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USC Gamecocks - The Offseason 2025

Was looking at my All Staley team again and have the following:

Ty Harris / Destanni Henderson
Tiffany Mitchell / Zia Cooke / Pao
Allisha Gray / Kaela Davis /
A'ja Wilson / Herbert-Harrigan / Aleigha Welch
Aliyah Boston / Kamilla Cardoso / Coates

Thoughts:

1) Pao has definitely worked herself onto to my top 13.
2) Kaela Davis i think is the best combination of stopper/offense. I'm not sure Beal or Hall quite has creds to be included.
3) that third PG spot is really up for grabs. Sutton and Walker and Raven are appealing in their own ways, but don't quite feel like omissions either.
4) putting Welch and Coates on even this squad makes me worry about court balance.
5) on a related point, Kitts is pretty close in my mind to passing Welch which I didn't know about myself.
6) Kelsey Bone and Te'a Cooper were not considered
7) Could Tessa make a leap to get on here?
8) Edwards probably be another to make a run at a F spot.
9) Latson could be a really interesting case
10). I was seriously tempted to take Feagin over Coates. I didn't really consider Amihere, all of which does not surprise me.
 
Last edited:
Gamecockfan77 said:
Was looking at my All Staley team again and have the following:

Ty Harris / Destanni Henderson
Tiffany Mitchell / Zia Cooke / Pao
Allisha Gray / Kaela Davis /
A'ja Wilson / Herbert-Harrigan / Aleigha Welch
Aaliyah Boston / Kamilla Cardoso / Coates

Thoughts:

1) Pao has definitely worked herself onto to my top 13.
2) Kaela Davis i think is the best combination of stopper/offense. I'm not sure Beal or Hall quite has creds to be included.
3) that third PG spot is really up for grabs. Sutton and Walker and Raven are appealing in their own ways, but don't quite feel like omissions either.
4) putting Welch and Coates on even this squad makes me worry about court balance.
5) on a related point, Kitts is pretty close in my mind to passing Welch which I didn't know about myself.
6) Kelsey Bone and Te'a Cooper were not considered
7) Could Tessa make a leap to get on here?
8) Edwards probably be another to make a run at a F spot.
9) Latson could be a really interesting case
10). I was seriously tempted to take Feagin over Coates. I didn't really consider Amihere, all of which does not surprise me.
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Those 5 starters would probably be one of the best starting 5 in the WNBA this season -- three All-WNBA caliber players (two on the MVP short list) with a competent PG. SG would be the weak link. Honestly Paopao may make a better starter than Tiff with that lineup -- her 3 point shot would help keep defenses from doubling Wilson or Boston.
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
Was looking at my All Staley team again and have the following:

Ty Harris / Destanni Henderson
Tiffany Mitchell / Zia Cooke / Pao
Allisha Gray / Kaela Davis /
A'ja Wilson / Herbert-Harrigan / Aleigha Welch
Aliyah Boston / Kamilla Cardoso / Coates

Thoughts:

1) Pao has definitely worked herself onto to my top 13.
2) Kaela Davis i think is the best combination of stopper/offense. I'm not sure Beal or Hall quite has creds to be included.
3) that third PG spot is really up for grabs. Sutton and Walker and Raven are appealing in their own ways, but don't quite feel like omissions either.
4) putting Welch and Coates on even this squad makes me worry about court balance.
5) on a related point, Kitts is pretty close in my mind to passing Welch which I didn't know about myself.
6) Kelsey Bone and Te'a Cooper were not considered
7) Could Tessa make a leap to get on here?
8) Edwards probably be another to make a run at a F spot.
9) Latson could be a really interesting case
10). I was seriously tempted to take Feagin over Coates. I didn't really consider Amihere, all of which does not surprise me.
Expand ...
PG: Agree with Ty and Destanni
Honorable mentions to Khadijah Sessions and La’Keisha Sutton.

