Tessa Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson Named South Carolina’s 2025 Iron Gamecocks After Offseason Breakout
As South Carolina women’s basketball gears up for its season opener against Grand Canyon, sports performance coach Molly Binetti revealed that Tessa Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson have been crowned this year’s Iron Gamecocks — a prestigious honor given to the team’s top offseason performers.
What Is the Iron Gamecock Award?
The Iron Gamecock award recognizes the two players who earn the highest scores across offseason training sessions. Points are awarded based on measurable growth in speed, power, strength, and conditioning — the foundation of the Gamecocks’ dominance.
Past honorees include elite names like Ashlyn Watkins, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Laeticia Amihere, and Destanni Henderson, a four-time winner.
Johnson Takes Top Spot
Sophomore guard Tessa Johnson claimed first place after a remarkable leap in her athletic performance since arriving in Columbia last year.
Johnson boosted her vertical jump from 21.6 to 26.6 inches and improved her broad jump from 7 feet to 7 feet, 8.5 inches. She also cut her ¾-court sprint time from 3.27 seconds to 3.14 seconds and went from doing zero chin-ups to nine.
Her steady development reflects not only physical progress but also the elite standards within Dawn Staley’s program.
Latson’s Rapid Rise
Transfer guard Ta’Niya Latson finished second — and did it in record time. Over just four months, Latson raised her vertical jump from 23 to 26.9 inches, improved her approach jump from 26.3 to 31.1 inches, and trimmed her ¾-court sprint from 3.16 to 3.06 seconds.
Even more impressively, she went from being unable to complete a chin-up to knocking out five by the end of the summer.
“When I came here, I wanted to be challenged,” Latson said in July. “I know this is my last year of college. Maybe freshman-year Ta’Niya would not agree with that, but I have grown a lot, and I know that is only gonna make me better.”
Head coach Dawn Staley praised Latson’s transformation, noting that her adjustment hasn’t been easy but has been “remarkable.”
“It’s so new. She’s like a freshman to us. Her hardest days are going to be in practice,” Staley said at SEC Tipoff in October. “I think what she’s been able to do since June until now is remarkable. I do see progress. She probably feels like it’s a heavy load, and that’s normal.”
Owning the Weight Room
Latson has also been candid about her past struggles with strength training.
“My first two years, I did not take the weight room serious,” she admitted to Sports Illustrated. “I had to hold myself accountable.”
The results have been immediate. In her Gamecock debut, Latson poured in 20 points and four assists on 7-of-10 shooting, signaling that her offseason grind is paying off.
Her next test comes Friday against Bowling Green, where she’ll look to keep that Iron Gamecock energy rolling.
