Gamecock great Mikiah Herbert Harrigan talks motherhood, WNBA return, latest USC title
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan started her college career at South Carolina as a freshman on the 2016-17 national championship team that brought the Gamecocks’ first title to Columbia.
As a senior, Herbert Harrigan was a veteran presence on the 2019-20 team that appeared to be en route to another title before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the NCAA tournament. She wrapped up her time at USC as the SEC tournament’s most valuable player and was a first-round pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, selected No. 6 overall to the Minnesota Lynx.
Herbert Harrigan’s first WNBA season in 2020 saw her come off the bench in all 21 of the Lynx’s final games, averaging 11.2 minutes, 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds. She was traded to the Seattle Storm in February 2021 but sat out last season when she became pregnant with her first child.
Born in Island Harbor, Anguilla with Pembroke Pines, Florida considered her hometown, she’s back on the court with the Storm this preseason and ready for her return to the WNBA.
The State spoke with Herbert Harrigan to catch up on her professional career, South Carolina’s most recent championship, her Gamecock legacy and life with her son, Stanford Samuels IV.
Note: Questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Augusta Stone: How is your son doing, and how has becoming a mom been for you?
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan: He’s doing great. It’s been great. It’s tiring at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
AS: What’s the transition been like returning to the court after having your son?
MHH: I’m still learning as the time goes by, but it’s been pretty good. The toughest part is mentally coming back. But I feel like I’ve done a great job so far and continue to push through that.
AS: We saw the videos of you working out late into your pregnancy. How important was for you to stay active up until you gave birth to your son?
MHH: It was very important. I knew once I got cleared after five or six weeks, I was looking to be full-go back to working out, so I just had to keep myself in shape the best way possible. That was pretty good. I literally played up until the day I got induced. I’m happy I did that, because it made coming back easier for me.
AS: What has it been like returning to the Storm after being away last season?
MHH: It feels great to be back out here. Last year, I wasn’t here for that long. It’s so great to be back with the team and everything like that.
AS: What were your thoughts as you followed South Carolina’s championship run this season? Did you feel like they were going to win it all?
MHH: They had the pieces to win a national championship. ... That national championship game, I was on my couch like I was in the game. It was just great just to watch them go out there. Everybody comes to South Carolina to win a national championship, so just to see them achieve that goal, I was so happy for them.
AS: Throughout the season, we heard players like Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, Aliyah Boston from that junior class mention the impact you and Tyasha Harris had on them. What was it like seeing that class get a championship?
MHH: I was really happy watching them, because they worked really hard from jump. As soon as they got on campus, they worked really hard. They knew what they wanted to achieve, so just to see them work hard and achieve that, it was just a great feeling. I was so happy for them.
AS: Did you reach out to them after the championship? How much do you stay in contact with your former teammates in Columbia?
MHH: I reached out to them. I’m in constant communication with them. When they post on social media and I post on social media, we always go back and forth, talk and stuff like that. We still have a pretty close relationship.
AS: What was it like seeing your banner go up with Ty Harris’ in South Carolina’s practice facility, cementing your legacies as Gamecocks?
MHH: It felt great. Our senior year, me and Ty, we always saw (A’ja Wilson, Allisha Gray, Alaina Coates and Kaela Davis), all their banners up there. That was something that we wanted to achieve. Coming in with Ty, we’d been together all four years, and it was just great just to see both of us work hard, get drafted and achieve our dreams to see our banners go up. I know Coach (Dawn) Staley had called us in a group call when they went up, so that was a pretty cool feeling.
AS: How often do you catch up with Dawn Staley, and what is your relationship like now that you’re an alum?
MHH: I have a great relationship with her. We talk, not every day, but she always checks in, and I hit her up. We talk about memories from back in college. She always asks me about the baby and stuff. I’ll say that for all of my coaches, they all hit me up. When my baby was born, they sent me some stuff for the baby. So it’s just great having them. Just knowing that even when you when you’ve left college and you’re not with the program anymore, they’re still in constant communication, checking in on you. It’s truly like a family.
AS: What was it like for you to see images from this year’s national championship parade?
MHH: I saw the videos and everything, and it was great. I was happy. I feel like our fans deserved it how we deserved it. I feel like South Carolina fans, I mean, they stick with you through thick and thin. Nobody can say anything crazy about you on Twitter because they’re gonna be at their necks. So it’s just great having them (be) a part. They always support, even when you’re not playing for South Carolina anymore. They still support, so that’s really important.
AS: What is your message to the FAMs and how much their support has meant to you even after leaving South Carolina?
MHH: Oh, man, it means so much to me. Just knowing that they’re still going to love and support. Especially when I had my kid, they stuck with me, through just whatever. Everything I went through ... they were just always with me. Whether you have a bad game or a good game, the support and the love is the same from them. I appreciate that so much.
I feel like South Carolina fans are worldwide. There were some fans, they visited my home island of Anguilla. And I know they had went into so my granddad is a taxi driver, he has a taxi business there. He had picked up these group of ladies, and they were South Carolina fans. They asked him, “Hey, have you ever heard of this player?” They said my name, and it was just so crazy that the first person they asked when they got to the island, that was my granddad.
AS: What is a lesson you learned from Coach Staley that you still use in your professional career?
MHH: I know early in my career, I was a hot head. Some of the fans can remember. But yeah, she just taught me how to channel that energy into like a different space — instead of expressing my emotions so much to where I had to sit on the bench (because) I’m getting a technical foul and that type of stuff. She’s helped me in that aspect a lot. Even off the court, I can’t literally say exactly what it was, (but) they helped me out a lot.
AS: Do you feel like you play with a different edge since you’ve become a mom? Has having your son affected your intensity when you play?
MHH: Yes, it has. Growing up, you always have little kids that look up to you and that different type of stuff. But now I have my own, my child looking up to me, looking at everything that I do. That’s definitely something I think about every day.
AS: What’s your message to Destanni Henderson as she starts her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever?
MHH: Henny deserves it. I’m gonna say that first. Just keep working hard and don’t stop no matter what. Just keep going, keep pushing through. You’re gonna face adversity, just keep pushing through and just don’t stop. Just keep going. I’m so happy for Henny. That’s my Florida girl.
AS: What are some of your favorite parts about life right now, something that brings you joy?
MHH: When you have a tough day in practice, that different type of stuff, I go home and (my son’s) face changes my whole mood. Like just seeing his face just lights up my day.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
