South Carolina is poised to sign its second elite recruiting class in three years, but it wasn’t always that way for Dawn Staley. Not only did she once rely on diamonds in the rough, but there have been some high-profile misses on top ten recruits along the way. We take a look back at Staley’s recruiting history and hand out grades.
I’ve split the classes into two groups. Picking the exact year for the split was a little tricky, but it is clear that by 2014 Staley was signing a different sort of class than she was before. Today we focus on the classes beginning with 2014, the first year that the Gamecocks really recruited on a national scale. Just because they have been recruiting higher-ranked players, doesn’t mean the Gamecocks have always been successful.
WBB: Grading recruiting classes (Part 1)
Players are graded on a sliding scale. For example, an unranked player who averages seven points and four rebounds and is a part-time starter gets a higher grade than a top ten recruit with similar numbers. I did not include walk-ons because Staley has never had a walk-on that actually cracked the rotation. There are a number of players who never made it to campus, and I did include them.
2014
#1 A’ja Wilson (F) 138 games (97 starts), 17.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Grade: A+ - Wilson more than lived up to her hype. She rewrote the record books, took South Carolina to two Final Fours, won one, and finished as the all-time leader in points, blocks, and free throws (and third in rebounds). She was the consensus national player of the year as a senior, the first and only three-time SEC player of the year, and never lost an SEC tournament game. They ain’t building a statue of her for nothing.
#7 Jatarie White (P) 52 games (0 starts), 2.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Grade: C- - White played two seasons before transferring. She was better than her stats, but her time was marred by nagging foot injuries and she never really found her groove while playing in a crowded frontcourt.
#32 Kaydra Duckett (G) 28 games (0 starts), 0.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Grade: F - I’d forgotten Duckett was rated so highly. She was in over her head from the start, with an attitude problem on top of it. Duckett was suspended multiple times, including most of her sophomore season to focus on academics, before transferring to Coastal Carolina after two seasons. She never played there.
#35 Bianca Cuevas-Moore (PG) 137 games (36 starts), 7.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg
Grade: B - Cuevas-Moore started on the national championship team and her defense was one of the keys to the title run, but there was always the sense that she could have accomplished more in her career. It didn’t help that her best season came on the dysfunctional 2018-19 team.
UNR Doniyah Cliney (G) 125 games (58 starts), 4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Grade: B - As much as Cuevas-Moore underachieved, Cliney probably overachieved. She wasn’t particularly talented in any one area, but she played hard and smart and was willing to do the little things. A partial qualifier who had to redshirt as a freshman, she ended up being the first person in her family to graduate from college.
Overall grade: A+
Even with the misses on White and Duckett, you have a thousand-point scorer and a defensive specialist who both were rotation players on the national championship team. Plus there’s the best player in program history. This was the second-ranked class nationally and the first of a new kind. Even though the star was a local kid, South Carolina had to beat out the rest of the country to keep her home, and beginning with this group, South Carolina recruited elite players on a national scale.
2015
UNR Shay Colley (PG) 11 games (0 starts), 2.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Grade: F - Colley played in just 11 games before leaving the team, citing homesickness. She enrolled at Pitt for a semester, but didn’t play, transferring again to Michigan State, where she had a successful career.
T (G) Sarah Imovbioh (P) 35 games (4 starts), 4.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Grade: B- - Imovbioh led the ACC in rebounding as a junior and scored 1,000 points in just three seasons before joining the Gamecocks. She was effective in her one season in Columbia, although she wasn’t able to repeat that productivity in reduced minutes backing up Wilson and Coates.
T Kaela Davis (G) 37 games (36 starts), 12.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.2 apg
Grade: A - Davis was a streaky scorer. She almost shot South Carolina out of a few games during her one season, but more importantly she got hot during the championship run, scoring 20+ points four times in the postseason and earning the Stockton Region MOP.
T Allisha Gray (F) 37 games (36 starts), 13.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg
Grade: A - Gray’s ability to not just hold her own, but excel, as an undersized power forward was arguably the key to the title run. She was named to the 2017 NCAA All-Tournament team.
