Coach Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball suffered a disappointing loss to UConn in Sunday’s national championship game.
But fear not, Gamecock fans: Help is on the way.
Specifically in the form of transfer portal players. Speaking after USC’s 82-59 loss to UConn in Tampa on Sunday, Staley said multiple times that South Carolina will use the portal this offseason — and hinted that the Gamecocks already have plans in place to bolster their roster for 2025-26.
“I’m excited for what our team will look like next year,” Staley said postgame at Amalie Arena. “I am, because I do think they’ll be talented enough to get here. “Especially with (us) getting in the transfer portal and getting some experienced pieces that can help with this young group.”
Staley doubled down on those comments minutes later in an off-podium interview with local media, saying that her team will prioritize adding veteran players. The Gamecocks are losing three senior starters this year: guard Te-Hina Paopao, guard Bree Hall and forward Sania Feagin.
Guard Raven Johnson could also leave, but she has a fifth year of eligibility remaining and is still weighing that decision. Staley said she didn’t feel like there was “glaring need” for USC in the portal.
“No, we just need some players,” she said. “We need some experienced players that can come in and contribute right away and bring some leadership to a core group of young players that are pretty talented.”
South Carolina’s portal plan
Among the 13 players on this year’s South Carolina roster, 10 have least one year of eligibility remaining. USC is also bringing in two 2025 McDonald’s All Americans from the high school level this summer.
Prominent players expected to return include freshman forward and first team All-SEC pick Joyce Edwards; sophomore guard and second team All-SEC honoree MiLaysia Fulwiley; and senior forward Chloe Kitts, the 2025 SEC Tournament MVP and Birmingham 2 Regional MVP.
There’s also Tessa Johnson and Ashlyn Watkins. “We’ve always been good when we’ve had that — when we’ve had some experience, some youth, and everything in between,” Staley said. South Carolina has taken transfers frequently during Staley’s tenure.
Some of the Gamecocks’ recent hits in the portal: center Kamilla Cardoso, who came from Syracuse, and Paopao, who came from Oregon. Both won national championships. Naturally, South Carolina has an excellent recruiting pitch for transfers.
The Gamecocks have made five straight Final Fours. They have won two of the last four national titles (2022, 2024) and three since 2017. They produce WNBA Draft picks, play in front of the nation’s largest home crowds at Colonial Life Arena and are led by one of the most successful and recognizable coaches in the country.
Staley said earlier in the NCAA Tournament that she and her staff were already in talks with several players and she had calls scheduled for later that day to check in with potential transfers. The women’s basketball portal is open through April 23.
“Just because you’ve got to let them know, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about you. We got this run we’re trying to (focus on) … But you are a priority for us,’ ” Staley said then.
Now, with USC’s tournament run over, how quickly will the team move in the portal? Staley laughed.
The Gamecocks have already been doing that.
“There’s some things in the works that will make our team better,” she said.