SG: Tiffany Mitchell, Cooke, Pao Pao
Cooke and TPP are neck and neck but I’ll give slight edge to Zia. Four very good seasons and part of one NC team and robbed of a possible second by COVID.
Tiff is a no brainer. She was phenomenal in her time at USC. As to Gamecock Fam’s point about 3 pt shooting, Mitchell was a very good shooter from the arc while at USC, particularly her first 3 seasons. Her numbers dipped her senior season, no doubt a result on the gym rat being laid up that off season after suffering a lower leg hairline fracture/surgery which I believe she suffered training for the Pan Am games. She got off to a slow start that season as a result. Here are her 3 pt numbers:
IMG_9051.jpeg


Wing: Allisha Gray, Brea Beal. (HM: Bree Hall)
Allisha another no brainer. Tremendous her one season. In light of current transfer rules, I’ll be forever pissed she had to sit out ‘15-‘16 and we didn’t get to see her share the court with Tiff. Hope her jersey gets retired.
Brea Beal makes my list. She was effective all 4 yrs she played as a starter, particularly on D. Hall makes my honorable mention for much the same reasons. Kaela is not on my list. She was mostly inconsistent her one season, finally showing up at the end, albeit in a very big way at the end after Alaina went down, to help win NC #1. She should have come back and played out her eligibility which she recently said she wishes she had.

Forward: A’ja, Aleighsa, Kiki
I give the edge to Lisa over Kiki. Lisa was very good all 4 yrs she played. Possibly the most intelligent and greatest leader to ever wear the G & B for Dawn. She was a great mentor for A’ja the one season they were together - probably for Alaina too. Kiki needed a couple seasons to become how good she became as an upperclassmen, though I recall her playing very well in the post season those first two years. I miss her fantastic mid range to the arc shooting ability tremendously. Joyce already very close to jumping on to this list in the spot behind AW.

Post: Boston, Cardoso, Coates
AB/KC - No brainers. I think we forget how great Alaina was her four years as a Gamecock. 12 and 8 as a frosh coming off the bench. Feagin is nowhere near this list for me with her one pretty good season as a starter with numbers that pale next to AC’s. In fact I would put Ashlyn over Sania.
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
Was looking at my All Staley team again and have the following:

Ty Harris / Destanni Henderson
Tiffany Mitchell / Zia Cooke / Pao
Allisha Gray / Kaela Davis /
A'ja Wilson / Herbert-Harrigan / Aleigha Welch
Aaliyah Boston / Kamilla Cardoso / Coates

Thoughts:

1) Pao has definitely worked herself onto to my top 13.
2) Kaela Davis i think is the best combination of stopper/offense. I'm not sure Beal or Hall quite has creds to be included.
3) that third PG spot is really up for grabs. Sutton and Walker and Raven are appealing in their own ways, but don't quite feel like omissions either.
4) putting Welch and Coates on even this squad makes me worry about court balance.
5) on a related point, Kitts is pretty close in my mind to passing Welch which I didn't know about myself.
6) Kelsey Bone and Te'a Cooper were not considered
7) Could Tessa make a leap to get on here?
8) Edwards probably be another to make a run at a F spot.
9) Latson could be a really interesting case
10). I was seriously tempted to take Feagin over Coates. I didn't really consider Amihere, all of which does not surprise me.
Expand ...
JDuro said:
PG: Agree with Ty and Destanni
Honorable mentions to Khadijah Sessions and La’Keisha Sutton.

SG: Tiffany Mitchell, Cooke, Pao Pao
Cooke and TPP are neck and neck but I’ll give slight edge to Zia. Four very good seasons and part of one NC team and robbed of a possible second by COVID.
Tiff is a no brainer. She was phenomenal in her time at USC. As to Gamecock Fam’s point about 3 pt shooting, Mitchell was a very good shooter from the arc while at USC, particularly her first 3 seasons. Her numbers dipped her senior season, no doubt a result on the gym rat being laid up that off season after suffering a lower leg hairline fracture/surgery which I believe she suffered training for the Pan Am games. She got off to a slow start that season as a result. Here are her 3 pt numbers:
View attachment 111744

Wing: Allisha Gray, Brea Beal. (HM: Bree Hall)
Allisha another no brainer. Tremendous her one season. In light of current transfer rules, I’ll be forever pissed she had to sit out ‘15-‘16 and we didn’t get to see her share the court with Tiff. Hope her jersey gets retired.
Brea Beal makes my list. She was effective all 4 yrs she played as a starter, particularly on D. Hall makes my honorable mention for much the same reasons. Kaela is not on my list. She was mostly inconsistent her one season, finally showing up at the end, albeit in a very big way at the end after Alaina went down, to help win NC #1. She should have come back and played out her eligibility which she recently said she wishes she had.