Overall grade: B
This was the hardest class to grade. Bringing in Davis and Gray was huge, and led to a national championship. But they declared for the draft after one season, meaning South Carolina got a grand total of three seasons and 11 games of basketball from this class, with nothing left to show for it following 2017. That ended up hurting, leading to the thin 2017-18 roster and the bloated 2018-19 roster.
2016
#28 Tyasha Harris (PG) 139 games (127 starts),9.6 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 spg
Grade: A+ - Harris was the starting point guard on a national champion as a freshman, and got better each season. Her senior season was brilliant, as she earned All-American honors and led the Gamecocks to the consensus number one ranking. Harris finished as the all-time leader in assists and games played.
#33 Araion Bradshaw (PG) 24 games (0 starts), 0.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.8 apg
Grade: D- - Bradshaw transferred after one uneventful season, but she did get a national championship ring.
#72 Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (F) 136 games (62 starts), 8.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Grade: A - Kiki was so under the radar that her bio on HoopGurlz is missing the “Herbert” in her name. She was a rotation player on the championship team as a freshman, but after three seasons she put her name in the transfer portal and looked like another player who would be remembered more for what she could have done than what she did. After a heart-to-heart with Staley, she came back for her senior season and was a rock for the young team, becoming a reliable scorer and defender, and winning SEC Tournament MVP. She is tied with Coates for second in career blocks.
UNR Victoria Patrick (G) 58 games (0 starts), 1.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Grade: C- - Patrick played sparingly and transferred after two seasons.
T Alexis Jennings (P) 68 games (67 starts), 11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Grade: B+ - Jennings was productive playing alongside Wilson, but her numbers actually dropped slightly the following season when she was expected to take on a bigger role. She did earn second team All-SEC as a senior, but she never felt like an impact player.
Overall grade: A
The lack of a real superstar (Harris’ senior season notwithstanding) and relatively small class size keeps this from being an A+. The Gamecocks deserve a lot of credit for finding and developing Harris and Herbert Harrigan. They won a championship and came back around as leaders on last season’s team.
2017
#23 LeLe Grissett (W) 100 games (5 starts), 4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Grade: B - Grissett had a solid freshman season playing out of position at power forward. After struggling as a sophomore, she moved back to her natural position and found her niche as the high-energy leader of the second unit.
#43 Bianca Jackson (G) 68 games (38 starts), 5.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Grade: C+ - Jackson had a promising freshman season, shooting nearly 40% from three. But she was another player that struggled in 2018-19, and she transferred to Florida State. Her decision turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it cleared up the Gamecocks’ rotation.
#48 LaDazhia Williams (F) 48 games (0 starts), 1.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Grade: D - Williams was plagued by a hamstring injury as a freshman and never found her role. She showed flashes of ability, but a change of scenery seemed like a good idea. She transferred to Missouri.
UNR Haley Troup (G)
Grade: F - Troup joined the team for an exhibition tour of Japan, but before the season began she transferred to Missouri, where she has put up modest statistics. At least she got a nice trip out of it.
T (G) Lindsey Spann (G) 15 games (11 starts), 10.3 ppg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 rpg
Grade: B - Spann was brought in as a shooter who could open up the floor for Wilson. It worked - for a while. She was shooting 45% from three when her knees finally gave out, ending her career. Spann then joined the Gamecock coaching staff before returning to Maryland, her home-state school, where she was recently named an assistant coach.
T Te’a Cooper (G) 30 games (28 starts), 11.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 spg
Grade: C- - Staley desperately wanted to get Cooper eligible for the 2017-18 season, when she hoped Cooper would be the missing piece for another Final Four run. That didn’t happen. Instead, Cooper became the player most identified with the 2018-19 dysfunction: a talented player when she wanted to be (she led the team in scoring), but also a selfish one who could be a disruption and sometimes contributed most with her absence. She transferred to Baylor after that season, with some unkind words on her way out.
Overall grade: D+
This grade is due mostly to the attrition, but also because there was some desperation in this class. Spann had a history of injuries and Cooper had already been kicked out of Tennessee for a fight with a teammate, but they were brought in specifically to fill the void left by Gray and Davis and make a Final Four run in Wilson’s senior season. If she could have a do-over, I think Staley would still take Spann - even with the injuries Spann was a positive addition - but I think she would skip Cooper, who ended up being more trouble than she was worth. Grissett has panned out, although she is a role player. Unless she has a fantastic senior season, that’s not enough to bump the grade.
