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South Carolina women's basketball trio makes Naismith watch list

by:Kevin Miller10/28/24

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South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and her 2023-2024 National Championship team. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and her 2023-2024 National Championship team. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, three South Carolina women’s basketball stars found themselves on a major preseason watch list. The 2024-2025 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year dropped around lunchtime. 50 players from all over the country make up the Naismith Trophy preseason watch list. For the Gamecocks, the watch list includes a trio of guards. Just like the preseason All-SEC teams, Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, and MiLaysia Fulwiley received the honor.

All of the Naismith Awards (including the Naismith Trophy) will release updated watch lists at various points of the season. The Naismith Trophy will go to the nation’s top player during the Final Four. Previously, both A’ja Wilson (2017-2018) and Aliyah Boston (2021-2022) won the honor for South Carolina. Boston won the award during a National Championship season, as well.

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This year, USC joins Southern Cal, UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas, and LSU as the only teams with three players on the preseason watch list. South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and her team are the championship favorites, but the other five teams mentioned will be some of their biggest competition this season; as six of the best teams in the sport this year, their rosters make up 19 of the 50 preseason selections.

14 players on the list are from SEC schools. That number ties the BIG Ten for the most from a single conference. The Gamecocks will play 22 of the 50 players on the watch list during the regular season.

[See what Gamecock fans are saying on The Insiders Forum!]

The entire 2024-2025 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year preseason watch list from the Naismith Awards press release is listed below:

LAST NAMEFIRST NAMEFULL NAMECLASSPOSSCHOOLCONFERENCE
AmooreGeorgiaGeorgia AmooreGraduate StudentGKentuckySEC
AndrewsSarahSarah AndrewsGraduate StudentGBaylorBig 12
BarkerSarah AshleeSarah Ashlee BarkerGraduate StudentGAlabamaSEC
BeersRaeganRaegan BeersJuniorCOklahomaSEC
BettsLaurenLauren BettsJuniorCUCLABig Ten
BookerMadisonMadison BookerSophomoreFTexasSEC
BueckersPaigePaige BueckersSeniorGUConnBIG EAST
CitronSoniaSonia CitronSeniorGNotre DameACC
CookMakiraMakira CookFifth YearGIllinoisBig Ten
CrooksAudiAudi CrooksSophomoreCIowa StateBig 12
EjimYvonneYvonne EjimFifth YearFGonzagaWCC
FuddAzziAzzi FuddJuniorGUConnBIG EAST
FulwileyMiLaysiaMiLaysia FulwileySophomoreGSouth CarolinaSEC
HarmonRoriRori HarmonSeniorGTexasSEC
HidalgoHannahHannah HidalgoSophomoreGNotre DameACC
IriafenKikiKiki IriafenGraduate StudentFUSCBig Ten
JamesAziahaAziaha JamesSeniorGNC StateACC
JensenLaurenLauren JensenSeniorGCreightonBIG EAST
JohnsonFlau’jaeFlau’jae JohnsonJuniorGLSUSEC
JohnsonRavenRaven JohnsonJuniorGSouth CarolinaSEC
KellyDejaDeja KellyGraduate StudentGOregonBig Ten
KneepkensGiannaGianna KneepkensJuniorGUtahBig 12
LatsonTa’NiyaTa’Niya LatsonJuniorGFlorida StateACC
LeeAyokaAyoka LeeGraduate StudentCKansas StateBig 12
Leger-WalkerCharlisseCharlisse Leger-WalkerGraduate StudentGUCLABig Ten
MarkowskiAlexisAlexis MarkowskiSeniorC/FNebraskaBig Ten
MarshallRayahRayah MarshallSeniorC/FUSCBig Ten
McMahonCotieCotie McMahonJuniorFOhio StateBig Ten
MilesOliviaOlivia MilesGraduate StudentGNotre DameACC
MorrowAneesahAneesah MorrowSeniorFLSUSEC
NicholsS’MyaS’Mya NicholsSophomoreGKansasBig 12
OlsenLucyLucy OlsenSeniorGIowaBig Ten
PaopaoTe-HinaTe-Hina PaopaoSeniorGSouth CarolinaSEC
PheliaLailaLaila PheliaSeniorGTexasSEC
QuinerlyJJJJ QuinerlySeniorGWest VirginiaBig 12
RiceKikiKiki RiceJuniorGUCLABig Ten
RichardsonReiganReigan RichardsonSeniorGDukeACC
RiversSaniyaSaniya RiversSeniorGNC StateACC
RyanEmilyEmily RyanSeniorGIowa StateBig 12
ScottMadisonMadison ScottGraduate StudentPG/FOle MissSEC
SellersShyanneShyanne SellersSeniorGMarylandBig Ten
StuelkeHannahHannah StuelkeJuniorFIowaBig Ten
SundellSerenaSerena SundellSeniorGKansas StateBig 12
TimpsonMakaylaMakayla TimpsonSeniorFFlorida StateACC
UstbyAlyssaAlyssa UstbyGraduate StudentG/FNorth CarolinaACC
Van LithHaileyHailey Van LithGraduate StudentGTCUBig 12
VannSkylarSkylar VannSeniorFOklahomaSEC
von OelhoffenTaliaTalia von OelhoffenGraduate StudentGUSCBig Ten
WatkinsJuJuJuJu WatkinsSophomoreGUSCBig Ten
WilliamsMikaylahMikaylah WilliamsSophomoreGLSUSEC

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