Forward: A’ja, Aleighsa, Kiki
I give the edge to Lisa over Kiki. Lisa was very good all 4 yrs she played. Possibly the most intelligent and greatest leader to ever wear the G & B for Dawn. She was a great mentor for A’ja the one season they were together - probably for Alaina too. Kiki needed a couple seasons to become how good she became as an upperclassmen, though I recall her playing very well in the post season those first two years. I miss her fantastic mid range to the arc shooting ability tremendously. Joyce already very close to jumping on to this list in the spot behind AW.

Post: Boston, Cardoso, Coates
AB/KC - No brainers. I think we forget how great Alaina was her four years as a Gamecock. 12 and 8 as a frosh coming off the bench. Feagin is nowhere near this list for me with her one pretty good season as a starter with numbers that pale next to AC’s. In fact I would put Ashlyn over Sania.
Expand ...
I would put Chloe over Sania easily. In fact, Chloe is among the 15 regardless of position
 
JDuro said:
PG: Agree with Ty and Destanni
Honorable mentions to Khadijah Sessions and La’Keisha Sutton.

SG: Tiffany Mitchell, Cooke, Pao Pao
Cooke and TPP are neck and neck but I’ll give slight edge to Zia. Four very good seasons and part of one NC team and robbed of a possible second by COVID.
Tiff is a no brainer. She was phenomenal in her time at USC. As to Gamecock Fam’s point about 3 pt shooting, Mitchell was a very good shooter from the arc while at USC, particularly her first 3 seasons. Her numbers dipped her senior season, no doubt a result on the gym rat being laid up that off season after suffering a lower leg hairline fracture/surgery which I believe she suffered training for the Pan Am games. She got off to a slow start that season as a result. Here are her 3 pt numbers:
View attachment 111744

Wing: Allisha Gray, Brea Beal. (HM: Bree Hall)
Allisha another no brainer. Tremendous her one season. In light of current transfer rules, I’ll be forever pissed she had to sit out ‘15-‘16 and we didn’t get to see her share the court with Tiff. Hope her jersey gets retired.
Brea Beal makes my list. She was effective all 4 yrs she played as a starter, particularly on D. Hall makes my honorable mention for much the same reasons. Kaela is not on my list. She was mostly inconsistent her one season, finally showing up at the end, albeit in a very big way at the end after Alaina went down, to help win NC #1. She should have come back and played out her eligibility which she recently said she wishes she had.

Forward: A’ja, Aleighsa, Kiki
I give the edge to Lisa over Kiki. Lisa was very good all 4 yrs she played. Possibly the most intelligent and greatest leader to ever wear the G & B for Dawn. She was a great mentor for A’ja the one season they were together - probably for Alaina too. Kiki needed a couple seasons to become how good she became as an upperclassmen, though I recall her playing very well in the post season those first two years. I miss her fantastic mid range to the arc shooting ability tremendously. Joyce already very close to jumping on to this list in the spot behind AW.

Post: Boston, Cardoso, Coates
AB/KC - No brainers. I think we forget how great Alaina was her four years as a Gamecock. 12 and 8 as a frosh coming off the bench. Feagin is nowhere near this list for me with her one pretty good season as a starter with numbers that pale next to AC’s. In fact I would put Ashlyn over Sania.
Expand ...
Ha! My comment about Paopao was just about making a practical lineup in the WNBA today and had nothing to do with their career stats at USC.
 
GamecockFam said:
Ha! My comment about Paopao was just about making a practical lineup in the WNBA today and had nothing to do with their career stats at USC.
Expand ...
Well, Tehina started 15 wnba games this year as a rookie and was a valuable player off the bench on a team with two talented outside shooters while maintaining a 40% 3 point shooting percentage. So, she is showing potential to be a solid pro.
 
I'm hearing lots of good chatter about off-season progress with our players -- supposedly it is was one of the better summers in recent memory with very noticeable skill development for many players. I'm also hearing good things about our two freshman.
 
