The ink had barely dried on the 2026 WNBA Draft results when Dawn Staley shifted her full attention to the most pressing challenge facing the South Carolina women’s basketball programme — rebuilding a backcourt that sent three players to the professional ranks in a single night. The Gamecocks are wasting no time, and at the top of their transfer portal wish list sits one of the most coveted guards available anywhere in the country.
According to On3, South Carolina is hosting former Texas guard Jordan Lee for a visit — a recruitment that could prove to be one of the most consequential roster moves of the entire offseason.
The Void That Must Be Filled
To understand why the Jordan Lee pursuit matters so deeply, you have to first appreciate the scale of what South Carolina lost in a single draft evening. The Gamecocks are losing four starters from their national championship game roster, including point guard Raven Johnson and shooting guard Ta’Niya Latson. Both were drafted on Monday night, joining Madina Okot as first and second-round selections. The backcourt, once one of the most experienced and decorated in the country, must now be rebuilt almost entirely from scratch.
Dawn Staley has identified guard play and athleticism as areas that need to be addressed through the transfer market. At the Final Four in Phoenix, she was even more direct — stating publicly that the Gamecocks need to get more athletic at the guard position. That candid self-assessment from one of the most successful coaches in the history of women’s basketball signals just how seriously she is taking this offseason rebuild. Jordan Lee, it turns out, may be the exact answer Staley has been looking for.
Who Is Jordan Lee?
The California native arrived at Texas in the 2024 recruiting class as one of the most heralded prospects in the country. Lee arrived on the Forty Acres as a McDonald’s All-American ranked as the No. 9 player nationally. She did not disappoint. As a freshman, Lee earned All-SEC Freshman team recognition after starting in five of the 39 games in which she appeared, averaging 6.2 points per game, and flashing some range from deep by leading the team with 42 made three-pointers, hitting 39.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Her sophomore campaign was where she truly announced herself as a program-altering talent. In 2025-26, Lee started 38 of 39 games, finishing second on the team in minutes per game (31.7) and points per game (13.2), and third in steals (59) while shooting 34.8 percent from three to lead the team with 72 made threes. She also delivered one of the most memorable performances of the entire college season, scoring 16 points in the Final Four against South Carolina — a performance that, in a twist of fate, may have helped put her directly on Staley’s radar.
ESPN analysts have described Lee as the best two-way player in the portal, citing her work as a perimeter defender and her basketball IQ. That combination of offensive production and defensive commitment is precisely the profile Staley has always sought in her guards. Crucially, Lee has two seasons of eligibility remaining — meaning this is not a one-year rental. She is a long-term investment.
The Texas Exodus and What It Means
Lee’s entry into the portal is part of a broader and striking departure from Austin. Jordan Lee, Justice Carlton, Aaliyah Crump, and Aaliyah Moore are all reportedly entering the NCAA transfer portal following Texas’s Final Four run — a mass departure that underscores the volatility of the modern college landscape, even for programs performing at the highest level. Three players who projected to be starters alongside Madison Booker and played significant roles in the Longhorns’ Final Four run — Jordan Lee, Aaliyah Crump, and Justice Carlton — are gone.
The departure is significant context for South Carolina’s pursuit. Lee is not leaving because she struggled — she is leaving a winning programme at the peak of her college powers, which means she arrives at her next destination with full confidence, Final Four experience, and championship habits already deeply ingrained.
A Recruitment With Deep Roots
What gives South Carolina a meaningful edge in this pursuit is the history that already exists between the programme and the player. South Carolina recruited former Texas guards Aaliyah Crump and Jordan Lee in high school. That prior relationship means Staley and her staff are not starting from scratch — they are reconnecting with a prospect who already considered Columbia during the most important decision of her young career. The trust and familiarity built during that initial recruitment process is an invaluable head start.
What Lee Brings to the Gamecocks
On the court, the fit is almost self-evident. South Carolina has only one true point guard for next season in Maddy McDaniel, and Staley has been explicit about the need for more athleticism and depth in the backcourt. Lee checks every box on that list. She is a proven big-game performer, a high-volume three-point shooter — a starter on a Final Four team and the Longhorns’ second-leading scorer at 13.2 points per game — and a legitimate two-way guard capable of guarding multiple positions. Her defensive intensity and perimeter versatility would slot beautifully into South Carolina’s defensive identity, while her scoring ability off ball screens and in transition would give the Gamecocks an entirely new offensive weapon.
As of this week, Jordan Lee remains uncommitted, meaning the race is still wide open. The transfer portal window runs through April 20, giving both parties a narrow but meaningful window to make a decision that could reshape the trajectory of both careers.
What to Expect
South Carolina’s visit from Jordan Lee this week is one of the most significant recruiting moments of the Gamecocks’ offseason. The transfer portal closes April 20 , creating urgency for all parties. For Lee, Columbia offers a proven championship system, a coach who has sent more than two dozen players to the WNBA, and the chance to step into an immediate leadership role on a team that returns elite frontcourt talent in Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts, and others.
For Staley and South Carolina, landing Jordan Lee would be a statement move — the kind of portal acquisition that signals to the rest of the country that the Gamecocks are not rebuilding. They are reloading. And as the visit gets underway in Columbia, the women’s basketball world will be watching closely to see whether one of the sport’s most storied programmes can convince one of the portal’s brightest stars to call the Palmetto State home.
