How Adhel Tac is answering ‘call to action’ for Dawn Staley, South Carolina
When South Carolina announced Chloe Kitts was out for the year just before the start of the 2025-26 season, the Gamecocks’ post depth immediately came into question.
The absence of Kitts and Watkins left more minutes up for grabs, begging the question of who would step up for South Carolina down low?
Would Maryam Dauda and Adhel Tac be able to take a step up and provide help on the bench? Or would the weight of the post now rest on Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot’s shoulders?
For Tac, losing Kitts was more than just a chance at more playing time. It was a call to action.
“Chloe does so much. She did so much for this team, and missing out on her, having her on the court is definitely something that was a blow to the team,” Tac said. “But I also knew, it’s gonna take more. And that’s the things that I’ve been doing, the things that I’m trying to do.
“…The fact that we’re missing out on Chloe, it was really a call to action, and it told everybody that we need to step up, and we need to be able to still be together and not try to be Chloe, but be ourselves and just take it up another notch.”
While Kitts’ absence certainly leaves a hole of production on the floor, there’s also a hole from a leadership standpoint as well. When Tac isn’t filling out the stat sheet, the redshirt sophomore wants to amplify her voice, as well as her teammates’ respective voices, and be a leader for the Gamecocks.
“It’s definitely something I take pride in,” Tac said. “I’m just, by nature, somebody who talks and sometimes I might not want to do it, but I also see the difference that it makes. When it is quiet, my coaches look to me and my teammates look to me, and they ask me, like, ‘Hey, can you keep us talking. We’re better when you talk to us.’ And I also feel like my ability to talk and process the game and also process it for others helps with the team.”
Staley has lauded Tac’s communication skills since the beginning of the season. On her “Carolina Calls” radio show on Nov. 6, Staley said having Tac has been a “luxury.”
“Adhel Tac is, for her to be so young, I think she is really respected by her peers on and off the court,” Staley said. “She’s probably the one that if we need something done and we need the team to know, we go to Adhel. If you watch Adhel out there on the floor, she’s always talking loudly. She’s aware of everything. ...You know what she’s doing when you’re playing with her, and that is a luxury.”
Veteran point guard Raven Johnson said there’s “not a day you don’t hear her voice,” when complimenting Tac on Sunday after South Carolina’s 121-49 win over Queens. She’s like the “mother figure of this team.”
In that win over Queens, Tac was able to find a way to impact the game beyond her role as a leader.
Tac notched her first career double-double in the game. She scored 11 points with 10 rebounds, all in 19 minutes off the bench. All three marks are career highs for the 6-foot-5 forward. The performance was a confidence boost, Tac said.
“I’m just happy that basketball finally has repaid her for the work that she’s put in,” Staley said. “She made some moves out there that we know she can start connecting. ... She’s always been one that could rebound and block shots, but her rebounding outside of her area, power dribbling and making a basket, it’s great to see from her. And she was happy out there flying around.”
Through six games this season, Tac says she’s more comfortable on the court and it’s showing. She’s averaging career-high marks across the board. Tac has seen increases in her minutes (up to 13.8 from 3.8 last year), rebounds (up to 5.2 from 1.6), points (up to 4.4 from 1.6) and blocks (up to 0.8 from 0.1) per game.
Tac is also shooting 80% from the field, but she isn’t too terribly concerned with how her stats look.
“Having the double-double was great, but I take pride in the fact that I’m able to make differences that don’t show up on a stat sheet,” Tac said. “I’m able to do things that helps somebody, that doesn’t require me to have to score a whole bunch of points, rebound the ball and stuff like that.”
South Carolina women’s basketball schedule
- Wednesday: vs Duke in Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, 4:30 p.m. (truTV)
- Thursday: vs Texas or UCLA in Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, 8 or 10:30 p.m. (truTV)
- Dec. 4: at Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
- Dec. 7: vs NC Central, Noon (SEC Network Plus)