GamecockFam said:
I'm hearing lots of good chatter about off-season progress with our players -- supposedly it is was one of the better summers in recent memory with very noticeable skill development for many players. I'm also hearing good things about our two freshman.
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Need Raven to get to respectable three point shooting levels. I’m not real confident of that.

I think we’ll get a much better version of Dauda.

Would like to see Edwards expand a bit.

Shorter, but not short, bench should help some players. The rotation isn’t nearly as stressful except at forward.
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
Need Raven to get to respectable three point shooting levels. I’m not real confident of that.

I think we’ll get a much better version of Dauda.

Would like to see Edwards expand a bit.

Shorter, but not short, bench should help some players. The rotation isn’t nearly as stressful except at forward.
Expand ...
LSU looked even shorter and so does Texas so it may not be as big of a deal as years past. Depth over size !!
 
WFFL said:
LSU looked even shorter and so does Texas so it may not be as big of a deal as years past. Depth over size !!
Expand ...
I think I was confusing in trying to make a very small joke.

South Carolina will have a smaller number of players available, but this year's team will be anything but short of stature.

It's a very large team.

I think the shorter rotation is probably a good thing overall, but it raises anxiety about a year from now.
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
I think I was confusing in trying to make a very small joke.

South Carolina will have a smaller number of players available, but this year's team will be anything but short of stature.

It's a very large team.

I think the shorter rotation is probably a good thing overall, but it raises anxiety about a year from now.
Expand ...
Watching LSU practice Koval will be the main problem down low but shes not that quick i def think she averages close to a double double for them but they wont own the paint as normal kim mulkey teams do. The SEC should be very interesting this year as i still do not see a clear cut favorite out of LSU , SC & Tenn atm. Texas has some work to do which im sure Vic will correct and i have yet to see OU.
 
WFFL said:
Watching LSU practice Koval will be the main problem down low but shes not that quick i def think she averages close to a double double for them but they wont own the paint as normal kim mulkey teams do. The SEC should be very interesting this year as i still do not see a clear cut favorite out of LSU , SC & Tenn atm. Texas has some work to do which im sure Vic will correct and i have yet to see OU.
Expand ...
I think the majority of people are underestimating Tennessee. Not saying you are.

The SEC is going to be a war this year.
 
SCGamecock said:
I think the majority of people are underestimating Tennessee. Not saying you are.

The SEC is going to be a war this year.
Expand ...
Oh ya i definitely am not . I honestly think they may end up the best team in the SEC by seasons end. Very deep and very talented , can they guard the post is always the question .
 
Was looking at a few things on Her Hoops trying to visualize the SCar team and noticed a fair amount of counterintuitive stuff and some that made sense.

First, the defensive efficiency stats indicate that Tessa Johnson and Bree Hall were pretty interchangeable while Tessa even in something of a sophomore slump season remained the better offensive player.

It was not a major surprise to me that Fulwiley rated at the bottom of the team in offensive rating along with Raven but she was near the top in defense.

Latson's numbers on FSU would indicate a large offensive upgrade but her defense would rank at the very bottom of SCar's roster (though it's about 10% better than average).

Okot and Feagin are fair facsimiles of each other.

McDaniel really grades out well as an offensive player and wasn't bad on defense, but it's very clear how much Raven picking up her offense would help the team.

Edwards had a really nice debut and got better as season went on. Her ceiling will go along way towards determining the future at SCar. I'm probably a little too low on her.
 
Last edited:
Gamecockfan77 said:
Was looking at a few things on Her Hoops trying to visualize the SCar team and noticed a fair amount of counterintuitive stuff and done that made sense.

First, the defensive efficiency stats indicate the Tessa Johnson and Bree Hall were pretty interchangeable while Tessa even in something of a sophomore slump season remained the better offensive player.

It was not a major surprise to me that Fulwiley rated at the bottom of the team in offensive rating along with Raven but was near the top in defense.

Latson's numbers on FSU would indicate a large offensive upgrade but her defense would rank at the very bottom of SCar (though it's about 10% better than average).

Okot and Feagin are fair facsimiles of each other.

MCDaniel really grades out well as an offensive player and wasn't bad on defense, but it's very clear how much Raven picking up her offense would help the team.

