Gamecocks watching this talented group of young, in-state basketball recruits
Khadijah Sessions made sure she had a good seat Tuesday night at Keenan High School.
The former South Carolina standout was in the gym’s front row, right next to Gamecocks assistant coach Jolette Law. Clemson coaches sat a few rows behind them.
The group was there to watch No. 3 Keenan take on No. 6 Camden in a girls high school game that featured some of the top young players in the state — including Keenan freshman Milaysia Fulwiley and Camden eighth-grader Joyce Edwards. Both already have offers from South Carolina.
Fulwiley leads the Midlands in scoring with 26.6 points per game. She scored a career-high 54 points against Wilson at the MLK Bash on Jan. 18 with USC coach Dawn Staley and her team in attendance. Edwards is averaging 20.7 points and 11 rebounds and has a double-double in 16 of 20 games this season.
In Keenan’s 53-45 win, Edwards and Fulwiley each scored 17 points. Not their best performances but it was enough to impress Sessions.
“Both of those girls are talented and have a lot of potential,” said Sessions, a former SC Gatorade Player of Year who played at USC from 2012-16. “They have a lot of growing to do but they are extremely talented offensively. Milaysia is a rare talent that South Carolina hasn’t seen in a very long time. Joyce, being an eighth grader on varsity, contributing to her team. She has a lot more to learn. It is good to be in the front row see them doing what they were doing. I was really impressed and they would be good college teammates together.”
The young rising stars
Edwards and Fulwiley shook hands after the game and posed for a photo together. Both play in the same AAU organization, the SC76ers, and are familiar with each other.
The two showed flashes of the potential that has brought attention from college coaches. On one play, Fulwiley dribbled the ball behind her back, made a spin move in the lane for a one-handed layup. Edwards, who’s 6-2, showed her quickness by blocking Fulwiley a couple times as part of her seven blocks in the game. She also showed her range by draining a shot from the free-throw line.
“What a neat thing for South Carolina,” Camden coach Natlie Norris, who played at USC from 1992-96, said. “Two players playing in proximity to each other and something to look forward to for many years to come. They both keep adding things to their game year in and year out. It is amazing to see where they are in the next few years.”
Fulwiley and Edwards are part of a talented group of underclassmen in the Midlands that Staley is monitoring. A few times this season, Staley has watched Cardinal Newman sophomore Ashlyn Watkins, who is ranked No. 12 in the class of 2022. She is also getting interest from Baylor and Louisville.
Irmo freshman Maliyah Mason and East Clarendon sophomore Talaysia Cooper also have Gamecock offers.
Staley attended Cooper’s game Friday, when she scored 18 points and had 25 rebounds in a win over Mullins. Cooper hit the 2,000-point mark last week and is on pace to become the sixth player in South Carolina history to scored more than 3,000 points in her career.
“Her and Milaysia remind me of each other,” Sessions said of Cooper. They are young but to see them playing like that as freshman and sophomores I haven’t seen anything like it.
“It is incredible to see. Women’s basketball is in a really good place. Just to say we have those special talents in South Carolina right now. Some of best in the country in their position. Hopefully they stay in state. Where else do you want to go? You got a great coach, winning program, great education. I just hope they all can stay together and see what kind of dynasty they can keep here in South Carolina.”
Gamecocks under Dawn Staley
The Gamecocks have risen to one of the elite programs in the country under Staley and have a lot more to offer than when Sessions was recruited coming out of Myrtle Beach High School.
USC is ranked No. 1 in the country. It has made nine straight NCAA tournament appearances and two Final Fours. It won a national title in 2017.
USC had the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2019 with four players ranked in the top 11, according to ESPN’s recruiting rankings. Sessions thinks the Gamecocks can make another big splash if they can get some of this talented group of young players.
“When I was in school, it was a lot different. Coach Staley was building the program and a lot of people didn’t trust her,” Sessions said. “Me, Asia Dozier, Alisha Welch, she kept us and what we were able to build for the program. I don’t know why they wouldn’t want to come to South Carolina. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of them come to South Carolina like the class that just came in.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
