South Carolina’s Second Unit Built to Suffocate, Not Just Score
While most programs build their bench units around scoring punch, South Carolina appears headed in a different direction this season — assembling a second unit engineered for defensive dominance.
The projected group features point guard Brooke Quarles Daniels, guard Agot Makeer, wing Jordan Lee, forward Joyce Edwards, and post Ashlyn Watkins — a lineup that, on paper, could become one of the most disruptive five-player combinations on the roster, regardless of which unit they’re technically labeled.
A Defensive Identity, Not an Afterthought
Four of the five projected starters in this group — Daniels, Makeer, Lee, and Watkins — carry reputations as elite individual defenders. That’s not a coincidence. Rather than building bench depth around instant offense, South Carolina’s staff appears to be leaning into a philosophy where the second unit’s primary job is to wear down opponents, disrupt rhythm, and make every possession a fight.
Daniels brings the kind of perimeter defense that made her a Big Ten All-Defensive selection at Michigan, ranking second in the conference in steals last season. Makeer, already known for her ability to impact winning at multiple levels of competition — from South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament run to Canada’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying title — adds another disruptive presence on the ball and in passing lanes. Lee, a transfer addition from Texas, and Watkins, a returning forward who missed all of last season, round out a group capable of guarding multiple positions and switching seamlessly across possessions.
Edwards as the Offensive Release Valve
The lone true offensive focal point in this group is Joyce Edwards, whose versatility gives the unit a way to actually score once it forces turnovers or bad shots. Rather than needing all five players to generate points, the philosophy here seems to be built around Edwards initiating offense off the disruption created by her four defensive-minded teammates — turning stops into transition opportunities rather than relying on a traditional half-court scoring approach.
Why This Matters
For a program that’s already loaded with size and talent in its projected starting group, having a bench unit built specifically to smother opposing offenses gives Dawn Staley real flexibility. Instead of experiencing a drop-off in intensity when starters rest, South Carolina could actually ramp up defensive pressure with this second group — a luxury few teams in the country can claim.
If this unit performs as projected, it could become a genuine matchup problem for opponents unprepared for a bench mob that prioritizes turning defense into instant offense rather than settling into a slower, half-court script. For a team already carrying championship expectations, that kind of two-way depth could prove to be one of South Carolina’s most valuable weapons all season.
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