South Carolina’s Maddy McDaniel Suspended, Will Miss Rivalry Matchup vs. Clemson
The South Carolina Gamecocks will be without sophomore point guard Maddy McDaniel in Tuesday night’s rivalry showdown against Clemson, as the program announced roughly an hour before tipoff that McDaniel has been suspended.
McDaniel has not seen game action since the first half of the season opener against Grand Canyon, when she exited with a knee injury after colliding with a defender on a screen. She remained down for several minutes before being helped to the locker room by head coach Dawn Staley and trainer Craig Oates.
Following that game, McDaniel was spotted at practice later in the week, shooting and doing light work on the side, but she did not play in the Gamecocks’ next contest against Bowling Green. She was, however, in uniform and participated in warmups, suggesting a potential return was near.
On Monday, McDaniel was absent from the media-viewing portion of practice. When asked about her status, Staley explained that McDaniel was still rehabbing and had not practiced.
“No, probably not,” Staley said when asked if McDaniel would be available for Tuesday’s game.
With McDaniel sidelined, Staley said the team has been taking a committee approach to the backup point guard role.
“A little bit of everybody,” she said when asked who would handle point guard duties behind Raven Johnson during the Bowling Green game.
Before her injury, McDaniel logged eight minutes in the opener, posting three points and two assists. Staley expressed optimism about her toughness after the initial injury scare.
“Maddy’s pretty tough, so I’m not too worried,” Staley said at the time, joking that McDaniel wouldn’t practice the following day — before acknowledging it was a scheduled off day anyway.
Last season, McDaniel averaged 3.1 points and 1.7 assists per game and was considered one of the surprise standouts early in the year, even challenging Raven Johnson for the starting point guard role. However, a midseason concussion sidelined her for three weeks after Christmas, and she struggled to regain her rhythm during SEC play.
Her suspension comes at a challenging time for South Carolina’s already thin roster, which has been hit hard by injuries. Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts are both out for the season with ACL tears, leaving the Gamecocks with just 10 active players available.
This remains a developing story, and updates will follow as more details about McDaniel’s suspension become available.
