5-star Saniya Rivers, part of USC’s No. 1 recruiting class, to enter transfer portal
One of the top players in the South Carolina women’s basketball team’s heralded 2021 recruiting class is leaving the program.
Guard Saniya Rivers announced via social media on Thursday that she is entering the transfer portal after just one season of playing for Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. She was the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American.
“Thanks to coach Staley and the rest of the coaching staff and program for affording me with the opportunity to win a national championship in my freshman year with this team. It has truly been an experience of a lifetime,” Rivers posted on Twitter. “I also want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me this year on and off the court and made my freshman year memorable. Last but certainly not least, Gamecock Nation Thank You.”
Rivers was the No. 3 ranked player by ESPN HoopGurlz for the Class of 2021. South Carolina had the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class last season.
“A note about Saniya Rivers’ transfer from South Carolina: She’s marked in the portal as ‘do not contact,’ meaning, she knows where she’s headed,” The Athletic reporter Chantel Jennings posted to Twitter.
Rivers appeared in 27 games and averaged 2.3 points a game but went almost three weeks in one stretch of the season without playing in a game.
Rivers didn’t play in the USC’s first three NCAA tournament games because of what coach Dawn Staley said was a “coach’s decision.” Her fourth-quarter entrance into the Elite Eight game against Creighton in the Greensboro Regional final drew an ovation from the crowd.
Rivers had a big role in the Gamecocks’ Final Four win over Louisville. She took the floor at Target Center to start the second quarter against Louisville, along with teammates Victaria Saxton, Destanni Henderson, Zia Cooke and Kamilla Cardoso. In the first minute, she dished out an assist to Saxton, who hit a reverse layup to put the Gamecocks up 19-10.
Rivers ended the night with three points, four assists, two steals and a block in 20 minutes played. It was only the sixth time this season the Wilmington, North Carolina native logged 20 minutes or more in a game and the first time since a Feb. 20 contest against Tennessee.
Rivers’ Final Four performance drew praise from Staley.
“She has a real good knack for her court vision,” Staley said of Rivers.. “It’s elite. I just thought bringing her in where we put her in a position where she could play, get our post players the ball or make good decisions — she’s been doing that all season long. It’s just certain situations call for you to really hone in on that, and I thought she did a great job with it.”
Rivers is the third Gamecock player to leave the program since the Gamecocks won the national championship. Senior Elysa Wesolek and sophomore Eniya Russell revealed their intentions to depart the Gamecocks’ program in social media posts last week.
Rivers, Wesolek and Russell were all in attendance and recognized during Wednesday’s national championship parade in Columbia.
Rivers averaged the most minutes (12.9) of any USC freshman while appearing in 27 games. Bree Hall (9.2 mpg) played in 36 games, while Sania Feagin (4.3) saw action 21 times. Freshman guard Raven Johnson was lost to a season-ending injury in the second game of the year.
South Carolina has signed two recruits for Class of 2022 in Cardinal Newman’s Ashlyn Watkins and East Clarendon’s Talaysia Cooper, both McDonald’s All-Americans. Georgia Tech’s Kierra Fletcher has signed with the Gamecocks as a transfer.
Top 5 recruits in 2021 WBB class
According to ESPN HoopGurlz
1. Azzi Fudd (UConn)
2. Raven Johnson (South Carolina)
3. Saniya Rivers (South Carolina)
4. Sania Feagin (South Carolina)
5. Caroline Ducharme (UConn)
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 4:52 PM.
