COLUMBIA — When asked two years ago about the increasing prevalence of dunks in women’s basketball, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley offered a matter-of-fact response that, in retrospect, foreshadowed something remarkable: “We dunk in our game … I don’t think it’s anything new, it’s a part of our game,” Staley said in January 2024 after forward Ashlyn Watkins threw down her second career dunk.
Staley’s casual dismissal of dunking as “nothing new” was perhaps the most telling understatement of her coaching tenure. As of April 23, the Gamecocks roster has transformed into something unprecedented in women’s college basketball: a team with three dunking-capable players. The latest addition is 6-foot-3 forward Oliviyah Edwards, the No. 3 overall recruit in the Class of 2026, who will join Watkins and the 6-foot-7 Alicia Tournebize.
The Athletic Shift Nobody Expected
Edwards’ recruitment represents more than just height or athleticism—it signals a seismic shift in how programs evaluate and develop talent. The elite recruit proved her dunking credentials on March 30 during the McDonald’s All-American Game dunk contest, delivering two highlight-reel moments that exemplified the evolution of the women’s game. First came a one-handed flush, followed by an acrobatic two-handed dunk where she swung her feet up to touch her ankles to the rim as players screamed in excitement.
This isn’t mere spectacle. The presence of multiple dunking threats fundamentally changes offensive spacing and defensive strategy. Teams must now defend against the vertical dimension in ways previously unnecessary in women’s basketball.
A Trio of Dunking Threats
Tournebize, the European professional import, demonstrated her dunking ability immediately upon arrival, throwing down both one- and two-handed dunks in practice after joining in January. However, her experience reveals an underexplored tension in women’s basketball: raw athletic ability doesn’t always translate to in-game opportunities. Despite her height advantage providing catching opportunities near the rim, Tournebize has never dunked in an actual South Carolina game, unlike her teammates. When asked about the crowd’s reaction whenever she touches the ball, she acknowledged the enthusiasm but expressed a measured perspective: she understands the excitement but never wants to force a dunk.
Watkins, at 6-3, has established herself as the most accomplished dunker on the roster with three career dunks and a McDonald’s All-American dunk contest championship in 2022. Her three dunks—against Clemson in 2022 as a freshman, Kentucky in 2024 as a sophomore, and TCU in December 2024 as a junior—have made her part of an exclusive club. Only nine women have ever dunked in NCAA games.
Historical Context: The Dunking Elite
To understand how rare and significant this assembly is, consider the historical record: Tennessee legend Candace Parker remains the pioneer who was the first woman to dunk in a March Madness game, first to win the dunk contest, and the first to dunk twice in a tournament game. Former Baylor star Brittney Griner holds the NCAA tournament dunking record with six, according to the NCAA record book. Stanford’s Fran Belibi became just the third player in women’s college history to dunk in March Madness in 2022.
South Carolina’s three-dunker roster surpasses most programs’ entire historical dunking output. This is the new frontier of women’s college basketball.