2018
#6 Destanni Henderson (PG) 64 games (9 starts), 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg
Grade: B+ - Henney has flashed potential as she patiently waited her turn and looks poised for a breakout junior season that should bump this grade to an A or A+.
#47 Victaria Saxton (F) 61 games (1 start), 4.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Grade: A - Saxton has outperformed her ranking, become a steady defensive specialist with deceptive athleticism. She does the dirty work, the perfect compliment to her star teammates.
UNR Elysa Wesolek (F) 32 games (0 starts) 1.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 30% from three
Grade: C+ - Wesolek hasn’t done much, but she wasn’t brought in to play a lot. Wesolek was brought in to be a good locker room presence and hustle player, and she’s done that.
T (G) Nelly Perry (G) 29 games (2 starts), 3.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Grade: C - Perry was an accomplished player at Clemson, leading the Tigers in scoring and assists as a junior, before missing her senior season with a shoulder injury. Whether it was due to that injury or she was a case of big numbers on a bad team, Perry wasn’t able to recapture that productivity in her lone season at South Carolina.
Temporary overall grade: B
Perry’s season was disappointing, but she’s the sort of low-maintenance player you take a flyer on. Same for Wesolek, who plays hard and has a clear skill at her position (shooting). Saxton has been productive and reliable, though she’ll never be a star. As Harris’ heir-apparent at point guard, Henderson, and how she performs as PG1, will ultimately define this class.
2019
#3 Aliyah Boston (P) 33 games (33 starts), 12.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 1.3 spg, 1.0 apg
Grade: A+ - Remember A’ja Wilson, the best player in program history? Starting with the historic triple-double in her debut, Boston had a better freshman season.
#4 Zia Cooke (PG) 33 games (33 starts), 12.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg
Grade: A+ - She had some freshman growing pains, but Cooke led the Gamecocks in scoring during conference play and could be counted on for at least one “did-you-see-that?” play per game.
#10 Laeticia Amihere (F) 29 games (0 starts), 4.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Grade: B - Amihere joined the team early after a knee injury ended her high school career and had trouble finding her groove. She was on a minutes restriction early in the season and then missed three games in February due to Team Canada commitments.
#11 Brea Beal (W) 33 games (33 starts), 6.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Grade: A+ - Beal drew the short stick in terms of offensive opportunities, but she proved to be a lock-down defender and the sort of versatile player who made those around her better. She should get more scoring opportunities next season.
T Destiny Littleton (G)
Grade: INC - Littleton had to sit out the season as a transfer. She used the season off to have surgery on both feet.
Early grade: A+
Unless this group implodes, it’s an easy A+. They were hailed as possibly the best class ever, and they have done nothing to disappoint.
2020
#43 Eniya Russell (G)
2021
#3 Saniya Rivers (G)
#6 Sania Feagin (F)
#26 Bree Hall (G)
?? Mystery Birdie
Recap
I thought it was interesting how low South Carolina’s success rate with top ten recruits was. Staley signed a total of eight top ten players. Of the four who have completed their careers, three were definite busts (Kelsey Bone, Kayla Brewer, and Jatarie White) and only one, Wilson, was a star. Four others are still playing, and it isn’t really fair to grade them - although I will anyway. Of those, Boston and Cooke have lived up to their rankings. Henderson and Amihere haven’t yet, but both have been behind established players and I expect them to have big seasons going forward. It’s also worth noting that Davis and Gray were top ten recruits when they signed with Georgia Tech and North Carolina, respectively.
The Gamecocks have definitely become more selective in who they recruit. That has cut down on misses, but also led to some small classes when they have failed to land a prized recruit (for example, South Carolina was widely believed to be the runner up for 2018 #1 Christyn Williams, who went to UConn). You can also see the hiccup in 2017 and 2018 when the Gamecocks transitioned from Nikki McCray, who took the Old Dominion job following the 2017 season, to Jolette Law as their lead recruiter.
