WBB: Herbert Harrigan will return for her senior season

SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

A week after entering her name in the transfer portal, forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan had a change of heart and decided to return to South Carolina for her senior season.

Herbert Harrigan was one of four Gamecocks, along with Te’a Cooper, Bianca Jackson, and LaDazhia Williams, who put her name in the NCAA transfer portal last week. She was the biggest surprise among the group, and the player who projected to be the biggest loss.

Herbert Harrigan and head coach Dawn Staley had their year-end interview last Tuesday, and Herbert Harrigan did not say anything then about her desire to transfer. Staley found out Wednesday, and then over the weekend reached out to Herbert Harrigan to talk about the decision. Herbert Harrigan, her family, and Staley all got together on the phone Tuesday, and after clearing some things up, she decided to return.

“I found out (Tuesday),” Staley said. “KiKi and I and her family had a really great discussion on how we move forward and how we got to the place where she wanted to transfer. The conversation was great.”

The decision was hinted at in a Tweet sent by @GamecockWBB shortly before Staley’s scheduled press conference, and then quickly confirmed by Staley.

Staley shouldered responsibility for Herbert Harrigan considering a transfer in the first place. She praised Herbert Harrigan’s family support system for helping her make smart decisions. Herbert Harrigan felt after the season that she was not an important part of the program going forward, and when they met, Staley had to reassure her that she was.

“KiKi wanted to revisit how I saw her in our program,” Staley said. “When you don’t know you tend to think the worst, like I’m not needed, and that’s furthest from the truth.

“Some players you need to verbalize to them to make them feel a lot more comfortable, and KiKi was one of those players that need to hear it,” she continued. ““That’s on me. I should have done a better job of not allowing that space where she can think negative thoughts.”

At times last season, especially late in the year, Herbert Harrigan was the Gamecocks’ best player. Herbert Harrigan was benched for the first half of the Belmont game for an issue Staley called extremely minor, but she responded with some of her best basketball. She is a talented scorer and shot blocker, and is already fifth all-time in blocked shots at South Carolina. She blocked three shots in each of the four postseason games, and scored 20 points against Florida State. She averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three. That was despite a bad midseason slump, and the thinking was, if Herbert Harrigan can become more consistent she is going to be one of the focal points of the team next season.

“I anticipate KiKi to have an incredible season,” Staley said. “I think she’s one of the best players in our conference on both sides of the ball. There’s room for her to grow. Her handle has to get better going both ways. She’s very strong going right. We’ve got to work that left hand in order for her to balance out what she’s doing. Her midrange is great. Her three ball is pretty consistent when she shoots it. Defensively, she needs to work a little harder, not just getting blocked shots. That’s a form of defense but it’s not the total package when it comes to defending.”

It is the second time in two offseasons that Staley has re-recruited a player. Last year, after missing the entire season with a knee injury, Bianca Cuevas-Moore decided to transfer, even announcing her commitment to West Virginia. But Cuevas-Moore, who happens to be Herbert Harrigan’s best friend on the team (Staley joked that they probably stayed up at night complaining about her), changed her mind after talking to Staley and returned to South Carolina for a fifth season.