South Carolina teammates see MiLaysia Fulwiley's growth on defensive side of basketball

MiLaysia Fulwiley has provided South Carolina with an energetic spark off the bench throughout the 2024-25 campaign. She began the season averaging 19.2 minutes and 12.8 points per game across her first five contests.

But then, in the Gamecocks’ biggest game at that point of the year, Fulwiley did not see the floor for long. She played just three minutes in South Carolina’s top-five matchup against UCLA on Nov. 24. Fulwiley checked into the game at the 5:14 mark of the first quarter, subbed out at the 2:32 mark and did not appear in the game again. The Gamecocks went on to lose their first regular season game since Dec. 30, 2021, by a 77-62 score.

Keep up with all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer today!

Heach coach Dawn Staley did not give a specific reason for Fulwiley’s lack of playing time against the Bruins. She did say, however, that the experience was part of her “process.”

“Everybody has a process. … Our process is sometimes painful. Our process is sometimes great,” Staley said. “It’s her process that we’re going to continue to trust. Because it’s not even about UCLA. It’s not about, ‘She didn’t play the rest of the game.’ What it’s about is making sure that her name, her picture, is up here, and she’s in the league for as long as she wants to be.”

It doesn’t take long to notice that Fulwiley already possesses WNBA-ready finishing and ball-handling skills. Her exploits on the other end of the court, though, can help her take her skill set to yet another level.

Since the end of her freshman year, Fulwiley has made defense a greater point of emphasis. She and her teammates are now seeing the fruits of that labor.

“MiLaysia’s really big on learning the defensive end. She actually takes pride in the defensive end more than the offensive end,” Raven Johnson said. “We always tell her that defense wins championships. I remember last year, the UNC game, she sat out because she didn’t play defense. And ever since that game, her defensive game has been on the rise.”

While there are not many counting metrics that quantify Fulwiley’s impact on defense, she has emerged as a strong takeaway threat. Through the Gamecocks’ 33 games, she has accumulated 52 steals – the most of any player on the team. She has also showcased her skills as a rim protector with 22 blocks to her name, despite her 5-foot-10 frame.

Opposing coaches, like Arkansas head women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors, have started to give Fulwiley her flowers on defense. The Razorbacks’ leading scorer, Izzy Higginbottom, finished the season with a conference-high 24.4 points per game. When Arkansas came to Colonial Life Arena for a Feb. 20 matchup, Fulwiley helped the team limit her to 10 points on 3-17 shooting.

“It must be nice to bring her off the bench,” Neighbors said after the game. “It’s unbelievable that you’re a little gassed, and she comes in, and she takes it to another level. Her offense, a lot of times, gets the flash, but what she does defensively, she just disrupts. It’s hard for Izzy to get around her.”

Fulwiley said keeping opponents’ top scorers in check is one of her defensive strong suits. She added that the greatest improvement she has seen in her defensive game is how she reacts and makes decisions away from the basketball.

“I’ve been working on really just being aware. I feel like I’m a great on-ball defender, but when I get off the ball, I kind of just get lost a little bit,” Fulwiley said. “In a split second in women’s basketball, somebody can score or come back. So, I feel like really just being aware of, when the game is on the line, getting a little closer to my player, seeing everything, just breaking everything down.”

Those abilities were on full display during South Carolina’s first game of the SEC Tournament. On one specific play, Fulwiley, while off the ball, noticed Vanderbilt’s Leilani Kapinus isolated beyond the three-point line. She then plucked the ball off the dribble, raced down the court, and hit a three-point shot just as the first-quarter buzzer sounded.

Fulwiley’s defensive efforts, including multiple highlight-reel plays this postseason, have directly led to offense – something that could prove to be valuable whenever the Gamecocks find themselves in tight situations during the NCAA Tournament. Even with the improvements Fulwiley has made on defense already, the best is yet to come, Joyce Edwards said.

“Her want to defend, her effort that she puts in every day to get better at defense, you see on the court,” Edwards said. “She sees everything now. I feel like she sees defense now as she sees offense, and it’s becoming easier for her.”

Discuss South Carolina women’s basketball on The Insiders Forum!