Final decision in for Madina Okot’s future at South Carolina
South Carolina senior Madina Okot is moving on.
Okot’s time as a Gamecock is over, she indicated in an Instagram post Tuesday night and the school confirmed Wednesday. The 6-foot-6 forward from Kenya is widely projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.
“The season of competition waiver that South Carolina submitted to the NCAA for Madina Okot has been denied,” the school said in a press release. “The decision confirms that the Gamecock senior has exhausted her collegiate eligibility.”
South Carolina was attempting to get an extra year of eligibility so Okot could return to the Gamecocks in 2026-27, coach Dawn Staley said numerous times throughout the season.
“Early in her basketball career, Madina made courageous choices not just to pursue just the sport, but also to better her life,” Staley said in a statement from the school. “Her path included just a short time with us in Columbia, but we are grateful to be part of her story. She made our team and our sport better.”
Okot played just one season with Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. She started her playing career at Zetech University in her native Kenya before coming to the United States. Okot’s NCAA career started with one season at Mississippi State in 2024-25. She was listed as a junior with the Bulldogs and was listed as a senior when she transferred to South Carolina for the 2025-26 season.
The Gamecocks were on a time crunch in recent days to make that happen, as Staley said there was no update regarding the waiver application process one day before the NCAA title game. Okot had 48 hours after the championship game to declare for the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Okot averaged a double-double for the Gamecocks this past season.
She set career highs with 12.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Okot led the SEC in rebounding and finished the season with 22 double-doubles. That mark was the highest in the SEC and No. 3 in the entire country.
Okot earned her first all-conference recognition this season after landing on the All-SEC second team. She was also a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.
Without her, South Carolina’s post group for next season would include assumed returners Alicia Tournebize, Chloe Kitts, Adhel Tac, Joyce Edwards and Ashlyn Watkins, plus incoming freshmen Kaeli Wynn and Kelsi Andrews.
