No. 1 Gamecocks WBB season is here. 5 things to know about Dawn Staley’s team
The “repeat tour” is almost here.
Following two exhibition games in October, the No. 1 ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team is set to open the 2024-25 season on Monday night.
Coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks went 38-0 last year and beat Iowa and Caitlin Clark in the national championship game in Cleveland to secure their third national championship in eight seasons — and only the 10th perfect season ever recorded in Division I women’s basketball.
With preseason No. 1 USC rapidly approaching its season opener vs. Michigan in Las Vegas, here are five things to know about Staley’s Gamecocks entering the new year.
Who’s back for South Carolina?
Of the 11 scholarship players who were on South Carolina’s championship roster, 10 are back with the Gamecocks for another season. The only departure is a critical one, though: starting center Kamilla Cardoso, who’s now in the WNBA.
Outside of Cardoso moving onto the pros, which was expected, USC returns every player who appeared in the championship win over Iowa — plus a couple more.
Oregon transfer guard Te-Hina Paopao could’ve gone pro but chose to return for her fifth and final season. Paopao was named to the preseason All-SEC First Team, while junior guard Raven Johnson and sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (the first freshman to win SEC Tournament MVP in 18 years) were second-teamers.
Senior guard Bree Hall is a third-year starter and one of the team’s best shooters, and sophomore guard Tessa Johnson played her best basketball down the stretch last year in the NCAA Tournament.
Down low, senior forward Sania Feagin and junior forward Chloe Kitts will hope to replace Cardoso’s production. Center Adhel Tac will be a redshirt freshman after enrolling early last year to rehab an injury, and super senior Sakima Walker is back.
Who’s new on the roster?
Along with 10 returners, the Gamecocks have three newcomers: Arkansas transfer forward Maryam Dauda and high school recruits Joyce Edwards (the No. 3 recruit in the country out of Camden High School) and Maddy McDaniel.
Staley usually targets a few high-profile transfers every summer, and the team’s had a great hit rate on those players in recent seasons. Dauda certainly fits the bill after averaging 10.1 points on 45.5% shooting last year at Arkansas.
Edwards is already a household name given her success at nearby Camden. The five-star recruit was the Gatorade National Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year and averaged 31.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game as a high school senior.
As for McDaniel: She’s a 5-9 point guard from Maryland who ranked as the No. 14 recruit in the class. She’s currently working her way back from a minor knee surgery and should be ready to play at some point in November.
What is Ashlyn Watkins’ status?
Watkins, a junior forward for South Carolina and one of the 10 aforementioned returners, has been suspended from team activities for the past two months following her arrest on charges of kidnapping and assault and battery at an on-campus student housing center.
Watkins was arrested in the early hours of Aug. 31 after what began as a heated argument between Watkins and the victim, who knew each other, The State previously reported. The case remains open.
Watkins’ arrest triggered an automatic team suspension from the women’s basketball team that remains in place ahead of Monday’s season opener, Staley has confirmed.
A second team All-SEC selection last year, Watkins missed the team’s White House trip and hasn’t been present at practices, games or team activities.
“We’re not gonna move until her situation’s settled down a little bit,” Staley said. “It’s out of her control. It’s out of our control.”
How good can Joyce Edwards be?
On a media conference call Wednesday, ESPN broadcaster Rebecca Lobo compared Edwards to a current WNBA star before the USC freshman even suited up for her first official game.
“I was just so impressed in her ability to offensive rebound,” Lobo said. “It reminded me a little bit of Angel Reese. As soon as a shot goes up, Joyce Edwards just knows where to be, knows how to use her lower body to get positioning.”
That’s lofty praise, considering Reese was a dominant player at LSU and set WNBA records for total rebounds and consecutive double-doubles during her rookie year.
Staley hasn’t put such labels on Edwards just yet, but the hype surrounding this homegrown five-star recruit is obvious. The 6-2 forward had a team-high 19 points plus 12 rebounds against Memphis, and she added a smooth 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the exhibition against Clayton State.
It’s going to be hard for South Carolina to replace Cardoso, who was a matchup nightmare and defensive star. But if Edwards keeps playing like that, on top of contributions from Kitts and Feagin, the Gamecocks won’t have too many issues.
Who could challenge South Carolina in the SEC?
The Gamecocks are 47-1 in regular-season SEC games over the past three seasons. In a new-look conference, who in the SEC could present the biggest challenge?
The SEC expanded from 14 to 16 teams this athletic year, adding former Big 12 schools Oklahoma and Texas, and their impact is already evident.
Behind No. 1 USC in the preseason AP Top 25, the next two highest ranked SEC teams are … the Longhorns at No. 4 and the Sooners at No. 10.
The Gamecocks play Texas and star forward Madison Booker twice this year in conference play (one home, one away) and host Oklahoma.
Games against No. 7 LSU in recent years have been memorable, and USC hosts the Tigers in Columbia this year. Road games against No. 20 Ole Miss and Tennessee and a home game against No. 22 Kentucky could also be interesting.
South Carolina women’s basketball 2024-25 schedule
- Nov. 4: vs. Michigan in Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m. on TNT (Naismith Hall of Fame Series)
- Nov. 10: vs. NC State in Charlotte, 3 p.m. on ESPN (Ally Tipoff)
- Nov. 14: vs. Coppin State, 7 p.m. on SEC Network+
- Nov. 17: vs. East Carolina, 2 p.m. on SEC Network+
- Nov. 20: at Clemson, 5 p.m. on ESPN2
- Nov. 24: at UCLA, 4 p.m. on FS1
- Nov. 28: vs. Iowa State, 12 p.m. on FOX (Fort Myers Tipoff)
- Nov. 30: vs. Purdue, 11 a.m. on Women’s Sports Network (Fort Myers Tipoff)
- Dec. 5: vs. Duke, 9 p.m. on ESPN (SEC-ACC Challenge)
- Dec. 8: at TCU, 7 p.m. on ESPN2 (Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Classic)
- Dec. 15: vs. South Florida, 2 p.m. on SEC Network
- Dec. 19: vs. Charleston Southern, 7 p.m. on SEC Network+
- Dec. 29: vs. Wofford, 2 p.m. on SEC Network
- Jan. 2: At Missouri, 7 p.m. on SEC Network
- Jan. 5: At Mississippi State, 2 p.m. on SEC Network
- Jan. 9: vs. Texas A&M, 5 p.m. on ESPN2
- Jan. 12: vs. Texas, 1 p.m. on ESPN
- Jan. 16: at Alabama, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 19: vs. Oklahoma, 3 p.m.
- Jan. 23: vs. LSU, 8 p.m. on ESPN
- Jan. 27: at Tennessee, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
- Feb. 2: vs. Auburn, 12 p.m. on SEC Network
- Feb. 6: at Georgia, 6 p.m.
- Feb. 9: at Texas, 2 p.m. on ESPN
- Feb. 13: vs. Florida, 7 p.m. on SEC Network
- Feb. 16: vs. UConn, 1 p.m. on ABC
- Feb. 20: vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m. on SEC Network
- Feb. 23: at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. on SEC Network+
- Feb. 27: at Ole Miss, 9 p.m.
- March 2: vs. Kentucky, 2 p.m. on ESPN
- March 5-9: SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Greenville
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 8:40 AM.
