Everything you need to know as Dawn Staley, Gamecocks tip off new season
The last time we saw South Carolina women’s basketball on the court, coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks were celebrating an SEC tournament championship on March 8, looking forward to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and a strong chance of a national title.
On Wednesday, 262 days later, Carolina will be back on the floor — but a lot will have changed. So if you’ve been distracted by the state of the world or just haven’t had the energy to keep up over the last eight months, here’s all the essential information you need to know about South Carolina for 2020-21.
So how good is USC expected to be this year?
Quite good. Like, really, really good. The Gamecocks are No. 1 in The Associated Press and USA Today coaches preseason polls, gaining all but one first-place vote in each. They also were picked to win the SEC again by the conference’s coaches and media. Staley’s team is firmly in the conversation to make the Final Four and compete for a national championship. The Gamecocks have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 six consecutive times, made two Final Fours, won a national championship and claimed five SEC tournament titles since 2014.
Who’s back?
The Gamecocks return three starters and every key reserve from last year’s squad. Highlighting that group is sophomore forward Aliyah Boston, who put up historic numbers in her freshman campaign and has been voted preseason All-SEC and All-American going into this year. At 6-foot-5, she’s one of most powerful interior presences in the country and can rebound, block shots and finish through contact. Should she show even modest improvement, she’ll be in the conversation for national player of the year.
Who’s gone?
Guard Tyasha Harris and forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan have graduated and moved on to the WNBA, where they were both first-round draft picks. The senior duo started every game for USC last year and were the steadying force in guiding a young squad to the top of the rankings. Herbert Harrigan led the team in scoring, while Harris ran the show and continued to prove herself as one of the best point guards in the country.
Who’s new?
There aren’t a whole lot of new faces. The Gamecocks welcome just one freshman in guard Eniya Russell, a McDonald’s All-American from Baltimore, Maryland. She’ll likely get a shot at healthy minutes with the second unit, but she won’t have to step in and star right away by any means.
Guard Destiny Littleton will also be on the court for USC for the first time after transferring from Texas and sitting out last year under NCAA rules. The highest-scoring player in California high school girls basketball history, Littleton is likely to provide some instant offense off the bench.
Who’s going to have a breakout season?
Boston earned the majority of the headlines, but South Carolina had a historically good freshman class last year, and three of her classmates are all poised to take on bigger roles this season.
Guard Zia Cooke was good last year, starting every game and getting named to the SEC All-Freshman team. With Harris gone, Cooke will likely be asked to do even more this season. An explosive player with a flair to her game, she has shined when the spotlight is brightest, and she’ll definitely get more attention this year.
Guard Brea Beal was one of South Carolina’s best defenders as a freshman, using her size and speed at 6-foot-1 to match up well with almost any position while starting every game. She was also a solid rebounder off the weakside. Offensively, though, her shooting numbers weren’t great — 41.4% from the field and 28.9% from 3. She won’t have to carry the offense, but an improved shot would relieve pressure on the likes of Boston and Cooke.
And lastly, Staley has sounded very excited about the progress of forward Laeticia Amihere, one of the most talented players in her class who had to deal with two major knee injuries in as many years. She’s fully healthy now, though, and has a combination of ridiculous physical tools (6-foot-10 wingspan) and versatility (53.8% on 3-pointers, 1.14 blocks per game in 2019-20) that makes it easy to envision her blossoming into a star.
What’s the biggest question facing the Gamecocks?
Who will replace Ty Harris, the program’s all-time assists leader, at point guard? Harris kept the whole show running smoothly last season, seamlessly blending the team’s freshman talent and veteran leadership. She could take over as needed but ensured everyone got good looks, keeping the squad’s chemistry in equilibrium.
The competition mainly seems to be between Zia Cooke and sophomore Destanni Henderson. Neither has the total command of the offensive that Harris had as a four-year starter, but both have shown the ability to be more aggressive in calling their own number and scoring the ball themselves. Will they take turns as the primary ball-handler? Or will one adjust slightly and become more of a distributor? Staley likes to route a lot of her offense through her bigs, and Aliyah Boston will need someone to feed her the ball.
What will be the biggest games to watch?
There will obviously be a great deal of attention paid to South Carolina’s annual contest against powerhouse UConn. Coming off their first win over the Huskies last year, the Gamecocks will travel to Storrs on Feb. 8 and look to further wrench the crown of “best program in the country” from Connecticut’s grasp.
