The Gamecocks will hold their first official practice Wednesday, and afterwards Dawn Staley will preview the season

After finishing last season as the consensus number one team, South Carolina topped the preseason rankings published by ESPN and the NCAA. Still, there are questions Staley will look to answer in practice.

Among those questions…

Has the schedule been set?

When the start date for the season was pushed back it left schools scrambling to reassemble their schedules. Adding to the chaos, South Carolina lost its multiple team event when the Battle4Atlantis was cancelled. There is also concern that some schools with smaller budgets may be more susceptible to coronavirus outbreaks. On Tuesday, before official practice has even begun, the UNC Greensboro women’s and Charlotte men’s teams have already suspended activities due to COVID-19 clusters.

How close is Staley to settling on the starting lineup?

South Carolina used the same starting lineup in every game last season. That took the sacrifice of Destanni Henderson, who Staley had to convince to come off the bench. That decision was made following the exhibition, and the whole rotation easily fell into place. There will be no exhibition games (or secret scrimmages) this season, so Staley will have to figure out the rotation in practice or games that count.

How healthy are Destiny Littleton and Laeticia Amihere?

In Amihere’s case, maybe the question is closer to “How injured was she last year?” The combination of recovering from a knee injury and twice leaving the team during the season to be with Team Canada definitely slowed Amihere’s development, but what is her ceiling? There is optimism that it is really high and she will show it this season. As for Littleton, she had a long recovery after surgery on both ankles. It will be interesting to hear how close to 100% she is.

How does Eniya Russell fit in?

It’s easy to overlook Russell, the 43rd-ranked prospect who is surrounded by top ten recruits, but she is also a McDonald’s All-American who is the only big guard (6-1) on the roster. Russell has a reputation as a willing defender, and if that pans out it’s easy to envision her as a defensive specialist against other big guards.

Of course, fans also want to know how the university will recognize last year’s team. Staley and Ray Tanner have conceded they won’t claim a national championship, but there could still be something to recognize the top ranking. They will also add the SEC regular season and tournament titles to the banners.