The South Carolina basketball program has become "Post Player U."
A'ja Wilson is the world's best player. Aliyah Boston has made the WNBA All-Star Game in both of her two seasons as a pro. Kamilla Cardoso is the best young post defender in the game. And the current crop of Gamecocks are really good, too.
The trend will continue as the 2024-2025 version of Dawn Staley's South Carolina basketball team has an embarrassment of riches in the paint. Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts rotated as the team's primary starters at power forward last season, Sania Feagin is a veteran player who is coming off of her best season, incoming freshman Joyce Edwards won multiple high school National Player of the Year awards and can play any frontcourt spot, and 5-star freshman Adhel Tac is 6'6" and plays a similar game to Kamilla Cardoso. Transfer portal addition Maryam Dauda is a bit of a wildcard but should be a valuable contributor who can play multiple spots.
The Gamecocks are so loaded with talent at the forward and center positions that the 2022-2023 Junior College National Player of the Year, Sakima Walker, is expected to be the fifth or sixth post player in the rotation.
For now, exactly how Coach Staley will deploy her tallest troops is unknown, but there is not a deeper frontcourt group in the country, so she will have plenty of options.
Ashlyn Watkins was an All-SEC performer last year and is one of the country's very best defenders and rebounders. As a candidate to lead the nation in blocked shots, Watkins is extremely athletic (with enough bounce that she has thrown down multiple dunks in her college career) and is developing into a much better offensive player.
Chloe Kitts is the most polished returning offensive player of the bigs. She can score in the post, she has a really smooth midrange shot, and she has started expanding her range out to the perimeter. Kitts has great instincts as a rebounder and has enough ballhandling and passing ability to be an offensive engine if Coach Staley wants to take a break from running things through her guards.
One of the seniors on this year's team, Sania Feagin is long and strong and is the type of player who can be a spark on either side of the court. She has good feet when she gets into a rhythm with her post moves, and she plays hard and with aggression when she is on the court.
Joyce Edwards will step into the Gamecocks' rotation immediately even as a true freshman. As one of the nation's top players in the high school class of 2024, she was considered an elite defensive prospect before developing into an unstoppable offensive player as a senior. She is athletic and long enough to be a mismatch issue at any frontcourt position, and watching how Dawn Staley uses her will be one of many fun parts of the upcoming season.
The tallest player on the roster is redshirt freshman Adhel Tac. Originally a 5-star in the class of 2024, she enrolled early as she rehabbed a knee injury. Seeing how she will be integrated into the Carolina system will be interesting, but if she is healthy and ready to go, she will contribute by providing elite size in the team's rebounding and shot-blocking efforts.
Transferring in from the Arkansas Razorbacks, Maryam Dauda is another versatile forward who should be a major factor for USC. She is a switchable defender who has great instincts as shot-blocker, and she provides a lot of athleticism and a little bit of jump shooting, both from the midrange and from the perimeter.
Sakima Walker is one of the leaders on the team, and she joins Adhel Tac as the only players who are at least 6'5". If last year is any indication, she won't be a consistent part of the rotation, but she will be a reliable player if/when she has her number called.
Every one of these players has a chance to get a WNBA opportunity, adding to the Gamecocks' league-best post presence in the league. Gamecock legends A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, and Kamilla Cardoso all rank in the top-11 in the W in rebounding and top-9 in blocked shots. Wilson is the frontrunner for WNBA MVP, Boston could make the All-WNBA team, and Cardoso is a lock for All-Rookie and could make the WNBA All-Defensive squad.
As the current group of South Carolina basketball stars make their way to the professional game, it will come as a surprise to absolutely no one when a few of them make major impacts in the WNBA.
Watkins, Kitts, Feagin, Edwards, Tac, Dauda, Walker, and the rest of the Gamecocks will begin their season on November 4th in Las Vegas when they take on the Michigan Wolverines as part of the Hall of Fame Series.