It’s been a long time since Destiny Littleton was on a basketball court, and even longer since she felt comfortable on one. She will finally get her chance this week.

Littleton transferred to South Carolina in May of 2019. South Carolina hoped to have her available last year, but the NCAA denied her waiver. That turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise. Littleton suffered an ankle injury last fall, and since she wasn’t going to be eligible anyway, instead of trying to rush her rehab to get back, she elected to have surgery on both ankles to clear up nagging problems.

The hope is that by fixing those issues, Littleton will be more like the player she was in high school, when she set the all-time scoring record in the state of California.

It’s been a long road to this point. Littleton signed with Texas in 2017 but played in just eight games as a freshman as she dealt with nagging injuries and struggled to figure out her role, ultimately taking a redshirt season. She got a full season in 2018-19, starting 12 games and averaging 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. She also shot 32% from three, but still wasn’t happy with her role, saying she was “mentally shot.”

South Carolina offered Littleton a fresh start, and she jumped at the chance. But first, there was the transfer year and the surgeries. Used to being a high-level athlete and playing basketball constantly, Littleton suddenly found herself confined to a wheelchair. She virtually had to learn to walk again, first in a pool, then a walking boot, and then finally normally. It was months before she could run and jump and shoot. Her conditioning was gone, and she has admitted she gained too much weight. And then, when she was finally back on her feet, the pandemic hit and she had to go home to San Diego to rehab.

This fall Littleton had to continue to work herself back in shape, but unlike her time at Texas, she seems to be in a good place. She came back over the summer to march in one of the Black Lives Matter rallies. She has the support of her teammates and she’s dating football player Jaylin Dickerson. And Dawn Staley has enough confidence in Littleton to have her learn a new position. Up until now, Littleton has always played off the ball. In her 41 games at Texas she only had three or more assists four times (three games of three assists and a career-high of seven), and she was more of a specialist. More than half of Littleton’s shot attempts came from behind the arc (20 of 32 in her first season and 115 of 229 during her second). But South Carolina has to replace Tyasha Harris, a four year starter, and Dawn Staley wants as many available hands as possible. If it doesn’t work out, it’s easier for Littleton to slide off the ball than the other way around, since the point guard has to know everybody’s role.

If Littleton is able to effectively run the point, it takes pressure off Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke and allows them to focus more on getting their own shots. If she isn’t, the hope is that she can get back to being the dynamic scorer she once was. Either way, she’ll be happy just to get back on the court.