South Carolina’s season ended in heartbreak, falling to UCLA in the national championship game. But even in defeat, Dawn Staley’s program remains one of the most talent-rich in the country. Here’s a comprehensive look at what the Gamecocks figure to look like when they return to the floor next season.
(Stats do not include the national championship game)
Departing Players
Raven Johnson | RS Senior | Point Guard | 5-9
Season: 10.0 ppg, 5.2 apg, 4.0 rpg | Career: 6.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg
There are players who define a program’s identity, and Raven Johnson was one of them. A three-year starter — and a finisher even before she cracked the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman — Johnson became the heartbeat of South Carolina’s backcourt. Her offensive numbers were never eye-popping, fluctuating from game to game, but her defense was a constant. She was relentless, disruptive, and exactly the kind of player a Dawn Staley system is built around.
The point guard position is arguably the most critical role on any Staley-coached team, and Johnson’s exit leaves a void that goes well beyond statistics. Leadership, defensive identity, and floor command — all of it now needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
Ta’Niya Latson | Senior | Guard | 5-9
Season: 14.4 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.9 rpg | Career: 20.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.8 apg
Latson’s arrival raised eyebrows — a transfer with gaudy career numbers who had a rocky transition into the South Carolina system. But what she became by March told a far more compelling story. She evolved into a versatile two-way contributor, a perimeter scorer who learned to defend and rebound at a high level. By tournament time, she was one of the Gamecocks’ most reliable and impactful players.
Her ability to draw fouls and manufacture points in the half-court is exactly the kind of skill that doesn’t replace itself easily. The Gamecocks will feel her absence most acutely when games tighten and shots need to be created under pressure.
Maryam Dauda | RS Senior | Forward | 6-4
Season: 2.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.3 apg | Career: 4.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.6 apg
Dauda’s contribution never showed up prominently in a box score, and that’s precisely the point. Championship programs are built not just on stars, but on players who accept their role without ego, prepare every day, and are ready when called upon. Dauda was that player for two seasons in Columbia. Those players are harder to replace than most people realize.
Madina Okot | Senior | Post | 6-6 (Fingers Crossed)
Season: 13.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.0 apg | Career: 12.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 0.9 apg
When South Carolina identified its need for a dominant post presence entering 2024-25, Okot answered that call emphatically. A double-double machine who anchored the paint, she gave the Gamecocks something they desperately needed and delivered throughout the season.
Now her future hangs on a procedural thread. Okot and the program are pursuing an NCAA waiver that would allow her to return for at least one more season. The clock, however, is unforgiving — she has a 48-hour window to declare for the WNBA Draft, and bypassing the draft without a waiver in hand is not a viable option. If Ashlyn Watkins returns to full health and rejoins the roster as expected, the Gamecocks may not need to replace Okot outright — but losing her without a safety net would be a significant blow to the frontcourt.
Returning Players
Maddy McDaniel | Junior | Point Guard | 5-9
Season: 4.4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 rpg | Career: 3.8 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 rpg
McDaniel is the natural heir to Raven Johnson’s role, and there are genuine reasons for optimism. She attacks the rim, draws fouls, takes care of the ball, and plays with defensive engagement. But inheriting a starting role and inheriting the weight of running a program are two very different things. McDaniel has never operated as the full-time floor general, and her three-point shooting remains a work in progress.
More pressing is her injury history — four separate stints on the shelf across two seasons is a durability concern that cannot be glossed over heading into a year when the point guard position is already thin.
Tessa Johnson | Senior | Guard | 6-0
Season: 12.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 44.2 3P% | Career: 9.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 44.2 3P%
For years, the nickname “Tournament Tessa” captured something real — a player who elevated when the stakes rose highest. This season, she rendered the qualifier unnecessary. Johnson led the SEC in three-point shooting, showed range in the mid-range, and demonstrated the ability to create off the dribble. Her defense still has room to grow, but everything else about her game made her one of the most reliable contributors on the roster from start to finish.
She’s a lock to return, and she figures to be one of the first names penciled into Staley’s lineup when practice begins in the fall.
Joyce Edwards | Junior | Forward | 6-3
Season: 19.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.4 apg | Career: 16.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.8 apg
Edwards shattered South Carolina’s single-season scoring record and produced stretches where she looked like the best player in the country. She will be the centerpiece of next season’s offense — a given. But the film from this season also reveals real limitations. Against bigger, more physical opponents, Edwards struggled to impose her will inside. Her perimeter shooting was inconsistent enough that defenses could sag off her without serious consequence, compressing her driving lanes.
For South Carolina to reach its ceiling next season, Edwards needs to make the next leap — becoming a player who cannot be schemed against, rather than one who must be managed around a game plan.
Adhel Tac | RS Junior | Post | 6-5
Season: 3.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.8 bpg | Career: 2.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.4 bpg
Tac’s development trajectory was encouraging before a left foot injury ended her season prematurely in early February. She’s already proven she can contribute on both ends. Even during her recovery, she stepped into a player-coach role within the program, her voice carrying genuine weight in the locker room. Her health heading into next season is the only real question — if she’s cleared and available, she adds real depth to a frontcourt that needs it.
