This has always been the dream for MiLaysia Fulwiley. The Columbia native. The player who grew up going to South Carolina women’s basketball games during the early years of the Dawn Staley era. The one who has known Staley since middle school, and received her first college offer from the legendary coach.

It has always been about playing for South Carolina. And now it is time.

“As soon as I got to Keenan [High School] I was known as the little girl who was going to South Carolina, before I even said I was going to South Carolina,” Fulwiley said. "Dawn started showing up, and I feel like, why would I go somewhere else when I’m right here with the best school, the best coaches, the best players, just everything that could help me get to the next level, which is the goal.”

The 5-foot-6 guard was a McDonald’s All-American. She is the highest rated player in yet another loaded South Carolina recruiting class, and will be doing it all just 10 minutes from where she grew up. For some players this would be intimidating, a daunting amount of pressure for a true freshman trying to settle in with one of the top programs in the country.

Not only is Fulwiley embracing the pressure, she is thinking bigger thoughts. Thoughts of heights that even South Carolina with all of its success and accolades has never reached.

“I feel like A’ja Wilson, she did a whole lot of great things, Aliyah Boston did a whole lot of great things, a whole lot of people did a whole lot of great things,” Fulwiley said. “I want to come here and I want to do way more. I want to win two championships. There's a whole lot of stuff that I want to do that wasn’t accomplished, and I feel like I’ve got the chance.”

“Really special, honestly. The things that I do, I’m not trying to make myself sound Hollywood, but I feel like it’s just different. My teammates always used to tell me ‘you’re different.’ I just know if I keep working hard and I make it transfer into the game, that should be good."

Fulwiley’s case of being a highly-touted local prospect is special, but not entirely unique. Just one year ago Ashlyn Watkins joined the program with a very similar track record, a high school superstar from Columbia ready to take the next level by storm. Fulwiley and Watkins had a series of high school battles through the years, and were also AAU teammates and close friends.

“We’ll be playing with each other in our home towns, putting on together,” Fulwiley said. “Considering the fact that she’s a post and I’m a guard, we’ve got that good chemistry. I feel like off the court we hang out in all of our free time.”

Staley has been South Carolina's coach for 15 years now, meaning incoming freshmen have only ever known this golden era of women's basketball. The increased attendance, the growing buzz around Columbia all leading up to what is now an unquestioned powerhouse. Long before she ever had a chance to contribute to the dynnasty, Fulwiley watched the rise and dreamed of having a role in it one day.

“My mom’s best friend’s mom took me here and was like, ‘I want you to play for her’ and that’s like before I was even good," she said. "We used to sit like nosebleeds, really high. I fell in love with that group. That’s when A’ja played. I fell in love with the FAMs, I fell in love with the support, it was just crazy.”

Now, the budding superstar known as "Lay" is seeing her dreams come full circle. She will get to play in Colonial Life Arena with her family in the stands, a big part of her decision to stay close to home. She will get a chance to build on the legacy of players like Wilson.

And the surreal nature of this journey is not lost on her, either.

"I'm actually here," she said. "This is crazy. When the day is over with and I lay down and go to sleep I’m just like, 'wow, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here.'”

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