivers’ confidence for more consistent minutes presented some challenges. Staley admitted after the Maryland game she had to take a different approach to helping Rivers, since she’s the kind of player who gains more confidence in game action.
“I’m just going to try to get her confidence because I know she can help us,” Staley said on Dec. 14. “It’s a feeling. I just felt like, in the Maryland game, she got out of her own way. She doesn’t try to do things that aren’t in her wheelhouse. If she feels like she can’t do it, she’s gonna defer. I like that, and you can’t really see that until you’re in a game.”
Rivers’ growth has paid off midway through SEC play, with the Gamecocks now on a seven-game win streak and back to the top of the conference. USC fell behind Tennessee with an SEC-opening loss at Missouri on Dec. 31, but moved back to a tie for No. 1 after the Vols lost to Auburn on Thursday. Both teams are 7-1 in SEC play.
Staley knows freshmen work at their own pace, and she’s now seeing Rivers put it together at an ideal time.
Rivers’ teammates have seen her development too. Aliyah Boston told the freshman after the Ole Miss game that she was proud of her.
“I’ve just seen her develop so well over the past couple of weeks,” Boston said. “I’m just really proud of her, and that’s what we like to see in practice. She’s been locked in, focused. She’s asked any questions if she’s not sure about it. I’m just really proud to see where she is right now.”
For Rivers, it’s all about making as many contributions as she can to a national championship effort. The Gamecocks, which were projected as the No. 1 overall seed in the first NCAA tournament top-16 reveal on Thursday, are on their way to that goal. Rivers is learning from her teammates along the way.
“I promised Aliyah and my team at the beginning of the season that I’d do whatever I had to come in and be the player I could to help us get what we all want — a national championship,” Rivers said. “I’ve been working hard at practice, locking in.
“I know we have a tough schedule, and I know I’ve never played these teams before, but they’ve experienced it, and they helped me through it. I’m just trying to keep getting better, keep listening to what they have to do tell me and put it into the game.”
Next South Carolina women’s basketball game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (19-1, 7-1 SEC) vs. Florida Gators (15-5, 5-2 SEC)
When: Noon Sunday
Where: Exactech Arena at Stephen O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
