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Dawn Staley is truly the 'Dream Merchant' with her elite WNBA, transfer portal stat

The Gamecocks are having one heck of a recruiting season.
ByMorgan Moriarty|
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Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley gestures in the first quarter against the UCLA Bruins during the National Championship game of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley gestures in the first quarter against the UCLA Bruins during the National Championship game of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's a dang good time to be a South Carolina women's basketball fan. The 2026 WNBA season tips off on Friday night, and the Gamecocks have a program-record 12 players playing on seven different teams this season. The future of Dawn Staley's 2026 team in Columbia is looking bright, too.  

Although South Carolina fell short in the national championship game last month, Staley has proved she is in a league of her own in a key WNBA and transfer portal stat. The self-proclaimed "Dream Merchant" enters the summer months without a single South Carolina player entering the transfer portal. Not one of her former Gamecock players were cut ahead of the 2026 WNBA season, as well: 

Key returnees for the Gamecocks in 2026 include star forward Joyce Edwards, guards Tessa Johnson, Agot Makeer and Maddy McDaniel. Forward Chloe Kitts, who missed last season due to a torn ACL, is also expected to return. 

Staley even returned players that didn't see much playing time last season, like forwards Maryam Douda and Alicia Tournebize and guard Alya McDowell. Not having a single one of those players enter the portal is a huge success for Staley in an era where hundreds of players enter the portal each and every year. 

In the WNBA, several of Staley's former players tip off during the league's opening weekend, such as four-time MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, the Atlanta Dream's Allisha Gray and Te-Hina Paopao and the Chicago Sky's Kamilla Cardos, to name a few.

On the recruiting trail, Staley has cleaned up this offseason. She landed former Texas star Jordan Lee from the portal, as well as signing 5-star and former Tennessee signee Oliviyah Edwards. The Gamecocks also landed French basketball star Justine Loubens, who has four years of NCAA eligibility. 

It may be the offseason for South Carolina, but Staley doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. With a nickname like the "Dream Merchant," that's pretty fitting. 

ALSO READ: New book about Steve Spurrier's South Carolina coaching career sounds epic

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