Earlier in the year, though, there’s another fascinating matchup — Dec. 3 against N.C. State. The Wolfpack made a late run to an ACC championship last season and have one of the few players in the country who could match up with Aliyah Boston in 6-foot-5 Elissa Cunane. They also return two other starters and will be a good early test of South Carolina’s chemistry.
What about the biggest SEC game?
Right in the heart of SEC play, South Carolina travels to Starkville, Mississippi on Jan. 28 to take on Mississippi State, in its first year under new head coach and former Gamecocks assistant Nikki McCray-Penson. The Bulldogs came the closest of any team to knocking off USC last year and return a fair bit of that talent, and the chess match between Staley and McCray-Penson will be fascinating to see.
The runner-up in this category is a Jan. 10 tilt with Kentucky, who features defending SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard, a do-it-all guard/forward who figures to be the best player the Gamecocks will face this year.
Speaking of games, will I be able to go to games during the COVID-19 pandemic?
For six years in a row now, South Carolina women’s basketball has led the nation in attendance, regularly packing in more than 10,000 fans into Colonial Life Arena. The COVID-19 pandemic will change that. Attendance at home games will be limited to approximately 3,500 people, and no fans will be allowed to sit in the five rows closest to the court. Tickets will be entirely digital, and facial coverings will be required at all times in the arena. Tickets will be sold in two-, four- and six-seat pods, and seat selection began in early November.
What else has COVID changed?
Under SEC guidelines, teams will be tested three times a week during the season. A positive test triggers a 10-day isolation period, even if there are no symptoms, followed by a four-day re-acclimation period. Anyone determined to be a close contact — defined as spending 15 combined minutes within six feet of a confirmed positive over the course of 24 hours for two days prior to the positive test — must quarantine for 14 days and cannot test out of that quarantine. Players won’t have to wear facial coverings on the court, but coaches will have to on the sideline.
The pandemic has also impacted South Carolina’s schedule — previously scheduled games against Oregon and Maryland have been called off, and the Gamecocks will play a reduced eight-game nonconference slate, six fewer games than last season.
ROSTER
Projected starters
Brea Beal — sophomore guard, 6-foot-1, #12
Aliyah Boston — sophomore forward, 6-foot-5, #4
Zia Cooke — sophomore guard, 5-foot-9, #1
Victaria Saxton — junior forward, 6-foot-2, #5
Destanni Henderson — junior guard, 5-foot-7, #3
Bench
LeLe Grissett — senior guard, 6-foot-2, #24
Laeticia Amihere — sophomore forward, 6-foot-4, #15
Destiny Littleton — redshirt junior guard, 5-foot-9, #11
Eniya Russell — freshman guard, 6-foot-1, #2
Olivia Thompson — sophomore guard, 5-foot-8, #0
Elysa Wesolek — junior forward, 6-foot-1, #32
SCHEDULE
Nov. 25 — vs. College of Charleston, 12 p.m.
Nov. 28-30 — Women’s Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Nov. 28 — vs. South Dakota
Nov. 29 — vs. Oklahoma
Nov. 30 — vs. Gonzaga
Dec. 3 — vs. North Carolina State, 7 p.m.
Dec. 6 — at Iowa State
Dec. 17 — vs. Temple
Dec. 31 — vs. Ole Miss, 7 p.m.*
Jan. 4 — at Alabama*
Jan. 7 — vs. Georgia*
Jan. 10 — at Kentucky*
Jan. 14 — at Vanderbilt*
Jan. 18 — vs. Arkansas*
Jan. 24 — at LSU*
Jan. 28 — at Mississippi State*
Jan. 31 — vs. Alabama*
Feb. 4 — at Auburn*
Feb. 8 — at UConn
Feb. 11 — vs. Missouri*
Feb. 14 — vs. LSU*
Feb. 18 — at Tennessee*
Feb. 21 — vs. Kentucky*
Feb. 25 — vs. Florida*
Feb. 28 — at Texas A&M*
March 3-7 — SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, Greenville, South Carolina
March 19-22 — NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament first and second rounds, campus sites
March 26-29 — NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds, regional sites
April 2-4 — NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Final Four and championship rounds, San Antonio, Texas
Home games in bold
Neutral-site games in italics
Conference games have asterisk*
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Everything you need to know as Dawn Staley, Gamecocks tip off new season."
