South Carolina women's basketball finished the season 35-4, just one win away from taking home back-to-back national championships and its third championship in four seasons.
After UConn bested the Gamecocks 82-59 in the 2025 Women's National Championship, head coach Dawn Staley works to get her team back to championship pedigree.
A trio of Gamecock seniors officially departed the program after being selected in the WNBA draft on Monday night. Guard Te-Hina Paopao was the first Gamecock taken in Round 2, Pick 6, to the Atlanta Dream. Guard Bree Hall was taken just two picks later by the Indiana Fever, and forward Sania Feagin went back-to-back with Hall. Feagin was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks.
The departure of Staley's senior class, which included three starters and two national championships for Hall and Feagin, will be a focal point heading into the offseason. Younger players will be stepping up into starter roles with heavier minutes.
One of those younger players is an emerging star from this past season in freshman forward Joyce Edwards. Edwards finished the season leading all Gamecocks in scoring at 12.7 points per game. Edwards also brought down five rebounds per game while shooting 52.9% from the field.
Edwards, the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2024 according to 247Sports, started just one game this season while averaging 21.3 minutes per game. Edwards scored a career-high 28 points against the Florida Gators on Feb. 13.
Edwards went through a drought of sorts beginning in the NCAA Tournament, scoring a combined 15 points in three games against Indiana, Maryland and Duke. Edwards responded in the Final Four games, going for double-digit scoring against Texas and UConn. Edwards figures to get significant minutes next season after showing growth in her first year with the production to match it.
"It shows that Joyce is a dog," Hall said. "She's going to come back for more. It's not over for her at all."
After the championship loss, Staley alluded to the potential for roster turnover heading into next season, specifically around the usage of the transfer portal. Staley has dipped into the portal quietly each of the last two seasons for Paopao, who previously played at Oregon, and junior forward Maryam Dauda, who began her career at Arkansas.
"I'm as excited for what our team will look like next year," Staley said. "I am because I do think they'll be talented enough to get here, especially with getting in the transfer portal and getting some experienced pieces that can help with this young group."
Staley wasted little time dipping into the transfer portal after the national championship, as Florida State junior guard Ta'Niya Latson committed to South Carolina two days after the game on April 8. The announcement came from Latson's social media.
Latson led the NCAA in scoring in the 2024-25 season with 25.2 points per game. Latson, an AP All-American this season, has started all 93 games in her career and is a career 44.8% shooter from the field.
Latson's commitment was followed by some more breaking news — the return of redshirt junior guard Raven Johnson, who will return for a final year instead of putting her name into the WNBA draft. Johnson, a former high school teammate of Latson's, was playing the recruiter role ever since Latson first entered the transfer portal on March 27.
"'Let's run it back,'" Johnson said. "We all played AAU with her, so she knows what a winning culture feels like. She knows how a disciplined basketball team feels like."
In terms of confirmed newcomers, the Gamecocks feature a pair of 2025 recruits that will be freshmen next season in guard Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell. Makeer is the No. 4 recruit in the class, according to 247Sports, while McDowell checks in as the No. 27 recruit. Makeer and McDowell both participated in the 2025 McDonald's All-American Girls game on April 2, where Makeer scored 7 points for the East team, while McDowell scored 10 for the West.
South Carolina will likely continue to look in the portal for talent with multiple open roster spots. As Latson, Makeer and McDowell are all set to join, the Gamecocks have lost five players from the 2024-25 team. Along with Feagin, Hall and Paopao, a pair of Gamecocks have entered the transfer portal — senior center Sakima Walker and sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Walker entered the portal on April 8, while Fulwiley put her name in the portal on April 11. Fulwiley is the bigger loss as the reigning SEC Sixth Woman of the Year. Fulwiley averaged 11.7 points per game on 42.6% from the field this past season.
The Gamecocks will get an addition in the expected return of junior forward Ashlyn Watkins, who tore her ACL on Jan. 5. Watkins played just 14 games for South Carolina, averaging 7.2 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.
While there is room for more additions in the portal, there will be a growing expectation from Staley with the returners. Forward Chloe Kitts is expected to be back for her senior season but is the only remaining starter along with Johnson. There will be more of an emphasis on the youth of the team, including Edwards, sophomore guard Tessa Johnson and freshman guard Maddy McDaniel.
After the national championship loss, Staley said she hopes the emotions of the game will drive her team — the younger players in particular — to grow and be ready for next season.
"I hope they're crying," Staley said. "I hope they're boo-hooing because from crying they have emotion about losing, makes you work hard in the offseason."