Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks open in the City of Light against Maryland on November 2 — here’s everything you need to know about the game, the setting, and the roster built to chase another championship.
COLUMBIA — When South Carolina women’s basketball tips off the 2026-27 season, it won’t be inside a familiar SEC arena or a neutral-site dome in the American South. It will be in Paris, France — one of the most iconic cities in the world — against the Maryland Terrapins on November 2.
The setting is extraordinary. The roster assembled to play in it might be even more so.
Dawn Staley brings back a group that blends proven championship experience, high-stakes returns from injury, and one of the most talented incoming classes in program history. From Paris to a potential national championship run in April, here is everything you need to know about the 2026-27 South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Paris Opener: Why It Matters Beyond the Box Score
Playing an opener in Paris isn’t just a logistical novelty — it’s a program statement. South Carolina women’s basketball has built itself into one of the most recognizable brands in all of college sports, and taking the season opener to an international stage reflects that status.
The opponent is Maryland, a program with its own rich tradition and Big Ten credentials. It’s a legitimate measuring-stick game against a quality opponent, played in a setting that will generate national and international attention in a way a November home opener simply cannot. For a program that recruits globally — with players like Justine Loubens arriving from France this very season — the symbolism of opening in Paris carries genuine recruiting and brand-building weight.
And for Loubens specifically, opening the season in her home country as a South Carolina Gamecock is a storyline that writes itself.
The Full 2026-27 Roster: A Complete Picture
Returning Starters
Tessa Johnson | Guard
Johnson returns as one of the program’s most experienced and reliable perimeter contributors. Her ability to create off the dribble and make shots in critical moments makes her a cornerstone of the starting lineup, and her experience in high-pressure situations — NCAA Tournament games, rivalry matchups, nationally televised contests — gives South Carolina a steadying presence when the game is on the line.
Joyce Edwards | Forward
Edwards returns as a proven frontcourt starter with the versatility to guard multiple positions and contribute on both ends. Her experience and motor give the Gamecocks a reliable two-way presence who understands Staley’s system and the demands it places on forwards.
Returning Reserves
Maddy McDaniel | Guard, 5-9, Junior
McDaniel steps into the most important new role on the roster — the starting point guard position vacated by Raven Johnson, now playing professionally for the Indiana Fever. After two seasons learning behind one of the program’s best point guards, McDaniel is the only true point guard among seven guards on the 2026-27 roster, making her ascension to the starting lineup the most significant internal development story of the offseason.
Agot Makeer | Guard
Makeer enters her sophomore season as one of the most intriguing players in the country after a breakout NCAA Tournament run — 14.0 points, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 46.2% from three. She is currently participating in Canada’s senior women’s national team training camp in Montreal, accumulating professional-level competition experience before she returns to Columbia in the fall. Expect a significantly expanded role.
Adhel Tac | Forward
Tac returns as a physical interior presence who provides rebounding and defensive toughness off the bench. Her ability to protect the paint gives Staley a reliable option when the Gamecocks need size and physicality in short bursts.
Ayla McDowell | Guard/Wing
McDowell’s versatility makes her a valuable piece in Staley’s rotation. Her ability to guard multiple positions and contribute in transition gives the Gamecocks defensive flexibility that matters in a deep roster configuration.
Alicia Tournebize | Forward/Center
Tournebize provides interior depth and a physical presence in the post that becomes especially important given South Carolina’s frontcourt injury history entering this season.
The High-Stakes Returns
Chloe Kitts | Forward
Kitts tore her ACL in October 2025, missing the entire 2025-26 season before it began. When healthy, she is one of the most dynamic forwards in the country — a powerful, versatile player who can score inside and out and defend multiple positions. Her full return is the single biggest potential upgrade on this roster from last season to this one. The summer practice period is critical for her reintegration into game speed and competitive rhythm.
Ashlyn Watkins | Forward/Center
Watkins’ return is the most complex storyline on the roster. She tore her ACL in January 2025 and subsequently announced in July 2025 that she was stepping away from both basketball and school for the entire year — a decision that reflected the full scope of the physical and emotional recovery required. When healthy, Watkins is an elite shot-blocker and interior defender who changes games without scoring a single point. Her return, if complete, gives South Carolina a defensive anchor that most programs simply cannot match.
