South Carolina women's basketball: Predicting next season's rotation
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On Wednesday Arkansas transfer Maryam Dauda committed to South Carolina. How does her addition change South Carolina’s rotation for next season?
South Carolina loses just one rotation player from last season – 6-7 post Kamilla Cardoso. But the addition of the 6-4 Dauda doesn’t mean she automatically slides into Cardoso’s starting spot.
Last season, Dauda started all 33 games and played 28.7 minutes. Dauda averaged 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.24 blocks. She hit 31.9% from three and added 1.2 assists.
For comparison, Ashlyn Watkins averaged 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in just 20.5 minutes. Chloe Kitts averaged 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in just 18.6 minutes. Sania Feagin averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in only 15.2 minutes.
Each player made key contributions to South Carolina’s championship run that go beyond the stats.
South Carolina also adds 6-6 Adhel Tac and 6-2 Joyce Edwards to the frontcourt rotation. Tac was the second-rank post in her class and has a huge upside that has drawn comparison to Aliyah Boston. Edwards is the most decorated player ever to commit to South Carolina.
There is also Sakima Walker. Walker has a optional year of eligibility remaining. She hasn’t announced whether she will use it, but signing Dauda suggests she plans to move on.
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One point of interest with Dauda: on both ends of the court she played in a radically different system at Arkansas. It’s tricky to project how she will perform in a new system.
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Projected starters
Point guard – Raven Johnson (RS Junior)
Shooting guard – TeHina Paopao (Fifth-year senior)
Wing – Bree Hall (Senior)
Forward – Chloe Kitts (Junior)
Post – Ashlyn Watkins (Junior)
Breakdown: Johnson, Paopao, and Hall are returning starters and it’s hard to envision any of the three losing their starting role.
Watkins was a part-time starter last season and South Carolina has been prepping her to take over in the middle next season. The forward spot was in a bit of flux all of last season and remains so going into next year.
Kitts started most of the season so she’s the favorite to start next year. She is a little more polished offensively than the other options and played well off Cardoso. The thought is she can play well off Watkins as well.
Projected backup forwards
Sania Feagin (Senior)
Joyce Edwards (Freshman)
Maryam Dauda (Redshirt Junior)
Adhel Tac (RS Freshman)
Sakima Walker (Fifth-year senior)
Breakdown: Versatility is the key here. Edwards is a positionless player who is an elite defender and excels around the rim. She could probably play positions three through five depending on lineups. Feagin came on at the end of last season and played her best basketball over the last six weeks of the season. She can play either frontcourt position in a pinch. Dauda shoots very well for her size and can space the court for the other forward. Tac is probably only able to play the five, at least at first, but she has soft hands inside and is another shot-blocker. If Walker does return, it will be for her locker room presence.
Projected backup guards
MiLaysia Fulwiley (Sophomore)
Tessa Johnson (Sophomore)
Madisen McDaniel (Freshman)
Breakdown: The backcourt rotation will be mostly unchanged. Fulwiley will back up Paopao and Johnson will split time between the two and the three. Adding McDaniel should eliminate the need for either to have to play emergency point guard.
