COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced today that five South Carolina women’s basketball players have been named to the Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watchlist. Sophomore Joyce Edwards, seniors Raven Johnson, Chloe Kitts, Ta’Niya Latson, and freshman Agot Makeer give the Gamecocks one of only two teams in the nation with five selections on the list.
Edwards, coming off an honorable mention All-America campaign, continues to appear on every major national player of the year watch list. She leads South Carolina with 18.0 points per game, ranking sixth in the SEC. Her offensive numbers place her among the league’s top 15 in both field-goal percentage (.556) and offensive rebounds (3.0). Defensively, she sits fourth in the SEC at 2.3 blocks per game.
Johnson enters her fourth season as South Carolina’s starting point guard and ranks eighth in program history in career assists. Her consistent leadership has earned her spots on three of the four national player of the year watch lists. This season, she stands fourth in the SEC and 24th nationally with 6.0 assists per game, and her 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is eighth in the conference. Johnson already has two double-doubles this year, most recently delivering 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Gamecocks’ win over #8/10 Southern Cal. Her veteran poise has anchored a team still building chemistry despite carrying a #2/2 national ranking.
Kitts, despite being sidelined for the entire 2025–26 season after October ACL surgery, remains on the Wooden Award list due to her outstanding performance last year. Her 2023–24 postseason was exceptional — earning NCAA Regional and SEC Tournament MVP honors — and she led the Gamecocks in both scoring (10.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) during the NCAA Tournament. For the season, Kitts ranked ninth in the SEC with 7.7 rebounds per game while averaging 10.2 points on 52.0 percent shooting.
Latson, another preseason candidate for all national player of the year honors, transferred to South Carolina after a high-scoring career at Florida State. She sought a chance to elevate her overall game, and early results show she has done exactly that. While improving defensively and expanding her vision on the floor, Latson still ranks 19th in the SEC with 15.3 points per game, shooting a career-best 51.2 percent, good for 15th in the conference. She is also contributing 3.3 assists per game while helping USC maintain the nation’s top field-goal percentage defense.
Makeer has translated her strong high school résumé and Team Canada international experience into an impactful freshman season. Ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2025, the long, versatile guard is averaging 6.8 points on 47.4 percent shooting alongside 1.3 blocks per game. She also appears on the Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Year Watchlist.
The No. 2/2 Gamecocks return to action this week with two home games at Colonial Life Arena. They face Winthrop on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. on SEC Network, then host Queens University on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. on SECN+.
