Heralded recruit Rivers to leave South Carolina

Freshman Saniya Rivers will switch from the South Carolina ladies’s basketball group, she mentioned Thursday on social media.

Rivers is the third switch out of Columbia — Eniya Russell and Elysa Wesolek even have mentioned they’re leaving — because the Gamecocks captured the 2022 nationwide title earlier this month, however her exit is essentially the most shocking.

A 6-foot-1 guard from Wilmington, N.C., Rivers was the No. 3 prospect in her class, per ESPN HoopGurlz, and the 2020-21 Gatorade Nationwide Participant of the Yr as a highschool senior.

South Carolina boasted ESPN’s top-ranked recruiting class in 2021 behind the commitments of Rivers, Bree Corridor (No. 14 prospect), Sania Feagin (No. 4) and Raven Johnson (No. 2). (Johnson missed all however two video games this previous season as a result of a knee harm.)

Rivers performed the third-most of any South Carolina reserves, averaging 2.3 factors and 1.6 rebounds in 13.0 minutes in 27 appearances. She performed significant minutes within the Gamecocks’ nationwide semifinal win over Louisville, coming away with three factors, 4 assists, and two steals in 20 minutes.

“Due to Coach Staley and the remainder of the teaching workers and program for affording me with the chance to win a nationwide championship in my freshman 12 months with this group. It has really been an expertise of a lifetime,” Rivers wrote on social media. “With that being mentioned, I can be getting into my title into the switch portal with 3 years of eligibility remaining to additional pursue my educational and athletic profession targets.”

Along with South Carolina, Rivers listed her high 12 colleges throughout her recruitment as UConn, Florida State, Indiana, Notre Dame, Maryland, Duke, NC State, North Carolina, UNC Wilmington, North Carolina A&T and Tennessee.

Regardless of the departures, the Gamecocks will return 4 of their 5 starters from final season — 2021-22 nationwide participant of the 12 months Aliyah Boston, Victaria Saxton, Brea Beal and Zia Cooke – in addition to key reserves Kamilla Cardoso and Laeticia Amihere. In addition they introduced in Georgia Tech switch Kierra Fletcher.

Start line guard Destanni Henderson, whose career-high 26 factors and protection propelled the Gamecocks over UConn within the nationwide title recreation, was drafted by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever earlier this week.