The "Freshies" have officially completed their run in Columbia.

After superstar Aliyah Boston declared for the WNBA Draft on Saturday as the projected No. 1 overall pick, the other four members of her recruiting class followed suit. Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, and Laeticia Amihere all opted to forego their final year of eligibility to enter the WNBA Draft with social media posts. Beal was the first to announce on Tuesday morning, followed by Amihere just hours later before Cooke made her declaration public on Tuesday evening.

Cooke led the Gamecocks in scoring in the 2022-23 season, averaging 15.4 points per game and scoring at least 20 points nine times. The last game of her career was another big offensive night, going for 24 points in the Final Four against Iowa. Cooke scored 1,845 points in her South Carolina career, starting 137 games for the program, including the 2022 National Championship game victory over UConn.

Beal was South Carolina's shutdown defender throughout the 2022-23 season, earning hesrself a place as one of four National Defensive Player of the Year finalists. Like Cooke, Beal started all 37 games for the Gamecocks in her senior season and 137 games in her decorated college career. That 137 mark put her tied with Cooke for second in program history for most games started, behind only behind teammate Victaria Saxton.

Cooke and Beal confirming their departures means that Dawn Staley will have to replace all five of her starters for next season after Boston's decision made it all three players with another year of eligibility opting to jump to the WNBA. That trio joined Saxton and point guard Kierra Fletcher, fifth-year players who were out of remaining eligibility.

Two bench mainstays will also be missing next year. Amihere only made four starts in her entire college career and did not make one in 2022-23, but she appeared in 127 games for the program during her four years as a Gamecock. Her versatility made her a flexible option for Staley in every type of game, averaging 15.9 minutes and 6.3 points per game for her college career. She scored in double-figures 28 times and played nine minutes in last year's National Championship Game.

Olivia Thompson has not officially posted a declaration that she is moving on, but it is widely expected she has played her final game as a Gamecock. She was initially a walk-on when she joined the program as a Lexington, South Carolina native, but Staley put her on scholarship prior to her sophomore year. Thompson came off the bench in all 80 of her career college games, and did appear in all five NCAA Tournament games for the Gamecocks in 2023.

The seven departures means that Staley will have to replace exactly half of her roster goign into the 2023-24 season.

Kamilla Cardoso will be the lone returning senior on the roster, coming off her season where she averaged over 18.8 minutes, 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game off the bench. Sania Feagin and Bree Hall will be juniors on the roster, both of whom expected to be in contention for starting roles next year.

Bench point guard Raven Johnson is entering her third year in the program and has the inside track for the starting job next season, but is only a sophomore in terms of eligibility after she redshirted her freshman season. 2022-23 freshmen Ashlyn Watkins, Talaysia Cooper and Chloe Kitts round out the returning players.

Staley currently has three players committed in the 2023 recruiting class, all ranked as top 40 players nationally. Local point guard Milaysia Fulwiley headlines the class after playing her high school basketball less than 10 miles from Colonial Life Arena, joined by Minneapolis native Tessa Johnson and Floridian wing Sahnya Jah.

In total it leaves the Gamecocks with 10 scholarship players currently on the 2023-24 roster, four short of where they were last sesaon.

********************************************************************************************

For all the latest updates on South Carolina women's basketball's offseason, subscribe to the insider's forum.