South Carolina WBB’s Sania Feagin almost lost her starting spot. That ‘fueled my fire’
Sania Feagin has been a mainstay in the starting lineup for South Carolina women’s basketball this year. The senior forward has started in all 23 of the Gamecocks games this year.
But that almost wasn’t the case.
Last week during her “Carolina Calls” radio show, Dawn Staley casually mentioned that she nearly moved Feagin to the bench. A text message from Feagin prompted her not to.
“Early in the season I actually wanted to take her out of the starting lineup,” Staley said. “… I told her I was taking her out and then she texted me later on that day and said, ‘Can you give me one more chance?’ ”
When talking to reporters this week, Staley elaborated on the point, saying she almost took Feagin out of the starting five because she wasn’t getting the results she wanted in the first “three of four games.”
Staley said at no point during her coaching career, with the exception of one example when she was at Temple, has she ever given a player a starting spot. Players have to earn their playing time if they want to play for Staley — and Feagin did just that.
“Feagin earned it, she earned it,” Staley said. “We just weren’t getting the results that we wanted to get in, I don’t know, three or four games that we played. Sometimes I was thinking about putting her in her more natural position, which is coming off the bench and giving us a boost off the bench. But sometimes you gotta listen to her. She’s put in a lot of work. And if she’s asking for one more chance, she put in enough work, just this year, to get another chance.”
Feagin is averaging career-best numbers this year in scoring (7.3 ppg), rebounding (4.4 rpg), assists (1.2 apg) and minutes (18.4 mpg).
In Thursday night’s 74-42 win over Georgia, she tallied six points, a career-high five assists and led the team with nine rebounds (one shy of tying her career-high).
“I guess it probably fueled my fire,” Feagin said Thursday. “I felt like I waited my turn, I trusted the process and I knew I could contribute more.”
Since South Carolina lost Ashlyn Watkins to injury, Feagin has helped provide a boost to the Gamecocks’ post play. She’s averaged 8.6 points and 6.12 rebounds in the eight games Watkins has been out.
Feagin’s nine rebounds against Georgia on Thursday came at the perfect time.
Staley has harped on the Gamecocks’ need to have more success rebounding in recent weeks. South Carolina out-rebounded the Bulldogs 47-28, thanks in part to Feagin’s efforts, after losing the rebounding battle in three of its last four games.
“Super proud of Feagin,” Staley said on her radio show. “She’s done a great job at staying in the moment.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
