Buse Opens Up on Her Recruitment — Everything Kaylor Buse Said and Why South Carolina’s Late Start Isn’t a Concern
Kaylor Buse is giving fans a closer look at how her recruitment is unfolding, breaking down her process with On3’s Talia Goodman just a week after naming South Carolina among her five finalists, joining Washington, Oregon, Utah, and TCU.
Her visit calendar is already taking shape. Buse has completed her official trip to Washington and has three more on the immediate horizon — TCU on August 28, Utah on September 11, and Oregon on September 18. South Carolina, notably, comes last. Buse won’t make it to Columbia until the weekend of October 3, when the Gamecocks also host Kentucky in football — a scheduling detail that fits neatly into Dawn Staley’s well-documented preference for closing out recruitments with the final visit.
That South Carolina got a late start compared to her other finalists doesn’t appear to bother Buse in the slightest. She explained the upside of the later timeline herself, saying, “I’m probably getting to know them more out of everyone else, just because it kind of came out a bit later. I think it was kind of a perfect time in my recruitment, just because like I think my recruitment’s been a very different process from I think a lot of people. I don’t think any of these are too late or it puts people at a detriment if they came in late.”
Her comments about Staley specifically stood out. Buse described the experience of first connecting with the head coach as surreal, saying, “Dawn is exactly who you think she is. It was kind of crazy calling her for the first time. That kind of felt unreal just because she’s Dawn Staley. I wasn’t shocked at all. She’s super down to earth and just very pure communication. You can tell what she’s about through the way she speaks highly of her players and of her program. I think every head coach is going to do that, but she just does it to a really authentic level.” She also pointed to the South Carolina fanbase as a draw, adding, “I’m excited to get on campus and meet the girls. Their fans are hilarious. Their fans are like blowing up each post. I’m just excited to be on campus, I think with that one, and see if the distance will be an indicator or not.”
On the court, Buse’s résumé backs up the five-star hype. The 5-foot-9 point guard led West Linn High School to its first-ever Oregon state championship while also guiding her travel program, Northwest Select, to the circuit semifinals. She earned first-team all-state honors as both a sophomore and junior, and was named league Defensive Player of the Year in each of her first three seasons. Last year alone, she averaged 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.6 steals — while also chipping in 1.3 blocks per game, an unusual number for a guard her size.
Her recruiting rankings have trended upward recently. ESPN had Buse at No. 77 nationally when South Carolina extended its offer; she has since climbed to No. 52 in ESPN’s latest update. She remains unranked by Rivals and On3.
Buse isn’t the only high-profile point guard target on South Carolina’s radar this cycle. The Gamecocks also have official visits lined up with Jezelle “GG” Banks and Jordyn Palmer, though neither has a confirmed date yet — Banks hasn’t announced hers, while Palmer’s is expected sometime in September. Banks, ranked as the second-best point guard and fourth overall prospect in the 2027 class per Rivals, told On3 she’ll take official visits to South Carolina, LSU, Texas, and Ohio State.
Palmer, meanwhile, arrives with fresh hardware. The fifth-ranked overall prospect in the class recently earned MVP honors while leading USA Basketball to gold at the U18 AmeriCup, averaging 18.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.2 steals in the process. She’s confirmed official visits to South Carolina and Ohio State for September, and told On3 she could still add trips to UCLA, Maryland, and her home-state program, Penn State.
Taken together, South Carolina’s recruiting board at the position is stacked with three of the class’s top guards — each weighing the Gamecocks against a different mix of competing programs, with decisions likely to trickle in over the coming months.
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