South Carolina women's basketball: June mailbag

On Wednesday, I opened the floor to women’s basketball questions on The Insiders Forum. Here’s a sample of what was discussed.

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(Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.)

CaroLuka77: If you could predict this season’s recruiting class as it stands today, who would be in it?
I really don’t have a feel for it. I think we’re all kind of waiting to see how the revenue sharing (and NIL Go) shakes out. I think we’ll start to see some dominoes start to fall in late July and early August.

The Coast is Clear: With the addition of Madina Okot and the hopeful return of Ashlyn Watkins, we have a lot of interior players, including Chloe Kitts, Joyce Edwards, Maryam Dauda, and Adhel Tac. Who are the top players in this group? Who starts? Who finishes? Can Dauda and Tac improve enough to earn Dawn Staley’s trust and get regular minutes?
I think this is one of the keys to the season. There is a glut of talented players, and Dawn has to figure out how to use them. At least one, maybe two players who are starter-quality are going to have to come off the bench. That requires massaging some hurt feelings. Plus, you don’t know when Watkins will be ready to play and how effective she will be. This is going to drag into October at least.

Dauda, Tac, and Okot have put in a lot of work since the end of the season. Hopefully, it pays off. Dauda and Tac are two of the absolute sweetest people you will ever meet. They deserve success. Bringing in Okot means USC doesn’t need a big year from Tac, and I think that will help.

SCcocks4ever: Is there any hope of Okot getting the two years of eligibility she used in Africa back?
I don’t understand how the two years in Kenya count as NCAA years, but apparently they do. I wouldn’t be surprised if she appeals for additional eligibility.

Juice36: Last year, South Carolina lacked offensive firepower. Do you see that changing this year?
Latson, Ta’Niya.

Garnetspur: What’s your projected starting lineup?
Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, and Tessa Johnson seem obvious as the three guards. Kitts and Edwards were USC’s two best players last season, so on one hand, it makes sense to start them, but I don’t really like that lineup. You got Okot for a reason, so she should start. Chloe played really well off Cardoso in 2024, so put her beside Okot. But are you really okay bringing Joyce off the bench again?

I go around and around in circles in my head, trying to figure it out.

RoosterPrime: I’m crazy enough to start Raven, Ta’Niya, Joyce, Chloe, and Okot. No doubt Joyce can play the three spot for 15 minutes or so and the four spot for 10 minutes.
I’m on board with that idea, although I would have Chloe on the wing instead of Joyce because she is the better shooter and passer. However, I think you start Tessa because you want her playing with Ta’Niya as much as possible to space the floor so Latson can get to the rim.

BangCock: What about Tessa at three in a “small” lineup and Chloe at three for a “big” lineup?
We’re on the same page. Sitting here in June, it looks like a roster that can give a lot of different looks at opponents, something they couldn’t do last season. If the freshmen wings Agot Makeer (6-1 and long) and/or Ayla McDowell (6-2) are ready to play this season, they could also give Dawn another “big” option.

GivEmDaSpurs: How many high school players will South Carolina look to sign for 2026? What recruits are they looking the best with at the moment?
South Carolina needs a bigger class (3-4 players) this year because they haven’t had a big one since 2021. You’ve got to stock the cupboard. Fortunately, this class is insanely deep. The top 6 or 7 players probably would have been ranked first last year.

It still feels pretty wide open with most of the top recruits. I’m not sure if it’s because the House settlement slowed things down, or it’s the part of the year when we get impatient.

winloseortie: Do you have any non-conference schedule updates? Is Bowling Green playing the return game? Could the UConn series resume?
I haven’t heard anything on Bowling Green or UConn. At this point, I’d be surprised if USC and UConn play this season, but they could be waiting to announce it when season tickets go on sale.

I suspect that we’re going to see fewer traditional home-and-homes in favor of neutral-site games. Those games, like the “Real USC” series or the Ally Tipoff, provide NIL opportunities for players and are better for the program’s bottom line. That’s a big concern going forward.

HopkinsCock56: Will Joyce Edwards take a big step forward this year and become South Carolina’s next All-American forward? Or will it be Chloe Kitts?
Why not both? Chloe was an honorable mention All-American last season, so she’s close. We’ve seen that Chloe understands the work she has to put in, and she should continue to get even better. I think Joyce is on an A’ja Wilson trajectory where the coaches tried not to overwhelm her as a freshman and then unleashed her as a sophomore.

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