South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks made top-5 for elite forward prospect

South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley has a big-time recruiting class heading to Columbia in the '24 cycle.

Three 5-stars have signed with the Gamecocks as 6'5" post player Adhel Tac (who has already enrolled at USC), Maryland Player of the Year Maddy McDaniel (a guard who plays both perimeter spots), and Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year winner Joyce Edwards (an elite defensive forward with a high upside as a scorer, as well) will be part of the program next season.

There is a chance, though, that the Gamecocks aren't quite done in the '24 class.

On Friday, 4-star forward Emely Rodriguez put South Carolina basketball in her top-5.

South Carolina is joined in Rodriguez's top-5 by the UConn Huskies, Arizona Wildcats, Florida State Seminoles, and UCF Knights.

Rodriguez is a 6'1" forward from Miami, Florida who can do a little bit of everything on the court. She has guard skills (and likely will end up as a wing at the college level), and she is a good enough athlete to compete against smaller players when asked to guard them. However, at 6'1", she has enough size to play as a power forward at times, as well. Physically, she resembles Gamecock players like Bree Hall and Brea Beal (who graduated last year).

She is a different style player to Hall and Beal, though. Rodriguez is an aggressive, downhill player with the ball in her hands. She is a strong finisher in the paint, and she is a confident shooter from the outside, as well. Her footwork allows her to get off good looks from tough positions.

Rodriguez is one of six undeclared 4-star or 5-star players left in the class of 2024. According to ESPN's HoopGurlz, she has been ranked inside the top-100 national prospects at times during her recruitment.

You can watch some of her highlights here.