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South Carolina star Laeticia Amihere selected by Atlanta Dream No. 8 overall

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•04/10/23•

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Dreams are coming true on Monday night, as the WNBA Draft takes place. Some of college basketball’s biggest stars are being selected, with South Carolina‘s Laeticia Amihere being the latest. She was picked No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Dream, beginning a new chapter at the professional level for Amihere.

Amihere is the second South Carolina player to hear her name called on Monday night. Teammate Aliyah Boston was the first overall pick of the Indiana Fever. After having an immense amount of success together in Columbia, the duo will be going up against one another in the WNBA.

Atlanta is looking to get back on the right track after a couple of tough seasons. The 2018 playoffs saw them in the semifinals but since then, there has not been a playoff appearance. A few losing seasons have stacked up on each other, continually letting the Dream select high in the draft.

Now, with drafting somebody such as Amihere, progress toward winning can continue to be made. During her tenure with the Gamecocks, all Amihere did was win, doing so under head coach Dawn Staley. Bringing those kinds of players into your organization is a positive step forward.

In 36 games for the Gamecocks this season, Amihere averaged 7.1 points and 3.4 points per game. A good presence down low will be heading to Atlanta, as Amihere shot 53% from inside the arc. She played all four years of her college career with South Carolina.

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The Fever really struggled offensively last season, averaging 78.5 points per game. That finished second to last in the WNBA. Plenty of low-scoring games were the reason for losses as Atlanta looks for some instant success with Amihere.

This time last year, Atlanta owned the No. 1 overall pick and decided to select Rhyne Howard out of Kentucky. They now have two former first-round picks from the SEC on their roster — a solid point of emphasis for a team based in the south.

Stanford‘s Haley Jones was selected just two picks before Amihere by Atlanta, going sixth overall. They own one more pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, coming later in the second round. Another one of women’s college basketball’s top talents will have the opportunity of joining Amihere.

But for now, she gets to enjoy the special moment of being drafted. Especially when a ton of former South Carolina teammates will hear their names called as well.