South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks to retire legend’s jersey
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina basketball has become a national power under head coach Dawn Staley. She arrived in Columbia in 2008 and took over a team that was…well, not a national power. The Gamecocks had not had a winning SEC record since the 2002-2003 season, but she built the program in such a way that her team improved their record for seven-straight years before winning a national title in her eighth year on the job.
One of the biggest puzzle pieces for coach Staley’s team during its ascent to power was point guard Tiffany Mitchell.
A 4-star, top-50 prospect, Mitchell committed to South Carolina basketball after the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in almost a decade. With Mitchell in tow, winning became the norm in Columbia.
During Mitchell’s four years on campus, the Gamecocks won at least 25 games each season, and the dynamic guard was selected to three All-American teams and won two SEC Player of the Year Awards. Her South Carolina basketball team won three SEC regular season championships, won two SEC Tournament championships, and made it to the program’s first-ever Final Four.
Now, the Gamecock great will be immortalized with her jersey hanging in the rafters of Colonial Life Arena. On Wednesday, the Gamecocks announced that Mitchell’s #25 jersey would be retired during a pregame ceremony before the Maryland game in the 2023-2024 season. (South Carolina retires jerseys, not numbers, so the #25 jersey will not be off-limits).
One of the best leaders and shooters in school history, Mitchell went on to be a first-round pick of the Indiana Fever. She has played for eight seasons in the WNBA and has spent most of her career playing overseas during the offseason. Unsurprisingly, she has won multiple championships in multiple professional leagues.
Had it not been for Aja Wilson and Aliyah Boston coming after her, Tiffany Mitchell may have gone down as the best player to ever suit up for the garnet and black. On November 12th, she will finally get a bit of the respect she deserves.