Why top commit Kelsi Andrews is a ‘perfect fit’ for Dawn Staley, Gamecocks
Dawn Staley landed her first recruit in the class of 2026 on Tuesday night when four star forward Kelsi Andrews announced her commitment to South Carolina women’s basketball.
Andrews, who plays her preps ball at IMG Academy, is a top 25 recruit in the country and the top recruit in the state of Florida.
IMG head girls basketball coach Frank Oliver Jr. has coached Andrews since her junior year. Andrews helped guide IMG and Oliver to a high school national championship win in April.
Oliver believes Andrews and South Carolina are a “perfect fit” for one another.
“It was an amazing culmination of events for her. She’s an outstanding young lady, outstanding player,” Oliver told The State. “... I was just very happy for her. I think it’s a great fit. I think, obviously, that program has developed some really amazing post players over the years. So I thought it was a perfect fit. I think she can really help them right away. The way she’s helped us tremendously.”
Why Andrews chose South Carolina
Although Oliver has only been with Andrews for a small part of her career, he said South Carolina has been on Andrews’ radar for a while.
Andrews played in the same AAU system as Gamecocks like Raven Johnson, Kamilla Cardoso and Joyce Edwards, Oliver said. Andrews’ mother played college basketball at Alabama and LSU (and later coached) and her father played football at Alabama. All that’s to say, she’s been in the recruiting spotlight in the SEC for a while, Oliver said.
“South Carolina was always in the picture, even before she came to IMG,” Oliver said. “I think the whole SEC was probably recruiting her early because she was in the southeast part of the United States. ... All those schools were in the mix. But I think South Carolina obviously with her just watching and seeing the goat there, Coach Staley, and then just seeing some of the players that she played with go there, I think it was always a good possibility.”
Oliver said there were several factors he felt led Andrews to commit to South Carolina, like a “championship culture” a “family atmosphere” and of course, Staley’s sheer presence. Most notably, Oliver said Staley’s ability to develop post players played a big role in Andrews’ decision.
The Gamecocks have churned out several professional post players in the past few years alone including A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, Cardoso and Laeticia Amihere.
“To follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest post players, I mean, if you’re a post player, why not (go to South Carolina)?” Oliver said. “... She’s been compared to Aliyah Boston, she’s been compared to A’ja Wilson. So I think those are great comparisons. I think if I’m a post player, I want to go to a place that values my position and knows how to utilize my strengths and I think Coach Staley has proven that with her players.”
Scouting report: Andrews’ versatility similar to an NBA MVP
Andrews checks in at 6-foot-4 and ranked No. 18 in espnW’s Class of 2026 top 100 rankings. She is the highest-rated four-star recruit in espnW’s top 100.
She is ranked as the No. 2 center in her class and is a five-star recruit, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
While stars and rankings vary based on which national recruiting service you reference, Oliver feels one thing about Andrews is certain:
“I think they’re getting the best post player in the country,” he said.
Oliver believes Andrews is “absolutely” underrated by various recruiting sites and attributes it to a few injuries early in her career. Regardless, Oliver — who has coached several All-Americans and WNBA players in his 23 years as a coach — feels Andrews could be the best player he’s coached and could easily be a future draft pick.
“I know what I’m looking at and she is the best post player in the country,” Oliver said. “She’s probably the best post player I’ve ever coached.”
Andrews’ ability to carve out space on the court and use her size is one of her biggest strengths, Oliver said. He also praised her “basketball mind” and her ability to lead IMG’s team on the court.
Oliver also lauded Andrews’ offensive abilities, saying she has no problem finishing with her right or left hand and has no trouble shooting the ball.
“She can shoot the three, that’s what I think people are going to be surprised by,” Oliver said. “Kelsi can shoot from NBA range. You can’t leave her open. You can’t just back off over. ... It’s effortless, perfect mechanics. She can hit the 15-footer, has a soft touch around the basket. She literally can play inside and out as far as being a stretch. She can be a powerful inside, high, low, type of post player that has great footwork, but she can also step out.”
Oliver even compared Andrews’ versatility on the court to that of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
“We kind of call her Kelsi Jokić,” Oliver said. “... She can put it on the floor. She’s a very good passer, and she’s a great defender and rebounder. She clears space, she alters shots. She has long arms, so you have to kind of alter your shot when you’re going around. People think twice before they go in there, because she’s an aggressive shot blocker. So I think Dawn is gonna utilize her in many different ways.”
