South Carolina Basketball: 5-star announces transfer destination

South Carolina basketball has had just one player announce an intention to transfer from Dawn Staley’s program this offseason. Former 5-star guard Talaysia Cooper did not see as much game action in the 2022-2023 season as many anticipated, and she announced her plans to leave the team by entering the transfer portal at the end of June.

Cooper, a South Carolina native, was a top-20 prospect in the class of 2022 but sat behind older players like Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, Kierra Fletcher, and Bree Hall. It didn’t take long into the season for redshirt freshman Raven Johnson to pass Cooper in the rotation, as well.

With three newcomers joining the team at the guard spots (freshman Milasia Fulwiley, freshman Tessa Johnson, and redshirt junior Te-Hina Paopao), a role next season seemed unlikely for Cooper.

On Tuesday, the former 5-star recruit announced her new school as her “second recruitment” wrapped up.

Talaysia Cooper will be staying in the SEC as she announced a commitment to play for Kellie Harper’s Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

The move comes as a surprise to some South Carolina basketball fans as Tennessee is one of Carolina’s top rivals in the SEC, and the Gamecocks had most recently played the Lady Vols in the SEC Tournament Championship (a South Carolina win).

As a player who can play from the 1-spot to the 3, Cooper will have an easier time seeing the floor in Knoxville than she would have in Columbia, but Tennessee has a fair amount of older players on the perimeter.

Transfers Jewel Spear (Wake Forest), Avery Strickland (Pittsburgh), and Destinee Wells (Belmont) will join Tess Darby and Sara Puckett as UT perimeter players that likely will start the season higher on the depth chart than Cooper.

For South Carolina basketball, lots of roster turnover (eight players moved on from the program to the WNBA, graduation, or transfer) makes projecting the rotation difficult, but Dawn Staley’s squad will be fine as the Gamecock staff has, as usual, recruited very well.

South Carolina basketball will open its season in Paris, France against Notre Dame on November 6th.