The Transfer Addition
Jordan Lee | Guard, Texas
Lee arrives from Texas as the program’s lone transfer portal addition — a deliberate choice that reflects the depth already present on the roster rather than a gap that needed filling. A proven college guard who has competed at the highest level of the sport, Lee brings experience and competitive toughness that will push the existing guards in practice and provide Staley with a reliable option off the bench in meaningful situations.
The Freshman Class
Jerzy Robinson | Guard, 6-1
Robinson is the most college-ready freshman in the class and the one most likely to contribute immediately. Her offensive game is already described as NBA-style — she scores from all three levels, rebounds unusually well for her position, and has the size to play two or three different spots. She gives Staley a backup point guard option in crunch situations while also being capable of playing alongside McDaniel in two-guard lineups.
Oliviyah Edwards | Forward, 6-3
The highest-ceiling player in the class. Edwards dunks with ease, carries guard skills in a forward’s frame, and was rated the third-ranked recruit in the class based on pure upside. She is raw — she settles for jump shots when her athleticism should have her attacking — but her coachability and South Carolina’s development track record make her long-term outlook extraordinary. Expect a developmental season with flashes of what’s coming.
Kaeli Wynn | Wing, 6-2
Scouts rave about Wynn’s basketball IQ — her ability to read the game, make the right play, and impact winning without dominating the ball. She is recovering from surgery in December 2025 after battling through a series of injuries, and her health timeline is the primary variable surrounding her freshman season. South Carolina has enough depth that Wynn can develop on her own schedule, with the 2027-28 season as her true target for a major role.
Kelsi Andrews | Forward, 6-3
Andrews is a modern forward who can play in the low post and step out to the three-point line — a valuable combination at any level. She missed virtually all of her senior high school season to injury and showed conditioning issues at the 2026 U18 AmeriCup. Getting fully healthy and then building game shape is a two-step process that likely extends into her sophomore year before she’s a true rotation contributor.
Justine Loubens | Wing, 6-1 (France)
Loubens arrives from France with legitimate shooting touch, good size for her position, and the ability to finish around the rim. The dual adjustment of a new country and a new program is real, and South Carolina isn’t in a position where it needs to rush her development. The Paris opener — played in her home country — is a remarkable way for her to begin her college career. Her path to playing time runs through developing as a defender and playmaker alongside her natural shooting ability.
What to Expect: A Championship Contender With Depth to Spare
South Carolina enters 2026-27 as a legitimate national championship contender — perhaps the deepest roster Dawn Staley has ever assembled. The combination of experienced returners, two ACL comeback stories that could reshape the frontcourt, a point guard transition in McDaniel, and a freshman class with both immediate contributors and long-term investments creates a roster capable of going ten or eleven players deep without a significant drop in quality.
The keys to the season are straightforward:
Kitts and Watkins returning to full health is the variable that could elevate this team from very good to historically great. If both are back at their pre-injury levels, South Carolina’s frontcourt depth becomes almost impossible to match in the country.
McDaniel’s growth at point guard will define the team’s offensive identity. She has the preparation and the system knowledge — the question is whether she can consistently impose her will on opposing defenses the way Johnson did.
Makeer’s sophomore leap may be the most exciting individual development story in the sport. A player who averaged 14 points in the NCAA Tournament while shooting 46% from three is not a complementary piece — she is an emerging star, and her summer with Canada’s national team will only accelerate that trajectory.
Robinson’s immediate readiness gives Staley a freshman she can actually lean on when the game is tight — a rare luxury that gives the coaching staff genuine flexibility in late-game situations.
The Bottom Line
Paris on November 2 against Maryland is the opening chapter of what could be a remarkable season. The stage is global, the roster is loaded, and the program’s hunger after last season’s Final Four run has only sharpened the focus in Columbia.
From the City of Light to a potential national championship in April, South Carolina women’s basketball arrives for 2026-27 with everything it needs to go all the way.
Bonjour, indeed.
South Carolina opens the 2026-27 season on November 2 against Maryland in Paris. Summer practice is currently underway in Columbia.
