She shoots, she scores! Staley nabs five-star guard

South Carolina steadied its backcourt on Wednesday when five-star point guard Tyasha Harris committed to the Gamecocks.

Harris, a 5-foot-10 guard rated the No. 27 prospect in the country and the No. 8 recruit at her position, chose USC over Iowa and Michigan State. From Indianapolis, Harris was one of the top two uncommitted players in the Class of 2016.

“With all the transfers that have been happening and happened this year, I didn’t want to be that person,” Harris told The Indianapolis Star. “I want to make sure the first choice is the right choice.”

Harris averaged 23.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.8 assists this year, leading Heritage Christian School to its third straight state championship. The IndyStar Miss Basketball finalist joins two other guards coming to USC next year (Araion Bradshaw, Victoria Patrick) and one forward (Mikiah Harrigan).

Harris will bid for minutes at the point right away, after the Gamecocks lost three-year starter Khadijah Sessions. Rising junior Bianca Cuevas will also challenge for the role, along with Bradshaw and rising redshirt junior Tiffany Davis.

“It’s not like a speed date,” Harris said. “I’m big on relationships and, to me, you don’t just go out one time and hit it off. It takes time. I had to get to know the coaches and programs.”

Patrick, a three-star guard from Orlando, signed with USC on Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period. The 5-foot-8 guard chose the Gamecocks over Penn State, Xavier, Syracuse and Miami.

She joined Bradshaw, the No. 32 prospect in the class, and Harrigan (No. 74), who each signed in the fall.

“We are so excited Victoria has decided to join our Gamecock family,” coach Dawn Staley said in a statement. “She has a very good basketball IQ, and her ability to stretch the floor fills an immediate need of ours.”

Patrick is the No. 25 guard in the class and averaged 15.8 points per game as a senior.

The Gamecocks can fill four more scholarships.

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The first day of the period slipped by with no new signings for Frank Martin.

Martin has one recruit, Sedee Keita, who signed in the fall and verbal commitments from Maik Kotsar and Rakym Felder.

Keita is a 6-10 center from Greenville who is rated the No. 82 prospect in the country. Kotsar, from Estonia, is a 6-9 forward who prepped at Sunrise Christian (Kan.) and will sign as soon as he receives and returns his paperwork. Felder, a 6-0 guard from Coney Island, N.Y., is reportedly waiting on a test score before he signs.

The Gamecocks’ roster is in a state of flux, with Marcus Stroman, Chris Silva and TeMarcus Blanton indefinitely suspended and Raymond Doby recently having a brush with the law, although USC said he remains a part of the team and will be punished internally. If all four return, the Gamecocks have two scholarships to fill.

USC will host Delaware transfer Kory Holden this weekend. The rising junior would be unable to play next year due to NCAA transfer rules. He would have two remaining years of eligibility.

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "She shoots, she scores! Staley nabs five-star guard."