South Carolina will be shorthanded again when it takes the floor against Penn State on Sunday afternoon, as two key players will be unavailable.
Although all 10 Gamecocks were dressed and warming up ahead of tipoff, the program announced just over 30 minutes before the game that Madina Okot and Agot Makeer would not play.
Head coach Dawn Staley hinted Friday that her team might not be at full strength, but she stopped short of offering specifics.
“For the most part,” Staley said. “I don’t know. Every day is an adventure. But I’ll tell you this, whoever we have we’re going to play to the best of our ability.”
During the portion of Friday’s practice that was open to the media, everyone except Okot was present. Staley declined to elaborate on Okot’s status at the time.
Freshman Agot Makeer, who missed the Louisville and NC Central games while in concussion protocol, did participate in practice Friday. Staley said Makeer was “better,” but emphasized that the staff was being cautious about ramping her back up.
That caution ultimately led to both players being sidelined Sunday.
“With Agot you just have to be careful. We don’t want a second (concussion). We’re very, very careful about how we’re going to use her,” Staley said. “It was good to have her in practice doing a little bit of things, but not all things.”
Their absences loom large against a Penn State frontcourt led by 6-foot-6 Gracie Merkle. Merkle leads the nation in field goal percentage at 74.59 percent, averages 22.3 points per game (10th nationally) and pulls down 8.0 rebounds per contest. Earlier this season, she erupted for 39 points on 19-of-23 shooting against Princeton.
Health issues have repeatedly tested South Carolina’s depth. In the NC Central game, Tessa Johnson missed her first contest of the season due to illness, while Okot sat out the second half after also falling sick. After that game, Staley summed it up simply: “It’s going around.”
The roster challenges trace back to July, when Ashlyn Watkins announced she would miss the season, reducing the Gamecocks to 11 players. Just over a month before the season tipped off, Chloe Kitts was lost for the year with a torn ACL, leaving South Carolina with only 10 healthy players — a slim margin for a program accustomed to playing nine or 10 deep.
Through 10 games, the Gamecocks have started with all 10 available players just four times and finished with a full roster only three times.
The issues began in the preseason when Ayla McDowell missed the North Carolina game due to illness. In the season opener against Grand Canyon, Maddy McDaniel exited early after banging knees and went on to miss the next four games because of the injury and a suspension. Makeer was injured against Bowling Green after being stepped on, leaving South Carolina with eight players; she returned for Clemson but has since missed two games while in concussion protocol.
The situation reached its most extreme point against NC Central. With Makeer already out and Johnson sidelined by illness, Okot left the game less than four minutes before halftime due to sickness. Though she returned to the bench after an extended break, she did not re-enter the game, leaving the Gamecocks with just seven available players.
Afterward, Staley explained her mindset of focusing solely on who is able to play.
“I only see what’s in front of us. So we had eight today. I only see eight,” Staley said. “We got reduced to seven, I only see seven. We’re going to play the hand that we’re dealt to the best of our ability. We can worry about whatever, whenever. But for me, whoever’s healthy, let us know who’s healthy, and then we can take it from there.”
