South Carolina WBB players give their pitch to potential transfer portal recruits
March is a busy time for South Carolina women’s basketball.
The Gamecocks are playing in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday and head coach Dawn Staley and her staff are also having to deal with the recent opening of the transfer portal.
“I’m going to call somebody when I leave here. A few people,” Staley said Thursday. “Just because you got to let them know, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about you. We got this run we’re trying to. … But you are a priority for us.
Staley will rely on her players to beat Maryland in the Sweet 16, but if she calls on them to help recruit players out of the portal, she’d be in good hands, too.
Raven Johnson, for example, might already be doing just that. She told reporters Thursday she was “definitely” trying to persuade Florida State’s Ta’Niya Laston, the nation’s leading scorer who has reportedly entered the portal, to transfer to South Carolina.
The State asked a few Gamecocks to give their hypothetical recruiting pitch Thursday. Here’s what they said:
Te-Hina Paopao
Paopao’s pitch to a potential portal recruit is simple: “If you want to win you got to come to South Carolina.”
“Obviously, it’s a lot of team ball,” she continued. “You got to lock in and just be able to play outside yourself and be a team player. Just win, that’s what I’m gonna say. If you want to win, just come here to South Carolina.”
Paopao is a transfer herself.
The guard game to Columbia after three seasons at Oregon, where she was a two-time All-Pac 12 player. Paopao averaged 12.5 points per game in 77 games with the Ducks.
In her first year with South Carolina last season, Paopao won a national title with the Gamecocks. She led the nation in 3-point percentage and was named an All-American.
“I’m actually one of the few very successful portal stories … shoutout to the portal,” Paopao said. “But at the same time, just super blessed to be able to play for Dawn and it’s just been a fun ride.”
Maryam Dauda
Dauda said she would help Staley recruit a portal prospect if called upon, and urged potential recruits to “give the whole process a chance” if Staley comes calling.
Her elevator pitch revolves around community:
“I would say having great teammates. For me, I was scared leaving Arkansas, leaving my family and then coming here because I didn’t know what I would expect from my teammates and everything. I was welcomed with open arms. So I would say just talk to people on the team and just see how the environment is.”
Dauda, like Paopao, is a transfer. She spent the first two years of her career at Arkansas, about 30 miles down the road from her hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Now with nearly a year in Columbia under her belt, Dauda looks back at her decision to transfer to South Carolina with full confidence.
I’m glad I left and I came to Columbia,” she said. “I was nervous at first, leaving home because I didn’t know what to expect. Obviously, basketball-wise, I knew what I was coming into. But school-wise, I didn’t know what to expect, if I’m gonna have friends outside of basketball or anything. But I’m very glad I made that decision.”
Sania Feagin
Feagin’s pitch to future Gamecocks is all about getting to be mentored and taught by Staley and her staff.
“I would tell them that you’re going to learn from the best,” she said.
Feagin got even more specific and offered a recruiting pitch for future post players, unprompted.
“Post players-wise, I’d tell them come here, work hard, earn your position, trust the process when you do come here and understand that you’re going to get better no matter what.”
Feagin sat behind the likes of future WNBA draft picks in Victaria Saxton, Laeticia Amihere, Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso for the first three years of her career. She’s finally gotten an opportunity to step into the limelight this season and has started in all 35 games for the Gamecocks.
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 8:00 AM.
