On Wednesday, I opened the discussion for women’s basketball topics on The Insiders Forum, and fans delivered plenty of questions. Below is a selection of the conversations, edited for clarity.
NEW! South Carolina Women’s Basketball Message Board!
CockyGirl: Were you encouraged or discouraged by the Texas loss?
I started off discouraged, but the more I reflected on it, the more encouraged I became. The game felt a lot like last season’s matchup in Austin. In that one, “all the Gamecocks had to do was make a normal percentage of free throws, and they would have won.”
Likewise, in Las Vegas, “all they had to do was not go 5-18 on layups in the first half, and they would win by three or four scores.”
RoosterPrime: What’s your gut instinct on Jerzy Robinson and Alicia Tournebize?
When it comes to Tournebize, I truly don’t know. If she chooses the college route, I like South Carolina’s odds, but it’s uncertain whether she’ll go that direction at all. Her mother’s relationship with Boyer seems strong, and it helps that “her mom did the NCAA to WNBA route.”
As for Jerzy Robinson, I still feel good about the Gamecocks’ chances. I’ve mentioned before that “Nike seems to want her wearing A’Ones (or A’Twos),” and after talking with people who know more, nobody has confirmed it—“but nobody has pushed back either.”
Kookster: Since Wendale Farrow has strong ties in California, does this give us a real shot with Kaleena Smith and Sydney ‘Bean’ Douglas?
I haven’t dug deeply into the 2027 class yet, so I can only speak generally. South Carolina will always be in the mix because the program carries that level of influence. If you’re a 5-6 point guard, “who better to learn from than a 5-6 Naismith-winning point guard?”
And if you’re a 6-7 post player, well, “who had the three best centers in the WNBA last season?”
Farrow and USC have been involved with both prospects for years. However, with elite recruits, NIL often becomes the deciding factor, and “you never know when someone might decide to make a godfather offer.”
CockyGirl: Given your profession, can you watch close games without caring about the result, or do you get invested?
From a professional standpoint, the ideal game is one that’s decided by halftime with a solid storyline—and if USC wins, even better, because “you rarely get good quotes after a loss.”
During tight games like Texas or Louisville, when every play matters, you’re typing so quickly to capture the details that emotional investment becomes almost impossible. And of course, “100% of the time, those are the games where your computer or the CMS stops cooperating,” leaving a row of exhausted writers muttering at their laptops.
That said, I generally root for players because I’ve personally liked almost all of them. But in the closing minutes of a tense game, that’s usually the last thing on my mind.
So tell us a player you didn’t like?
Rather than name someone I disliked, here are a few of my favorites: “Maryam, Tessa, Breezy, Aliyah, Adhel, Sania, Khadijah,” and “A’ja has never given a bad quote.”
Joyce is consistently great to speak with as well. Interestingly, many players—“like Ashlyn and Fulwiley”—prefer to chat about anything other than basketball.
