The State’s “Best to Wear It” series concludes with the final chapter — a look back at the most decorated players to don jersey numbers 41 through 55 in South Carolina women’s basketball history. From program legends to unsung contributors, these numbers tell the full story of a program built across generations.
No. 41 — Alaina Coates (2013-17): The Dominant Force
Of all the selections in this final installment, none is more clear-cut than No. 41. Alaina Coates did not just wear this number — she defined it.
The Irmo native arrived as a freshman and made an immediate statement, averaging 12.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in her debut season — numbers that earned her the SEC Freshman of the Year award from the league’s coaches, SEC Newcomer of the Year from the AP, SEC Co-6th Player of the Year, an All-SEC Second Team nod, and a Freshman All-American selection. It was one of the most decorated freshman campaigns in program history.
She never stopped from there. By the time Coates walked out of Columbia, she had become a four-time All-SEC honoree, two-time SEC All-Defense selection, three-time NCAA Tournament All-Region selection, and a three-time All-American. Her career averages of 12.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game produced 1,603 career points (13th all-time) and 1,230 rebounds (3rd all-time). In the final two years of her career she averaged a double-double, including leading the entire SEC in rebounding at 10.3 per game in 2015-16.
The capstone was lifting the program to its first national championship in 2017 — a moment that cemented Coates as one of the signature players of the Dawn Staley era.
Honorable mention: Lakesha Tolliver (2004-08)
No. 42 — Nikki Miars (1996-99): The Ultimate Floor General
Three players have worn No. 42 in program history, and while the competition is modest, Nikkia Miars distinguished herself in ways that hold up decades later.
A starter in all 108 games she played as a Gamecock, Miars finished her career with 1,263 points, 385 assists, 369 rebounds, and 210 steals — a remarkably complete statistical profile for a guard of her era. She earned All-SEC Second Team recognition in 1997 after averaging 15 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2.3 assists per game.
What makes her career arc particularly compelling is the evolution of her playmaking. As her scoring dipped in her final two seasons, her vision sharpened — her assist numbers climbed from 1.3 per game in her first year to 5.0 per game as a junior and 4.3 per game as a senior. Her career average of 3.6 assists per game ranks No. 8 in program history, and she remains statistically one of the program’s premier free-throw shooters.
Honorable mentions: Jean Walling (1977-80), Cynthia Jacobs (1978-80)
No. 44 — Mindy Ballou (1982-86): The Assists Queen
This was the closest call in the entire final installment. Ballou and Annie Lester both have legitimate claims, and both filled the stat sheet during their respective eras.
Lester’s case is strong — 1,488 points, 785 rebounds, an All-SEC Freshman nod, and two additional All-SEC selections. She ranks No. 16 in all-time program scoring, No. 7 in offensive rebounds, and No. 8 in steals.
But Ballou’s playmaking record is simply untouchable. Her 7.3 assists per game in the 1983-84 season remains the most in a single season in program history. Her career total of 595 assists ranks No. 4 all-time, and her career average of 5.2 assists per game still sits No. 2 in the program record book. Add three All-American selections and an All-Metro nod in 1986, and Ballou edges ahead as the more historically significant figure.
Her numbers have not just survived the decades — they have endured the era of pace-and-space basketball and remain firmly planted in the record books.
Honorable mentions: Annie Lester (1996-2000), Jenny Randall (1991-95), Medina Dixon (1981-82)
No. 45 — Jocelyn Penn (1998-2003): The Complete Player
If there is an underappreciated legend in South Carolina women’s basketball history, it may be Jocelyn Penn. The numbers she put up during her five-year career in Columbia place her among the most complete players the program has ever produced.
Penn finished her career top 10 in the program record book in multiple categories: 1,939 total points (No. 6 all-time), 803 rebounds, and 359 steals — which still rank No. 1 in program history. That last number alone speaks to an elite two-way impact that few Gamecocks have matched.
Her All-SEC season came in 2002, when she averaged 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and helped lead South Carolina to the Elite Eight. But her defining year was her senior season, when she averaged an extraordinary 23.9 points per game, led the SEC with 3.5 steals per game, and posted an effective field goal percentage of 64.4%. The Associated Press and the US Basketball Writers Association both named her an All-American that year.
