Ta’Niya Latson Sets Bold Goals as She Joins South Carolina Women’s Basketball
Ta’Niya Latson, one of the most electric scorers in college basketball, shocked the women’s hoops world back in April when she announced her decision to transfer from Florida State to South Carolina. Now officially on campus in Columbia, the 2025-26 season can’t come soon enough for Gamecock fans eager to see Latson in action.
During her first media availability as a Gamecock, Latson didn’t shy away from lofty ambitions. She made it clear she’s aiming for the top individual honor in the SEC:
“For me, SEC Player of the Year,” Latson declared. “I’m going to bet on myself every time, everywhere I go. That’s something that is a goal for me.”
If Latson achieves that, she would join an elite trio of Gamecock legends — Aliyah Boston, A’ja Wilson, and Tiffany Mitchell — who have collectively won the SEC Player of the Year award seven times.
Latson’s confidence isn’t without merit. She’s coming off a sensational season at Florida State, where she led all of Division I in scoring with 25.2 points per game. She also earned All-American honors from the Associated Press and the USBWA and was named to the prestigious Wooden All-American team.
Standing at 5-foot-8, the dynamic guard has built a stacked resume during her three seasons with the Seminoles. She burst onto the national scene by winning the 2023 ACC Rookie of the Year, after leading the conference with 21.2 points per game. That same year, she was honored as National Freshman of the Year by the WBCA and The Athletic. Latson made All-ACC First Team in each of her three years at Florida State.
While individual accolades are important, Latson emphasized her desire to develop further as a player and help her new team win:
“Ultimately, winning,” she said. “Being consistent, working on my shot, getting more efficient from three. I have a lot of little technical things that I need to work on, and I feel like I’m going to achieve that here.”
Areas of Growth for Latson at South Carolina
Despite being a prolific scorer, Latson remains focused on refining her overall game. One of her top priorities is improving her three-point shooting. She’s a career 32.6% shooter from deep, and last season she boosted that to 34.3% — a significant jump from 27% the year before.
If she had played for South Carolina last season, she would have ranked fourth on the team in both three-point percentage and total makes (37). But for Latson, there’s still room to grow.
“That’s my biggest thing this year — 3-pointers,” she said. “Being more efficient and then also limiting my turnovers. My turnover-to-assist ratio needs to be better. That’s something I’m really trying to work on.”
Latson averaged a career-high 4.6 assists per game last season but also recorded 3.1 turnovers, another personal high. Both figures would have led the Gamecocks in their respective categories last year. She also contributed a career-best 4.6 rebounds per game, which would have made her the top rebounding guard on Dawn Staley’s squad.
And in true SEC spirit, Latson added with a smile:
“And then rebounding the ball, because I’m in the SEC now, baby.”
With her eyes set on greatness and her game still evolving, Ta’Niya Latson is poised to make a major impact in Columbia — and she’s betting big on herself to do it.
