Shaunzinski Gortman is the best USC WBB player to wear No. 32. What about 31-40?
The State continues 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, 2 and 3 have highlighted the best to wear the jersey numbers from No. 00 to No. 30.
This time we select the best players to wear No. 31 to No. 40.
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. 36, 37, 38 and 39 jerseys are omitted because no player has worn them, per the program’s record book.
Let’s get into the picks:
No. 31
The best to wear it: Schonna Banner (1986-90)
Schonna Banner was one of South Carolina’s better players during its final years in the Metro Conference.
The Lenoir, North Carolina native is No. 9 in the program record book with 1,791 career points with the Gamecocks. Banner averaged 14.3 points per game in her career at USC, good for No. 10 in the program record book.
Banner was named the Metro Conference Newcomer of the Year and earned a Freshman All-American nod after averaging 15 points and 6.3 rebounds in the 1986-87 season. Banner also earned an All-Metro Conference Team selection in each of her final three seasons with the Gamecocks.
Banner’s 901 rebounds are seventh-best in South Carolina’s program record book.
Honorable mention: Valerie Nainima (2009-11), Stacy Booker (2003-07)
No. 32
The best to wear it: Shaunzinski Gortman (1998-2002)
The top two candidates as the best to wear No. 32 — Shaunzinski Gortman (1998-2002) and Sharon Gilmore (1982-86) — put up very similar numbers throughout their careers at USC.
Both finished with over 1,000 points, Gilmore scored 1,511 and Gortman scored 1,367. Gilmore averaged 13.7 points and eight rebounds in 110 games, while Gortman averaged 13 points and 5.5 rebounds in 105 games.
Both earned All-American and All-Conference honors: Gilmore was a Freshman All-American in 1983 and Gortman was an All-American honorable mention in 2002. Gilmore was an All-Metro selection in 1986 and Gortman was an All-SEC selection in 2001 and 2002.
Gilmore is No. 8 in the all-time record book for rebounds and holds the record for most points in a game as a freshman (40). Gortman, thought, recorded one of the seven triple-doubles in the program, led USC in 3-point percentage and assists average in multiple seasons and is Top 10 in the program record book for career steal average.
It’s a tough battle, but we ultimately gave Gortman the nod because her career was spent battling in the SEC. Gortman was a member of the program’s first Elite Eight squad and was also the first WNBA Draft pick in program history.
Honorable mention: Sharon Gilmore (1982-86), Jean Walling (1977-80), Brionna Dickerson (2006-07)
No. 33
The best to wear it: Elem Ibiam (2011-15)
Elem Ibiam was a solid boost off the bench before moving into the starting lineup in her final two years with South Carolina. Ibiam started all 37 games in her senior year and helped guide the Gamecocks’ to their first Final Four appearance in 2015.
Ibiam averaged 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in the 126 games she played in for South Carolina. She earned an All-SEC Defensive Team nod in 2014 after averaging 2.4 blocks per game.
The Fayetteville, Georgia native is No. 8 in the program’s all-time record book with 164 blocks.
Honorable mention: Natalie Funderburk (1992-96)
No. 34
The best to wear it: Audrey Ramsey (1994-98)
Only six players have worn No. 34 in South Carolina women’s basketball’s program history and those players weren’t exactly the biggest stars.
The argument here comes down to Audrey Ramsey and Shannon Segres. Just like the argument for the best to wear No. 32, both players put up similar numbers throughout their careers.
Ramsey averaged 4.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 110 games, while Segres averaged 4.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 99 games. This near-tie can’t exactly be broken by awards either, since both players’ lone accolades were SEC Academic Honor Roll selections (although that award isn’t frowned upon, per se).
In the end we give the nod to Ramsey because she finished with more total points and rebounds in her career.
Honorable mention: Shannon Segres (1998-2002)
No. 35
The best to wear it: Alexis Jennings (2018-19)
Alexis Jennings only played two seasons with the Gamecocks but was productive enough to earn our selection as the best in program history to wear No. 35
Jennings started her career off at Kentucky where she was an All-SEC Freshman Team honoree in 2015. Due to transfer rules she had to sit out the Gamecocks’ national championship run in 2017 after joining the team before the season.
Jennings made an immediate impact in her first full year (the 2017-18 season) with the Gamecocks. She scored 11.4 points per game, second only to A’ja Wilson, and averaged 6.6 rebounds per game. The following year, Jennings was second on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game.
Jennings led the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game in the 2018-19 season. She finished her time at South Carolina with 67 starts in 68 appearances and an average of 11.2 points and 6.4 rebounds.
No. 40
The best to wear it: Teresa Geter (2000-02)
Much like Jennings, Teresa Geter also spent only two seasons with the Gamecocks.
Geter started her career with two seasons at Tennessee from 1997-99 and won a national championship with legendary head coach Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols in 1998.
The Columbia native started her stint with the Gamecocks off strong when she earned an All-SEC selection in 2001. Geter led the team in scoring and rebounding that season with 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She also led USC in steals that year and led in blocks during both of her seasons.
Geter’s senior year ended with South Carolina making its first Elite Eight. Geter averaged 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds that season.
Geter was drafted in the 2002 WNBA Draft alongside teammate Shaunzinski Gortman, making her the second-ever Gamecock drafted in program history.
