South Carolina Faces Toughest Replacement Challenge: The Leadership of Sania Feagin
The South Carolina women’s basketball team is no stranger to reloading its roster, and this year is no different. The Gamecocks must replace three starters and their second-leading scorer from last season. On paper, the numbers can be made up. But what’s harder to replace is something that doesn’t show up in a box score: the positivity and leadership of Sania Feagin.
As a senior, Feagin blossomed into a steady contributor. She started all 38 games, logging nearly 20 minutes per night while averaging 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. Those stats are important, but they don’t capture the full impact she had on the team.
Feagin’s journey in Columbia was not smooth. A top-four recruit nationally, she saw limited minutes in her first two seasons and only carved out a consistent role as a junior. Many players in her position might have looked elsewhere. Feagin never did.
“I’m glad it worked out the way it did,” she reflected last spring, acknowledging the patience it took to reach her senior-year breakthrough.
That patience and resilience became contagious. Feagin built her reputation as the loudest voice on the bench, the first to celebrate a teammate’s success and the last to lose faith in them.
When Kamilla Cardoso drained a buzzer-beating three to stun Tennessee in the SEC tournament semifinals, nearly everyone admitted afterward they weren’t sure it would fall—even Cardoso herself. But Feagin didn’t hesitate.
“I knew it was going in,” she said. “I had so much faith and confidence in Kamilla. We do it every day. Every day after shootaround we go to the three-point line and shoot threes with (Coach Lisa) Boyer. I had so much confidence in her. I ran on the court before the ball even went in the net.”
True to her word, Feagin was already sprinting onto the floor in celebration before the ball splashed through.
That unwavering confidence is part of why Feagin landed a roster spot with the Los Angeles Sparks this summer. Teams knew she could embrace any role, even if it meant limited minutes, while still being a positive force in the locker room. And just like in Columbia, she’s become the first to leap off the bench when teammates hit game-winners.
On Wednesday night, Feagin finally saw action in her first game in nearly a month when the Sparks faced Atlanta. Playing in front of family and friends in her hometown made the moment even sweeter. She also reunited with her former Gamecock teammate Te-Hina Paopao, a mini “Dawn’s Daycare” reunion that had fans—and even Allisha Gray—smiling.
But back in Columbia, the question lingers: Who will be the next Feagin?
The Gamecocks still have their playful energy in players like Raven Johnson, Tessa Johnson, and Adhel Tac. The culture of joy isn’t going anywhere. What Dawn Staley’s squad must now discover is who will bring that same unwavering belief that every shot is going in, and every teammate can rise to the moment.
Because replacing stats is easy. Replacing Sania Feagin’s spirit? That’s the real challenge.
