As she seems always to do, South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley is bringing an elite group of freshmen to Columbia this recruiting cycle. A trio of 5-star prospects are becoming Gamecocks (actually, one of them, post player Adhel Tac, enrolled this winter at the University of South Carolina).
Versatile forward Joyce Edwards finished the recruiting cycle ranked #3 in the ESPN HoopGurlz individual rankings but spent considerable time at both #1 and #2, as well. Point guard Maddy McDaniel is #14 in the final rankings but has been all over the top-25, peaking inside the top-10. Post player Adhel Tac has been ranked as high as the top-12 but injuries caused her rankings to slip some to her final spot at #28.
Carolina is one just four programs with three 5-star commitments in the class, along with the Southern Cal Trojans, UConn Huskies, and Louisville Cardinals. Because of that, the Gamecocks have been inside the top-3 of the recruiting rankings since Edwards' commitment in the fall.
When the worldwide leader updated their final ESPN HoopGurlz rankings for the 2024 recruiting class, the Gamecocks remained in the top-3 despite no changes to their class in recent months.
South Carolina basketball slotted in at ESPN's #3 spot, trailing only the "other USC" (the Southern Cal Trojans) and the rival UConn Huskies. A recent commitment from national top prospect Sarah Strong pushed UConn past Carolina in the team rankings, while Southern Cal has held the top spot for quite a while.
SEC rivals like the Texas Longhorns (5th), Florida Gators (9th), Kentucky Wildcats (11th), Georgia Bulldogs (16th), and Oklahoma Sooners also finished with highly-regarded recruiting classes. The same is true for other common South Carolina opponents like the UConn Huskies (2nd), UCLA Bruins (4th), Duke Blue Devils (7th), North Carolina Tar Heels (15th), NC State Wolfpack (17th), and Maryland Terrapins (20th).