South Carolina Basketball: Gamecock commit suffers season-ending injury

South Carolina basketball has three 5-star prospects committed in the class of 2024. Point guard Madisen McDaniel, versatile forward Joyce Edwards, and post player Adhel Tac make up the country’s 2nd-rated class.

On Thursday, one of those big-time recruits announced that her senior season of high school was over before it really got started.

South Grand Prairie’s Adhel Tac will miss the rest of her senior season after dislocating her kneecap in November.

She announced the injury on social media, thanking fans for their prayers and well-wishes, and tagging the message with Bible verses from the book of James that read:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

Tac also missed her junior year with a broken foot.

After her junior season foot injury, Tac tumbled in the recruiting rankings, but as a testament to her hard work and strong AAU season this summer, she shot back up those rankings, reclaiming 5-star status.

Tac committed to the Gamecocks at the end of October, making her the second commitment of the class (after McDaniel). She is expected to make a full recovery from her injury and to compete for playing time down low after Kamilla Cardoso moves on to the WNBA. 4th-year player Sakima Walker also could choose to move on from the program, as well, leaving Tac as the only true center on the roster.

As a player, Adhel Tac plays a similar style to Cardoso, using her elite height and length to rebound and guard the rim at a high level. She also has better footwork on the block than most high school players.

The dislocated kneecap and torn MPFL ligament injuries typically take about 12 weeks of recovery before a player can return to the court for practice. If she is able to bounce back from this injury in time to get a full summer with Dawn Staley and the coaching staff (and she should), South Carolina basketball fans can expect her to be a factor on next year’s team.