Maddy McDaniel announces she's stepping away from South Carolina amid mental health concerns

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball program will be without a potential starter for the team's 2026-27 season. 

Rising junior Maddy McDaniel announced on Thursday that she was stepping away from the Gamecocks program amid mental health concerns. As a junior, McDaniel was expected to be a potential starter in South Carolina's rotation at point guard. 

"Every athlete knows that mental strength is as valuable as their physical strength," McDaniel said in an official statement. "It just doesn’t announce itself in the same way when it needs attention. It doesn’t feel like a sprained ankle or a bruise. It’s harder to put your finger on.

“Still, it’s time for me to acknowledge it. I’ve tried to just keep going, but right now I’m not giving my coaches, my teammates, and the FAMs the version of myself that they deserve. So, I have decided to step away from the team to focus on my mental and emotional well-being, to get back to my best self on all levels.

“It is the strongest thing I can think of to do because of what being part of Gamecock Women’s Basketball means to me.I appreciate everyone who has supported me, and I will be working hard to get back to being the person who has earned that.”

McDaniel played in 66 games across her first two seasons in Columbia, averaging 3.7 points per game with 2.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game. Her best season came this last season with the Gamecocks, as she averaged 4.3 points with 2.7 assists and 1.5 boards per contest. She was suspended for South Carolina's November 11 game against Clemson, but head coach Dawn Staley did not provide a reason for her suspension. 

When asked if she would return for South Carolina's game against USC the following weekend, Staley responded "doubt it."

"That's on her," the coach said,". "We'll evaluate it every day."

McDaniel did not return for South Carolina's 69-52 win over the No. 9 ranked Trojans, and she also missed the Gamecocks' Nov. 19 win over Winthrop. She returned to the program from her suspension on Nov. 20. 

As for Coach Staley, she is supporting her player's decision fully. 

“If we see anyone in our program going through something, we give them the space and the grace to work through it," Staley said in a statement. When they embrace that it may take more than that, we embrace that, too. Maddy’s decision is a difficult one for a young person to make, and I’m glad she felt our program was a safe place for her to make it.”

As for what this means on the court for South Carolina, without McDaniel, it leaves a pretty big gaping hole at the point guard position. With the departure of Raven Johnson to the WNBA, McDaniel was expected to compete for the open point guard spot ahead of the 2026-27 season. 

It's unclear when or if McDaniel might return to the Gamecocks, if at all this season. But mental health in sports at any level is incredibly important, and it takes courage to speak up and announce you need to make a change. Kudos to McDaniel on doing just that here. 

Gamecock fans across the country send their best wishes to McDaniel as the moves forward in her mental health journey.  

ALSO READ: Aces star A'ja Wilson added more hardware to her trophy case during 2026 ESPYS

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow