From First-Ever Tournament Bid to a New Era: What to Know About College of Charleston Women’s Basketball Ahead of South Carolina Showdown
The Coastal Athletic Association has never seen a season quite like the one College of Charleston women’s basketball just turned in — and now, with a new head coach at the wheel, the Cougars are about to test themselves against the top-ranked team in the country.
Last season: a program-defining run
College of Charleston finished the 2025–26 season 27–6 overall and 16–2 in CAA play, winning both the conference regular season and tournament championships. That mark was good enough for their first-ever at-large bid to the WNIT the year before, but this time the Cougars did one better. Charleston beat Hofstra 68-56 to capture the CAA Tournament title, becoming the first No. 1 seed to win the conference championship since 2017. The win punched the program’s first-ever ticket to the NCAA Tournament. They fell in the first round to Duke, 81-64.
The individual accolades matched the team success. Junior guard Taryn Barbot became the first player in program history to win back-to-back CAA Player of the Year honors, leading the conference at 19.4 points per game. Forward Grace Ezebilo was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year after ranking among the nation’s best rebounders, and Robin Harmony took home CAA Coach of the Year honors. Ezebilo also set Charleston’s single-season records for offensive rebounds (158), total rebounds (397) and rebounds per game (12.0), including a program-record 24-board outing at Campbell.
A new coach takes over
The off season brought the biggest twist: Harmony is no longer running the show. Amanda Butler, the former head coach at Clemson and Florida, signed a five-year deal to lead the Cougars, taking over a day after the school hired Akron’s John Groce as men’s head coach. Butler spent the two seasons prior as an assistant at Louisville, helping the Cardinals reach back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, and previously led Clemson to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years, earning 2019 ACC Coach of the Year. Her career head coaching record sits at 311-264.
Charleston players to watch
- Taryn Barbot — the two-time reigning CAA Player of the Year and the engine of Charleston’s offense.
- Taylor Barbot — Taryn’s twin sister, an All-CAA First Team selection who started all 33 games last season and posted the third triple-double in program history.
- Grace Ezebilo — the reigning CAA Defensive Player of the Year and the CAA’s premier rebounder.
Current form: a new era begins on the biggest stage
Charleston hasn’t played a regular-season game yet this fall — the Cougars open their 2026-27 campaign at the Highlands Invitational. But their first real test comes early and loud: on Sunday, September 27, South Carolina and Charleston square off in an exhibition as part of TheLinkU Invitational at Credit One Stadium in Charleston.
South Carolina’s current form
That opponent could hardly be tougher. South Carolina finished the 2025-26 season as national runner-up, falling 79-51 to UCLA in the championship game — its second consecutive title-game appearance and loss. The Gamecocks went 36-4 and won a fifth consecutive SEC regular-season title under 18th-year coach Dawn Staley.
Heading into 2026-27, South Carolina lost key departures Ta’Niya Latson, Raven Johnson, Maryam Dauda, and likely Madina Okot, but Staley has reloaded. The Gamecocks are the No. 1 team in ESPN’s way-too-early preseason rankings, boosted by the transfer addition of Jordan Lee from Texas, with Staley not losing any of her returners to the portal.
South Carolina players to watch
- Joyce Edwards — a two-time First-Team All-SEC forward and 2026 Second-Team AP All-American.
- Tessa Johnson and Maddy McDaniel — with McDaniel expected to step into the full-time point guard role.
- Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts — veterans working back from injury who could push South Carolina toward a seventh straight Final Four.
- Ayla McDowell — the sophomore forward whose hearing-loss journey with Staley made headlines this week, now entering the season more confident on both ends of the floor.
The stakes:
Sunday’s exhibition is more than a preseason tune-up — it’s Amanda Butler’s coaching debut against the presumptive No. 1 team in the country, and a chance for Charleston’s championship core to see where they stack up against college basketball’s gold standard just months after their own historic breakthrough.
About The Author
