SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Tyasha Harris has already secured a place in South Carolina’s basketball history, but her senior season will determine her Gamecock legacy.
As a freshman, Harris took over as the starting point guard midway through the season and helped lead the Gamecocks to their first national championship. During that tournament run, she grabbed key rebounds and made late free throws against Florida State in the Elite 8 and Stanford in the semifinals. But that team belonged to A’ja Wilson, Allisha Gray, and Kaela Davis, not a soft-spoken rookie.
Harris’ responsibilities grew over the next two seasons as Dawn Staley challenged her to be more assertive. It wasn’t always easy for Harris, who was typically reserved and tended toward being a facilitator rather than looking for her own offense. But this year, as one of just two seniors on a roster loaded with freshmen and sophomores, Harris has had no choice but to embrace being the leader.
“I’ve been a leader since my sophomore year,” she said, “but obviously they’re younger so I’m just showing them the ropes and leaving my legacy here so they can continue on.”
Harris tries to be a big sister to the freshmen (“Not a mom,” she stressed), and the little sisters have quickly taken to their new sibling. They understand that the bar for success at South Carolina is very high, and that they are expected to reach it. Just as importantly, they understand the value of learning from an experienced point guard.
“They’re ready to learn and they have open ears. They like to get coached so that’s a good thing,” she said. “They were good athletes and players coming out of high school so they know what’s expected. We have standards and they live up to it.”
If Harris sounds like Staley when she says that, it’s not a coincidence. The point guard is always an extension of the coach on the court, but it is especially under Staley, the all-time great who occasionally forgets that mere mortals can’t always do what she used to do on the court. Staley demands perfection and is always looking for something her point guards can do better.
It’s a relentless pressure that can be overwhelming for some players, but something Harris has embraced. She doesn’t get rattled by the criticism, and the reward has been a place in Gamecock history. Aside from the national championship and SEC titles, Harris is currently fourth in career assists, 113 behind Cristina Ciocan. The record should fall if Harris stays healthy: she has never had fewer than 117 assists in a season, and has averaged 171 per season. But a legacy requires more than just numbers, it requires an impact on the program. Staley thinks Harris will solidify her mark this season.
“She probably has to go back to what she did as a freshman in facilitating, but also being aggressive offensively,” Staley said. “Ty is more balanced now. She’s attacking the rim, she’s shooting the basketball. She’s being the consummate point guard even when she doesn’t have the ball on the floor, giving directions and being the example of what our point guards need to be now and in the future.”
After the first practice of the season, Harris said she felt “bittersweet,” excited to begin the season but wanting to savor every moment. She recalled her early days as a freshman, when she dreamed of being a junior who had adjusted to the college game.
“But now I’m like I want to be a freshman again,” Harris said. “Everybody was telling me it’s going to go by quick, but I was like, nah, we’ve got this long preseason and stuff, but it does go by quick as soon as the season starts.”
Harris has started thinking about her basketball life beyond South Carolina. There will be professional opportunities, if not in the WNBA then overseas. After that, Harris could see herself following Staley’s footsteps as a coach.
“I don’t know yet,” Harris said, “but her story is she didn’t want to be a coach either until later on. I’ll say no right now, but maybe later on.”
Staley endorsed the idea. She thinks Harris has a “really good understanding of the game,” but she agreed that Harris isn’t ready right now.
“I could see Ty coaching,” Staley said. “Ty has a really good understanding of the game. Ty probably has to get out of being young. I wouldn’t do it as a youngster, I wouldn’t do it as a 24-year old. I probably could have because I’ve got an old soul.”
Harris may not have an old soul like Staley, but if she can fill the role of the old soul for this team and lead her little sisters deep into March, her legacy will be secured.