That legacy was formally recognized when Penn was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
No. 50 — Renee Najarian (1983-85): Sole Owner
Najarian is the only player in program history to wear No. 50, which makes the selection straightforward — but her accomplishments as a Gamecock are worth acknowledging on their own merit.
In just two seasons, she averaged 10 points per game, earned Freshman All-American honors after scoring 8.6 per game in 1983-84, and followed that up with an All-American selection after averaging 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in her sophomore year.
Her career extended to UConn, where she averaged 17.1 and 10.9 points per game across two seasons and earned two All-Big East honors — a testament to the foundation built during her time in Columbia.
No. 51 — Shanta Jeffcoat (1996-2000): Sole Owner
Like Najarian at No. 50, Jeffcoat is the only player in program history to wear No. 51, making this selection by default. But her four years as a Gamecock were defined by consistency, versatility, and academic distinction.
Jeffcoat played 103 games for South Carolina — making 18 starts, all in her freshman year — and averaged 3.2 points per game in her career. She was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, a reminder that the legacy of a Gamecock extends well beyond what appears in any stat sheet.
No. 52 — Tyasha Harris (2016-20): The Greatest Point Guard in Program History
Few selections in this entire series carry as much weight as this one. Tyasha Harris is not merely the best to wear No. 52 — she is widely regarded as the greatest point guard in South Carolina women’s basketball history, full stop.
Harris finished her career with 1,340 points, a program-record 702 assists, and 224 steals (No. 7 all-time). The assists record alone is a monument. In a program that has produced some of the most celebrated talent in women’s college basketball, no one has ever directed an offense the way Harris did.
She announced herself immediately, earning All-SEC Freshman honors in 2017 and helping the Gamecocks claim their first national championship that same year. Three All-SEC selections followed, along with All-American honorable mention nods in 2018 and 2019. Her senior season brought an All-American Third Team selection after she averaged 12 points and led the SEC with 5.7 assists per game.
Harris did not just run an offense. She elevated every player around her — and the record book has not forgotten it.
Honorable mentions: Evelyn Johnson (1979-83), Lisa Diaz (1986-90)
No. 53 — Shelia Foster (1978-82): The Original Legend
The conversation about South Carolina women’s basketball’s greatest players must always begin somewhere — and it begins with Shelia Foster.
The Spartanburg native played most of her career before the NCAA even governed women’s sports, which means her accomplishments have been somewhat obscured by the program’s recent championship run. That would be a mistake to overlook. Foster rewrote the program record book and held on to those records well into the 21st century. Her 2,226 career points stood as the program record until 2018. Her 1,426 career rebounds held the record until 2023. Those are not just historical footnotes — they are a testament to a player who dominated for four straight years at the highest level available to her.
Under her watch, South Carolina won a WNIT championship, reached the AIAW Final Four, and earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. She was the program’s first multi-year All-American and, in 1982, became the first woman in Gamecock athletics to have her jersey retired.
Last summer, The State named Foster to the Mount Rushmore of South Carolina women’s basketball — a designation that requires no further argument.
No. 55 — Larissa Kulcsar (2003-07): Longevity Wins
The No. 55 selection required a different kind of evaluation. None of the four players who wore this number averaged more than four points per game, shifting the criteria toward tenure and contribution over statistical dominance.
Kulcsar and Linda Hoglund were the only players to log four full seasons with the program under this number. Between them, Kulcsar’s averages — 3.3 points per game across 93 games — gave her the statistical edge and the nod as the best to wear No. 55.
A Legacy Sewn Into Every Number
From Shelia Foster’s record-shattering career in the pre-NCAA era to Tyasha Harris’s unmatched playmaking in the Staley dynasty, the numbers 41 through 55 tell the story of a program that has never stopped producing remarkable players across every era.
Some wore their numbers into championship banners. Others wore them with quiet consistency and left their mark in the record book, on the practice floor, and in the classrooms of Columbia. All of them are part of what South Carolina women’s basketball has become — and that is a legacy worth honoring, one jersey number at a time.
