WBB: Preseason Storylines

SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Gamecocks open practice Tuesday, the first official day for the reconstructed team.

In an amusing twist, even though we know practice starts Tuesday, nobody knows what time yet. Dawn Staley, fresh off a gold medal with Team USA in the AmeriCup on Sunday night, still has to get back to the Palmetto State, and when she does, practice will begin.

While we wait for Staley’s plane to land, GamecockCentral looks at some of the storylines that will dominate the next month of practice.

How good are the freshmen?

By now it’s been repeated ad nauseam: South Carolina has brought in perhaps the best freshman class in the history of women’s college basketball. That’s a pretty nice feather in your cap on signing day, but now those freshmen have to actually produce, and viral hype videos don’t win games. Laeticia Amihere, Brea Beal, Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, and walk-on Olivia Thompson make up the star-studded class, and with the loss of seven players from last season they will be expected to contribute immediately.

There’s no reason to think any of them (other that Thompson) aren’t ready to play immediately. Amihere already has a head start after enrolling in January to rehab an injury (making her actually a redshirt freshman). Boston helped lead the USA under-19 to a gold medal in Thailand over the summer. Beal was the three-time Illinois player of the year and excelled in the McDonald’s All-American Game. And Cooke, who may be the most talented of the group, will have the luxury of playing behind Tyasha Harris and Destanni Henderson.

Of course, with all the accolades this group has received, the expectations aren’t for them to play, but to play well and win games. More than anything else, their ability to be really good really quickly may determine what kind of season South Carolina has.

Can the seniors take charge?

With so many freshmen and so much roster turnover, there will be even more pressure on the two seniors, Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan to provide leadership and consistency. That isn’t as easy as it sounds. Harris is a steady, consistent player who is good at picking her spots, but she isn’t naturally a vocal leader. She’s got a national championship under her belt as an un-phased freshman, but this is her team. Staley has been on her for two years to impose her will on the game more often, and expect to hear a steady drumbeat to that effect again this year.

Herbert Harrigan had a breakout junior season, and when she entered her name in the transfer portal it was a shock. But she and Staley sat down, cleared the air and Herbert Harrigan decided to return. Herbert Harrigan is not a vocal leader either, and has been inconsistent throughout her career and sometimes gets down on herself, but when she is hot she leader by example with her energy. Herbert Harrigan also tends to play her best in big games and she is a versatile scorer and shot-blocker. After the offseason meeting, Staley took responsibility for not doing enough to make Herbert Harrigan feel wanted. If they can stay on the same page and get more consistently strong performances from Herbert Harrigan, it would go a long way towards a big season.

Will Staley be able to settle on a rotation?/Will the team develop good chemistry?

Consider these two sides of the same coin. Last season, the Gamecocks had little identity, and there were basically two causes: playing time and chemistry. The Gamecocks had depth, with 11 players deserving of playing time and little separating them. To make matters worse, there were a bunch of inconsistent players and streak shooters, and you never knew what you were getting from them until the game started.

It was especially jarring for Staley, who prefers a short, clearly-defined rotation. Think back to the 2015 Final Four run when, no matter what, every game A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates checked in together at the first media timeout. Instead, last season Staley tried to juggle matchups, practice performance, and the hot hand when dishing out minutes, and the result was a team that just never quite jelled. With all the turnover, it’s tough to project what the rotation will look like, but we know the importance of figuring out everyone’s role sooner rather than later.

The flip side was, and you could argue all day whether this was a cause or effect, the team chemistry seemed off all season. There has always been a joie de vivre around women’s basketball that was just missing last year. Heading into practice, it seems like the joy is back. The freshmen seem to have formed a close group, and the players have flooded social media with jokes and funny videos, like a choreographed routine with Staley, or send Staley a Taco Tuesday message while she was in Puerto Rico. In that respect, losing seven players may have been a blessing in disguise - not because they caused the poor chemistry but because the roster turnover allowed the Gamecocks to establish a new identity.

Of course, Staley won’t start yelling at anybody until Tuesday, so the good vibes might change

Who will rebound?

South Carolina struggled to rebound last season, and loses last season’s leading rebounder, Alexis Jennings. The inability to get a defensive rebound in the final minute against Mississippi State cost South Carolina a share of the SEC Championship. So who will rebound this season?

Herbert Harrigan averaged 5.1 rebounds last season, second on the team and in line with her career numbers. Herbert Harrigan had big rebounding games against Purdue and Texas A&M, but had only one other double digit game, so at this point there is no reason to think she will suddenly become a dominant rebounder. LeLe Grissett was third on the team with 4.0 rebounds in just 11.9 minutes per game, but she is shifting from forward to wing to try to take advantage of her defensive athleticism.

That brings us back to the freshmen. They’ve been hard at work in the weight room this summer to try to get strong enough to compete in the SEC. Amihere and Boston, who is physically reminiscent of Alaina Coates, will be expected to do their share of rebounding. And Beal showed a knack for rebounding from the perimeter in high school, so she could play a big role if South Carolina has to rely on rebounding by committee.

Will Destiny Littleton receive a waiver?

Littleton is a 5-9 guard who averaged 7.2 points per game in her two seasons at Texas. She transferred after last season and requested a waiver for immediate eligibility. Staley has said she is optimistic the waiver will be granted, but it’s unclear on what grounds the waiver was requested. That may not matter anyway since the NCAA’s process for granting waivers often seems to be random.