A’ja Wilson is the best USC WBB player to wear No. 22. What about 21-30?
The State is continuing its “Best to Wear It” series where we pick the best players across all eras to wear specific jersey numbers for the South Carolina women’s basketball team.
Parts 1 and 2 have highlighted the best to wear the jersey numbers from No. 00 to No. 20.
This time, we’ll continue by selecting the best players to wear No. 21 to No. 30.
A reminder: Not every number will be included in this series. No player has ever worn a jersey number higher than 55 in South Carolina women’s basketball’s history, and some jersey numbers have never been worn at all. In this installment of the series, the Nos. 26, 27, 28 and 29 jerseys are omitted because no player has worn them, per the program’s record book.
Let’s get into the picks:
No. 21
The best to wear it: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (2017-20)
We start off with a toss-up on the best to wear the No. 21 jersey for South Carolina. Of the 11 players to wear it, it boils down to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan or Chloe Kitts.
The two players have put up similar stats and have had somewhat of a similar career trajectory, development-wise. Both are national champions, SEC Tournament MVPs and showed plenty of skill on both sides of the ball.
At the end of the day, we gave the nod to Herbert Harrigan.
“Mad Kiki” recorded 1,191 points and 593 rebounds in her career. She averaged 8.8 points per game in the 136 games she played for USC. Herbert Harrigan averaged 10.4 points in her junior year and earned an All-SEC nod in her senior year (2019-20) when she averaged 13.1 points per game. She was also a two-time All-SEC Tournament honoree.
She became one of just three Gamecocks to ever record 1,000 points and 200 blocks in her career.
Kitts has had a stellar career so far and has turned into a force to be reckoned with in the post. Kitts missed all of last season and enters her senior year coming off an ACL tear. If she bounces back like many expect, there’s a real argument for her to be considered the best to wear No. 21 when it’s all said and done.
Honorable mentions: Chloe Kitts (2021-present), Ashley Bruner (2009-13)
No. 22
The best to wear it: A’ja Wilson (2015-18)
Of all the picks we’ll make in this series, this one will be the easiest. A’ja Wilson literally has a statue outside of Colonial Life Arena in her honor.
Wilson played a big role in shaping the South Carolina women’s basketball program into what it is today. The hometown kid came in as the first No. 1 overall ranked recruit to sign with the program and left as the most decorated athlete of any sport at USC.
The Gamecock legend has a list of accolades and accomplishments so long it’s simply too hard to list them all. And that’s not even taking her professional accomplishments into consideration.
Wilson scored more than anyone in program history and touts 2,389 career points. Her 1,195 career rebounds are good for No. 4 in the program’s all-time record book. When Wilson graduated, she held 86 school records and was top-five for 166 records.
Wilson was a four-time All-American (and a three-time first-team All-American) and a four-time All-SEC selection. Wilson was SEC Defensive Player of the Year twice and was the unanimous national player of the year in her senior season.
Wilson is the last Gamecock to average at least 20 points per game. She was a key reason South Carolina won its first-ever national title in 2017.
Alongside her statue, Wilson’s number is retired and her No. 22 jersey hangs in the rafters of Colonial Life Arena. The State selected Wilson as one of the four players on the Mount Rushmore of South Carolina women’s basketball last summer.
Honorable mentions: Denise Nanney (1974-77), Katrina Anderson (1978-79), Monica Williams (1984-88), Lisa Williams (1996-99)
No. 23
The best to wear it: Marsha Williams (1989-93)
Marsha Williams had a stellar career in the early 1990s for the Gamecocks.
She ended her time at South Carolina with 1,585 career points (No. 14 all-time) and 1,025 career rebounds (No. 5 all-time).
Williams was named to the Metro Conference All-Freshman Team in 1990. The following year, she was named the state of South Carolina Female Amateur Athlete of the Year and earned another All-Metro nod.
Williams was an All-American and All-SEC selection in 1992 and 1993. During the 1991-92 season, Williams led the SEC with 21.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. In her 116 career games with the Gamecocks, Williams averaged 13.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Williams’ name is on nearly every page of the South Carolina women’s basketball program’s record book.
Honorable mentions: Melanie Johnson (2004-07), Brionna Dickerson (2005-09), Tina Roy (2011-16), Bree Hall (2021-25)
No. 24
The best to wear it: Aleighsa Welch (2011-15)
South Carolina has had seven players win the SEC Tournament MVP award in program history. Aleighsa Welch was the first.
The Goose Creek High alum averaged 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds during the 2015 SEC Tournament, including a 14-point performance in the title game.
Welch played in 137 games for South Carolina in her career and averaged 10.6 points and seven rebounds.
The forward was a three-time All-SEC selection and two-time All-American honorable mention. Welch was a key part in building the foundation of South Carolina’s dynasty and was a member of Dawn Staley’s first NCAA Tournament team and USC’s first Final Four team.
Honorable mentions: Demetress Adams (2005-09), LeLe Grissett (2017-22)
No. 25
The best to wear it: Tiffany Mitchell (2012-16)
A’ja Wilson is generally considered the best player in program history, but Tiffany Mitchell was the first bonafide star of the Staley-era at South Carolina.
Mitchell started all but four of the 139 games she played in at South Carolina and averaged 13.6 points.
In 2014, Mitchell became the first player in program history to win SEC Player of the Year. She was also just the second sophomore in SEC history to win the award. Mitchell won the award again in 2015.
Mitchell was a three-time All-American at USC and was the first Gamecock to achieve the feat in nearly 30 years. She was also the second Gamecock to earn All-SEC First Team honors three times.
The Charlotte native finished her career with 1,885 career points, 570 rebounds, 357 assists and 234 steals. When her time at USC came to a close, she held seven single-season school records.
Mitchell’s No. 25 jersey is retired and hanging in the rafters of Colonial Life Arena. She was inducted into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024. The State selected Mitchell as one of the four players on the Mount Rushmore of South Carolina women’s basketball last summer.
Honorable mention: Raven Johnson (2021-26)
No. 30
The best to wear it: Lauren Simms (2003-07)
A total of 10 different players have worn No. 30 for South Carolina women’s basketball. Most put together solid careers with the Gamecocks, but in the end we gave Lauren Simms the nod as the best to wear the number.
Simms, a Columbia native, scored 1,104 total points in her career with the Gamecocks. She averaged 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in her time at USC.
Simms was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2004 after averaging 9.3 points in 28 games.
The 5-foot-9 guard led USC in scoring in the 2006-07 season when she averaged 9.8 points per game. Simms once tallied eight steals in a game, putting her at No. 2 in the program record book for steals in an SEC game. That mark is just shy of Jocelyn Penn’s overall record of 11 steals.
Honorable mentions: Heather Godfrey (1994-98), Tatyana Troina (2000-02)
