South Carolina women's basketball: Five Burning Questions for the Offseason

For Cinco de Mayo, we look at five burning questions for the Gamecocks this offseason.

1. When will Ashlyn Watkins be available?
We start with the most difficult question to answer. It’s difficult because nobody can control the timeline for Watkins’ recovery. Dawn Staley said at the Final Four that Watkins was ahead of schedule, and they hope to get her back on the court this summer. That’s a quick recovery for an injury that usually takes at least nine months to heal.

There’s also the difference between being able to resume basketball activities and being able to play in games at something close to full strength. If Watkins is less than full strength going into the season, she would have to consider whether she wants to redshirt and preserve her final season of eligibility.

On the positive side, South Carolina added Madina Okot through the portal to handle the post. Okot’s presence, plus anticipated improvement from Maryam Dauda and Adhel Tac, should alleviate any pressure for Watkins to rush back too soon.

2. How does Dawn Staley integrate Ta’Niya Latson?
Staley has never had a player like Latson, but Latson has also never been on a team like this. At Florida State, Latson pretty much had free rein to do whatever she wanted because that’s what the Seminoles needed to win. Her usage rate was the highest in the country.

That won’t be the case next season. The stakes – a national championship – are much higher, and Latson has a lot more help. Latson will have to function within South Carolina’s system, and Staley will have to tweak the system to take advantage of Latson’s skills.

The usage rate and scoring average might suggest that Latson was an undisciplined chucker, but that wasn’t the case. She had the lowest turnover rate and highest assist rate of any of South Carolina’s returning guards. Latson’s player efficiency rating led the ACC. 

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3. Will Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards make the next step?
By the end of the season, Kitts and Edwards were probably South Carolina’s two best players. Kitts averaged 10.7 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds and led South Carolina with 11 double-doubles. Edwards led South Carolina in scoring at 12.7 points plus 5.0 rebounds, and was second on the team with 

Both players were named honorable mention All-Americans. Kitts was the MVP of the SEC Tournament and the Birmingham 2 Regional. Edwards was first-team All-SEC. What can they accomplish next season?

Kitts has made steady progress throughout her career. She can still get more consistent, and if she continues to improve her three-point shot, it would make her a matchup nightmare.

Staley has said that Edwards has the potential to be the best player in the country. To get there, Edwards needs to be a more effective rebounder, but the biggest adjustment will be handling double teams. In the NCAA tournament, Indiana, Maryland, and Duke had success with aggressively doubling Edwards. She’s going to see a lot more of that, so she needs to make opponents pay.

4. Who is the backup guard/wing?
Last season, it was a struggle to find playing time for all of the Gamecocks’ talented guards. But after losing starters Te-Hina Paopao and Bree Hall to the WNBA and MiLaysia Fulwiley to the transfer portal, depth is a concern.

The backup point guard position appears to be in capable hands with Maddy McDaniel, who was impressive in limited time last season. But she is the only other guard with any college experience. 

South Carolina went after former Utah guard Gianna Kneepkens in the transfer portal. Kneepkens opted to go to UCLA, but it gives some insight into what Staley was looking for: a big three-point shooter who would combine with Tessa Johnson to space the floor and rotate at two guard and wing. 

Now that role falls to South Carolina’s two incoming freshmen, Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell. Both are big guards who can shoot and are active on defense. Ideally, they would have had a year to develop, but now it looks like at least one will have to step into the rotation immediately.

This past weekend, McDowell played a pair of WNBA preseason games with the Brazilian national team against Chicago and Indiana. She understandably struggled, but got some valuable experience with high-level basketball.

There is also a wild card. In theory, Kitts has the skillset to step out and play the wing (remember, she started her Gamecock career as a guard). A big lineup with Kitts, Edwards, and Okot or Watkins could be intriguing.

5. Is South Carolina done in the portal?
At this time last year, we thought South Carolina was done, but then Maryam Dauda committed at the end of May. Most of the top players have already committed, but there are still some quality players who could provide depth. 

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