Buse Snubs South Carolina, Commits to TCU in Recruiting Setback for Staley / sportsearchers.com

HiSouth Carolina’s pursuit of one of Oregon’s top guard prospects has officially come to an end — and not in the Gamecocks’ favor. West Linn senior point guard Kaylor Buse announced her college decision Monday night on KATU News, choosing TCU over South Carolina and three other finalists.

A Recruitment South Carolina Ultimately Lost

Buse’s decision closes the book on what had been a competitive recruitment involving five finalists: Oregon, Washington, Utah, TCU, and South Carolina. Despite Dawn Staley’s program landing on that shortlist, the Gamecocks were unable to close, with Buse instead heading to a program that’s built a reputation for developing standout guards like Olivia Miles and Hailey Van Lith.

The outcome tracks with warning signs that emerged earlier in her recruitment — Buse had already announced her commitment date before she was ever scheduled to make an official visit to Columbia, a scheduling gap that made it clear South Carolina was never going to get the chance to close the deal in person before her decision.

A Genuine Miss for South Carolina’s Class

The loss stings given Buse’s credentials. The four-star point guard, rated among the most highly recruited girls’ basketball prospects in Oregon by ESPN, enters her senior season fresh off leading West Linn to the OSAA 6A state championship — a résumé that made her a legitimate target worth pursuing at the national level.

South Carolina now has to look elsewhere in the backcourt after failing to land one of its top guard targets this cycle, a real blow for a program that had reportedly prioritized point guard depth heading into this recruiting class. With the position already thin on South Carolina’s current roster, missing on a player of Buse’s caliber only adds to questions about how the Gamecocks will address the need going forward.

TCU Wins the Recruiting Battle

For TCU, landing Buse represents a genuine recruiting win, continuing the program’s trend of attracting top guard talent nationally. For South Carolina, it’s simply another name to cross off the board — and a reminder that even a program with Staley’s pedigree and track record doesn’t win every recruiting battle it enters, especially when scheduling and geography work against them.

With Buse now off the board entirely, South Carolina’s remaining point guard targets — including Jezelle “GG” Banks and others still weighing their options — take on even greater importance. Whether the Gamecocks can salvage the backcourt portion of this class remains to be seen, but this latest result is unlikely to inspire much confidence among fans hoping for reinforcements at the position.