Dawn Staley‘s South Carolina basketball program is one of the best women’s college basketball programs in the entire country. The team’s on-court success and off-the-court recruiting excellence have gone hand-in-hand over the past decade during the Gamecocks’ rise to power.
Specifically, when it comes to recruiting both high school prospects and the transfer portal, USC finds itself in the final group in virtually every major recruit’s decision-making process. That remains true again in the high school class of 2024 as a number of top prospects are heavily considering joining the South Carolina basketball program on their way to the professional ranks.
In May, 5-star forward Justice Carlton announced a top-5 that included South Carolina, Texas, UConn, Arizona, and LSU. A virtual who’s-who of college basketball was after the big-time post player, and her recruitment was heavily contested this summer.
In the end, the Katy, Texas native decided to stay home. The 6’2″ forward announced over the weekend that she would be committing to the University of Texas Longhorns.
I'm told that the Texas women's basketball team has picked up a commitment this weekend from Justice Carlton, a 6-2 forward from Katy. Justice is currently rated by ESPN HoopGurlz as the No. 7 recruit in the Class of 2024. #HookEm
— Danny Davis (@_dannydavis) September 16, 2023
Carlton’s pledge marked the second-highest rated prospect commitment so far in the class of 2024. The 7th-ranked recruit in the nation according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz top-100, Carlton joins guard Allie Ziebell (4th, committed to UConn) and forward Toby Fournier (9th, committed to Duke) as the only top-10 players to go public with their college choices so far in the class.
South Carolina basketball has just one player currently committed publicly in the class of 2024. 5-star guard Madison McDaniel (ranked 12th in the class) made her commitment to the program in August.
Coach Staley’s Gamecocks are heavily involved in the recruitments of several other elite players, including 5-star forwards Joyce Edwards (Camden, South Carolina), Mackenly Randolph (Los Angeles, California), and Adhel Tac (Grand Prairie, Texas). 5-star guard Jaloni Cambridge also has named the Gamecocks a finalist in her recruitment.