The South Carolina women’s basketball team has lost its fair share of games against its practice squad, and there isn’t one specific player set to lead the Gamecocks. As contradicting as it sounds, these are two big reasons why the reigning national champions will once again be the team to beat this upcoming season.
The Gamecocks have lost only three games in three years, and looking at what they do during the offseason, it’s easy to see why. They start competing long before November, whether through their Final Four Fridays or tough games against the Highlighters, their male practice squad.
When her team loses to the Highlighters, head coach Dawn Staley sees it as a learning opportunity and something that hopefully ignites their competitive edge.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team,” Staley told CBS Sports. “They’re locked in, they are competitive. I think it’s going well. We’ve taken a lot of losses to the Highlighters the first couple of weeks of practice, but I think now they’ve stepped it up and they’ve accepted the challenge. Sometimes they let them know about it. It’s cool, we are really a tight-knit family.”
Earlier this year, Staley’s squad completed a perfect 38-0 season without a traditional go-to scorer. Instead, they had a combination of multiple stars who shined together. Kamilla Cardoso, 6-foot-7 center, was their not-so secret weapon in the paint while leading South Carolina in scoring (14.4 points) and rebounding (9.7).
Those stats were not exactly eye-popping, but that’s partially due to the team’s impressive depth. South Carolina had seven players average at least eight points per game in 2024-25. Cardoso has moved on to the WNBA, but the Gamecocks will be just fine.
“Obviously, she was big in stature. She was big in personality. She was big in leadership,” Staley said of Cardoso. “When you lose someone like that, you hope she left the legacy of leadership, which she has… Our program is next woman up. It may not be a single voice, but it’s a collection of voices that works for us. It works for us, which is cool because you lose one person and you don’t want your program to just go downhill.”
One of the players who definitely stood out because of her style of play was MiLaysia Fulwiley, who will soon be starting her sophomore season. Staley describes her as a “generational talent” and a “walking highlight reel,” but despite being the team’s second-leading scorer a season ago at 11.7 points per contest, she only started three games her freshman year.
Staley said Fulwiley could have started more games, but sometimes her propensity to wow the crowd led to forcing things. Fulwiley has worked on slowing down and learning to impact the game in other ways, such as defensively and through passing. Staley said she was proud to see Fulwiley commit herself to really learning the game.
“I said, it’s probably boring to you to work on some fundamentals, having the game slow down a little bit but finding a way to be equally as impactful,” Staley said. “It’s great. I praise her all the time because not a lot of young players can get there this young in their career, or are willing to stop and figure it out.
“No one wants to slow down when they are the most exciting player in the country. If I’m that, and I’m that young, I’m like, ‘Hold up, I got it going on. You hear the crowd, you hear them cheering for me’… She’s still doing it, but she is also adding that other element to the game.”
Another top returner is 5-foot-9 guard Te-Hina Paopao, who was third on the team in scoring with 11 points per game. South Carolina wasn’t exactly known as a 3-point shooting team last season, but Paopao provided valuable floor spacing by shooting 46.7% from beyond the arc.
When it comes to who has made the biggest jump, Staley highlighted Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin, who averaged less than 20 minutes per game last season.
“I’m not really surprised, but I’m just happy they took the initiative to get better… They want it so bad,” Staley said. “They want to be great. They made a commitment to it and now you see their work, you see their development. That’s all coaches really want to see, that they are putting in the work and they are listening. You see their improvement, and you only want to see that as a coach.”
Kitts, a 6-foot-2 forward, averaged 9.1 points while shooting 54.4% from the field, as well as 5.9 rebounds per game. Her impact could be felt a lot more this season.
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-3 forward Feagin averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebonds per contest. However, she already gave a preview of what she can do by earning a gold medal and MVP recognition at the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup.
“She did a great job transforming her body and making a commitment to nutrition, and it’s working for her” Staley said. “She looks in much better shape… She won a gold medal, won the MVP, and now she is back into the fold and didn’t miss a beat.”
There is also Raven Johnson, who led the team in steals and was on a “revenge tour” after former Iowa star Caitlin Clark waved her off during the 2023 Final Four. Johnson turned the tables around by doing an outstanding job defending Clark during the 2024 national title game, which the Gamecocks won, 87-75.
South Carolina is also getting an extra boost with the addition of Joyce Edwards, the No. 3 freshman in the country. One important player the Gamecocks are currently missing is Ashlyn Watkins, who was suspended from team activities after being charged with first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping in this summer. Watkins averaged 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals and a team-best 2.4 blocks per game.
Two weeks ago, Staley said Watkins’ status hasn’t changed yet, but added that Watkins could still be a leader when she returns because “she has a great voice in the locker room.”
South Carolina will tip off its 2024-25 campaign in Las Vegas against Michigan on Nov. 4. Before that, the Gamecocks will play two exhibition games. They will take on Memphis on the road on Oct. 15 then host Clayton State on Oct. 28.
