WBB: Postseason notebook

SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Dawn Staley held her year-end press conference on Wednesday, and she talked about recruiting, transfers, and scheduling.

The big stories from the press conference were obviously the four transfers - the three that are leaving and the one that changed her mind. I wrote in detail about Mikiah Herbert Harrigan’s change of heart and decision to return to South Carolina here: WBB: Herbert Harrigan will return for her senior season

I wrote more about the other three transfers, Te’a Cooper, Bianca Jackson, and LaDazhia Williams, here: WBB: Staley addresses transfers

Staley also talked about several other things, which we’ll cover here.

The Freshmen

All five members of South Carolina’s top-ranked recruiting class are still expected on campus by fall. One, Canadian Laeticia Amihere, is already on campus. After she suffered a season-ending knee injury, Amihere opted to enroll for the spring so that she could rehab on campus. Her rehab has gone well and she should be at full strength by the start of the season.

“We expect Laeticia to be fully healthy,” Staley said. “She’s way ahead of schedule and she’s chomping at the bit to get back out there on the floor, but only our medical staff will give her the okay to do that. We’ve got time so we’re taking it really slow.”

As for the other four, they will get to Columbia at different times. Staley, despite being the Team USA coach, couldn’t keep track of the USA Basketball commitments from Brea Beal, Aliyah Boston, and Zia Cooke, and only knew they’d get here eventually.

“Some of them may not even be here at all (this summer) because of their opportunities to play USA Basketball, so it’s screwy,” Staley said.

Staley complimented the freshmen for their poise and character, but they will still have an adjustment to make when they reach campus. The spotlight will get brighter and the pressure will get stronger as fans and media want to know about their every move as their lives are chronicled on social media. She tried to prepare the players during recruiting, but they won’t truly understand it until it happens.

“A lot of it has been done during the recruiting process,” Staley said. “There is a pretty big following by (media) as well as our fans. That’s probably some of the things that attracted the players that are coming ing in, that they’ll be a big fish in a small pond. They welcome that challenge, but until you get here and experience it, you don’t know. A lot of it has to do with conversations, media training, the other players that have been here and experienced it. You don’t really understand it until you are thrown into the fire.”

The Transfer Portal

“The Transfer Portal” has probably become the most threatening phrase in college athletics. Players enter their names when they are thinking about transferring, often without telling their coaches first. That was how Staley found out about her four transfers. It creates challenges for coaches, but also opportunities for players, which Staley encourages.

“The portal is a recruiting tool,” she said. “It’s modern day college free agency. It’s something that we have to check every day to make sure there aren’t people on there that can help our basketball team. It is a valuable tool. Players are utilizing it a lot more these days.”

“Players have an opportunity to go to a place where they can test the market,” Staley added. “If that makes them happy, great. If it doesn’t, great.”

Transferring in?

Staley has not ruled out adding a transfer, but she doesn’t expect to. If the right player puts her name into the transfer portal, Staley would go after her. And who is the right player? Think Lindsey Spann, the three-point specialist who joined South Carolina for the 2017-18 season as a graduate transfer, but had her season cut short due to injury.

“There’s a lot out there, but we’re selective in who we’re going after because we’ve got a pretty good group coming in,” Staley said. “Obviously guard play is something that we lost and we’ve got to fill a void. We’ll see how that plays out in the next few weeks.”

The Schedule

Maryland announced on Twitter recently that it would play South Carolina this year, which caught Staley off-guard because the paperwork has not been signed. That formality notwithstanding, Staley said next year’s schedule should look very similar to last year’s. Maryland and Connecticut are on the non-conference schedule, as is Alabama State. Alabama State is coached by Freda Freeman-Jackson, the mother of now-former Gamecock Bianca Jackson, and the teams played a home-and-home the last two seasons. Since Jackson was the link between the programs, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see the series end, but the Lady Hornets remain on the schedule.

Staley is still looking for two more opponents. She said she wants them to have an RPI of at least 150, so it sounds like the big-name opponents have already been settled. South Carolina will play in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving. The other participants have not yet been announced.