Edwards has a really nice debut and got better as season went on.
Expand ...
I’ve long been impressed by Tessa, ever since her high school years. I’m surprised by the defensive numbers, if only because Bree seems to be a bit bigger and more physical presence, and Dawn knows how to work with those types. Absolutely agree about Tessa’s offensive potential.

I am also not surprised by Milaysia’s offensive numbers, even though she can be dazzling at times. I am intrigued (and frankly amused) by Kim’s expectation that she can make her into a PG. I just can’t see Milaysia running a multifaceted offense. All in all, I think swapping her out for Latson is a net gain for Dawn.

I’m sad to say it but I think Raven’s decision to stay one more season was a mistake both for her and for the team. It’s not that she isn’t a really good PG and a good leader. She is both. But it may just be time to give Maddy the starting PG job. Raven is not likely to gain much by staying and Dawn’s offense may well begin to stagnate.
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
Was looking at a few things on Her Hoops trying to visualize the SCar team and noticed a fair amount of counterintuitive stuff and some that made sense.

First, the defensive efficiency stats indicate that Tessa Johnson and Bree Hall were pretty interchangeable while Tessa even in something of a sophomore slump season remained the better offensive player.

It was not a major surprise to me that Fulwiley rated at the bottom of the team in offensive rating along with Raven but she was near the top in defense.

Latson's numbers on FSU would indicate a large offensive upgrade but her defense would rank at the very bottom of SCar's roster (though it's about 10% better than average).

Okot and Feagin are fair facsimiles of each other.

McDaniel really grades out well as an offensive player and wasn't bad on defense, but it's very clear how much Raven picking up her offense would help the team.

Edwards had a really nice debut and got better as season went on. Her ceiling will go along way towards determining the future at SCar. I'm probably a little too low on her.
Expand ...
I’m a little low on Edwards too and I can’t really say why.
 
GoChips20 said:
I’m a little low on Edwards too and I can’t really say why.
Expand ...
I know what you mean. Joyce is a tremendous talent but Dawn seems to have hidden her light under a bushel last season. Joyce came off the bench even after Ashlyn’s injury left Dawn with a depleted front court. I’d have expected Joyce to start for most of the season, if not all of it. I like Chloe’s game a lot, but starting her and Saniya together just looked like an odd decision and put Chloe in an odd situation in the games against teams with athletic front courts.

But who am I to second guess Dawn who’s one of the greatest coaches? Last season seems like a strange outlier to me. I mean, after years of having the most athletic teams in D1, she was left with a smaller frontcourt. And yet Dawn built a dominant team and was a clear favorite to get to the Final Four and even the NC game all season. This season, will she be able to start Joyce and Okot together, maybe with Chloe at the wing and Dauda coming off the bench? That would start to resemble the teams I remember.
 
Bone Dog said:
I know what you mean. Joyce is a tremendous talent but Dawn seems to have hidden her light under a bushel last season. Joyce came off the bench even after Ashlyn’s injury left Dawn with a depleted front court. I’d have expected Joyce to start for most of the season, if not all of it. I like Chloe’s game a lot, but starting her and Saniya together just looked like an odd decision and put Chloe in an odd situation in the games against teams with athletic front courts.

But who am I to second guess Dawn who’s one of the greatest coaches? Last season seems like a strange outlier to me. I mean, after years of having the most athletic teams in D1, she was left with a smaller frontcourt. And yet Dawn built a dominant team and was a clear favorite to get to the Final Four and even the NC game all season. This season, will she be able to start Joyce and Okot together, maybe with Chloe at the wing and Dauda coming off the bench? That would start to resemble the teams I remember.
Expand ...
Dawn’s teams typically overwhelm opponents with defense and relentless rebounding, which works very well in the SEC, the most physical conference in WBB. The Gamecocks do not typically spread the floor and beat opponents with exceptional ball movement and shooting.

Joyce, Chloe, Okot & Dauda are all primarily interior players. While SC has some shooters, it’s not like Dawn will roll out some version of UConn’s small lineup with 4-5 players who can all knock down shots from the arc.

Like most folks, I am disappointed that there will be no SC-UConn regular season matchup this coming season. More than any other game, that matchup was predictive of what would happen during March Madness. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to wait for the Championship game. 😁
 

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