Way-too-early look at next year’s South Carolina WBB roster after UConn loss
The 2024-25 South Carolina women’s basketball season ended in deflating fashion on Sunday with an 82-59 loss to UConn in the national championship game.
Now, it’s time to look ahead to next year’s team.
Among the 13 players on this year’s USC roster, 10 have at least one year of eligibility remaining and there are only three outgoing seniors who cannot return.
Coach Dawn Staley’s program is also bringing in two true freshmen and should have some wiggle room to utilize the NCAA transfer portal for further roster additions.
Here’s a player-by-player breakdown:
Gamecocks leaving (3)
Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao has exhausted her eligibility with South Carolina and will set her sights on the 2025 WNBA Draft. Paopao used her “COVID year” to play a second season at USC this year after previously playing three at Oregon. A second-team All SEC pick, Paopao led USC in 3-pointers in back-to-back seasons.
Two other seniors, guard Bree Hall and forward Sania Feagin, are also out of eligibility after playing four seasons at South Carolina starting in 2021. Hall has been a mainstay in the starting lineup for the past three seasons, while Feagin was a first-year starter as a senior and made the SEC All-Defensive Team.
Wait and see (2)
Starting guard Raven Johnson was part of South Carolina’s 2021 recruiting class alongside Hall and Feagin. But she’s technically a redshirt junior and has a fifth year of eligibility remaining, since she suffered a season-ending torn ACL two games into her freshman year. Johnson, a second-team All-SEC pick, said Sunday she’d made a decision and would reveal it “soon.” Johnson added that ending the year with a national championship game loss “kind of” affects her thinking.
Veteran forward Sakima Walker has the opportunity to play one more season after recent NCAA guidance surrounding extra years for former junior college athletes. Walker, who played the fewest minutes on the team this season, said she wouldn’t worry about her decision until the offseason. “I know I have the opportunity to come back if I want to,” Walker said. “So it’s always there.”
Expected to return to roster (8)
Gamecocks star guard MiLaysia Fulwiley has been waiting patiently to start at South Carolina and will finally get that chance as a junior. Fulwiley — who routinely goes viral for her flashy play style — was the SEC Tournament MVP as a freshman and the conference’s Sixth Woman of the Year as a sophomore.
Guard Tessa Johnson, who shot a team-high 43% on 3-pointers this year, will also be a key contributor as a junior and will contend for a starting role (she’d be a near lock to start if Johnson does not use her fifth year). Also returning at guard: the 5-foot-9 Maddy McDaniel, who’s been praised for her development thus far.
South Carolina will have one of the country’s best frontcourts next season with returning forwards Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards. Kitts, a 6-2 senior, set career highs across the board as a junior, led the team in rebounding and even had a triple double. And Edwards, a 6-3 sophomore, should generate even more buzz. She led USC in scoring and was named first-team All SEC as a freshman … all while coming off the bench. The sky’s the limit for the former No. 2 overall recruit.
Rising senior forward Ashlyn Watkins had a breakout sophomore year. But her junior season was a tumultuous one. Last August, Watkins was arrested on charges of first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping and was suspended from team activities for roughly two months, missing the season opener. She returned to the team in early November after her charges were dismissed. Then she suffered a torn ACL in January, ending her season after 14 games back.
Among USC’s forwards, senior Maryam Dauda and redshirt sophomore Adhel Tac also have remaining eligibility. Dauda, an Arkansas transfer, played minimally during her first season in Columbia and will look to have a larger reserve role next season. Tac is the tallest player on the roster at 6-5 and has drawn rave reviews for her defensive prowess but is still getting up to speed after a redshirt year.
The incoming freshmen (2)
The Gamecocks welcome two freshmen this summer as part of their 2025 recruiting class. Five-star recruit Ayla McDowell of Cypress Springs (Texas) High School signed with USC in the fall, and five-star recruit Agot Makeer of Montverde (Florida) Academy committed in early March. McDowell, a 6-2 forward, and Makeer, a 6-1 wing, both played in the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game.
What about the portal?
If everyone on South Carolina’s roster with remaining eligibility comes back for 2025-26, USC would have 10 returners and two true freshmen on its roster for a total of 12 players. So, even with 100% retention, the Gamecocks would still have three open scholarships remaining. (The women’s basketball scholarship limit is 15.)
Staley talked about her team’s portal plans extensively on Sunday.
“There’s some things in the works that will make our team better,” she said.
USC has signed at least one portal player in each of the past four offseasons: Syracuse center Kamilla Cardoso in 2021; Georgia Tech guard Kierra Fletcher in 2022; Paopao and Walker in 2023; and Dauda in 2024.
This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 8:20 AM.