Chloe Kitts | RS Senior | Forward | 6-2
Season: DNP (Knee) | Career: 8.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 apg
An All-American a season ago, Kitts missed all of 2024-25 after undergoing preseason knee surgery. Her recovery has reportedly progressed well beyond initial expectations. Barring setbacks, there’s every reason to believe Kitts comes back as the player she was before the injury — a versatile, physical forward who can score, rebound, and defend. Her return could be the single biggest addition to next season’s roster, giving Edwards a legitimate second option and reducing the burden on everyone else around her.
Ayla McDowell | Sophomore | Wing | 6-1
Season: 4.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 36.3 3P%
McDowell gradually fell out of the rotation as SEC play intensified, which underscores the challenge ahead for her development. The tools are there — she shoots, defends, and rebounds with effort — but there’s no single skill currently at an elite enough level to demand consistent minutes on a Final Four roster. Players like McDowell who play hard and can shoot tend to find ways to contribute, but she needs a clear area of dominance entering her sophomore year.
Alicia Tournebize | Sophomore | Forward | 6-7
Season: 4.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.6 bpg
Tournebize’s story is one of the more interesting subplots of the season. She arrived mid-year from France having barely played, stepped into a major college program, and flashed glimpses of serious potential at 6-7. Her minutes tapered during the NCAA Tournament, which was predictable — you can’t expect an 18-year-old making mid-season adjustments to be tournament-ready immediately. What she showed in February and March was enough to generate real excitement. With a full offseason and a training regimen designed to add strength, her ceiling is legitimately significant.
Agot Makeer | Sophomore | Wing | 6-2
Season: 7.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg
Makeer entered as one of the more raw top-10 recruits in recent memory, and injuries further complicated her regular season development. Then the tournament happened, and she looked like a different player entirely — explosive, disruptive, capable of creating her own offense while locking down opponents on the other end. Long, athletic, and with a natural feel for the game, she looks like exactly the kind of cornerstone player programs build around. If her tournament showing is a preview of what’s coming, South Carolina may already have one of its best players for the next three years.
Additions
Ashlyn Watkins | Forward | 6-3
Career: 7.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Watkins sat out the entire 2024-25 season to recover from a torn ACL and reset mentally. Dawn Staley has publicly said she expects Watkins back in May, and recent social media activity showing Watkins working out suggests she’s on track. When healthy, she was the best interior defender on a South Carolina team that featured SEC Defensive Player of the Year Kamilla Cardoso — and Watkins was still considered the superior defender at the rim. She plays physically beyond her listed size. If Okot doesn’t return, Watkins is the answer at the five. If Okot does return, the Gamecocks have a genuinely formidable frontcourt.
Jerzy Robinson | Guard | 6-1
Robinson projects as Latson’s replacement in the most meaningful sense — a guard who can put points on the board and get to the free throw line. The stylistic comparison only goes so far; Robinson is bigger, stronger, and more of a rebounder than Latson was. But the functional role is the same: perimeter scorer who manufactures offense and holds up defensively. She looks like a program-defining addition for the next four years.
Kaeli Wynn | Forward | 6-2
The three-and-D label sometimes feels like a consolation in recruiting coverage. It shouldn’t. Players who can space the floor and guard their position are the connective tissue of successful rosters — they make stars better and prevent opponents from hiding weak links. Wynn projects to be exactly that kind of player, and that kind of player is what wins championships.
Kelsi Andrews | Post | 6-4
Andrews is the highest-upside addition of the group. A physically imposing post who can score inside, stretch defenses with the three-ball, rebound in traffic, and block shots, she profiles as a complete modern center. An injury-interrupted high school career is the one legitimate concern. If she arrives healthy and stays healthy, her ceiling is among the highest on next year’s roster.
Roster Breakdown
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Posts | 2 (not including Okot) |
| Forwards | 5 |
| Wings | 2 |
| Guards | 2 |
| Point Guards | 1 |
| Total | 12 |
Transfer Needs: The Guard Question
After the national championship loss, Staley was direct about where the program needs to add:
“Obviously, we’ve got to add some guard play, definitely some lead guard play, some more athleticism in the guard department. I think our front line is pretty good, especially the ones that are coming back from injury, coming back to our team. We’ve got to add some guard play.”
The frontcourt situation is manageable. The backcourt is not — at least not yet.
With McDaniel’s injury history and no true backup point guard on the roster, South Carolina is one ankle sprain away from a genuine crisis at the most important position on the floor. Tessa Johnson and Agot Makeer can handle the ball in a pinch, but neither is a natural point guard, and running them there full-time would undercut everything that makes them valuable. That’s not a recipe for another Final Four run.
The program also faces a philosophical roster question. Staley has been clear that she prefers to keep the roster between 12 and 13 players — quality over volume. The one exception she’d likely consider is an All-American-caliber transfer who simply can’t be turned away. Latson’s journey this season — arriving raw, developing under Staley, and dramatically elevating her WNBA Draft stock — has become a compelling blueprint for high-profile transfers looking for one final developmental push. If that model attracts another impact player to Columbia, Staley won’t complain about being overcrowded.
The Gamecocks will return talented, hungry, and deep. But the guard room needs reinforcement before next October, and how aggressively Staley addresses that need will go a long way toward determining whether South Carolina is playing for another title next April.
