South-Carolina
Thoughts on adding Ta’Niya Latson, losing Chloe Kitts after 2 South Carolina exhibitions
ATLANTA — South Carolina women’s basketball got two different looks at the 2025-26 team before the season officially begins, learning some good and bad through the two exhibition wins.
The Gamecocks beat UNC 91-82 on Oct. 30, after beating Division II Anderson 112-31 on Oct. 24. There are four new faces two the roster, two from the portal in Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot along with two freshmen in Ayla McDowell and Agot Makeer.
Coach Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks open the season against Grand Canyon on Nov. 3 (7 p.m. ET) at home, her first real look at her 10 players as South Carolina aims for a fourth national championship.
With two exhibition games in the books and four days until wins and losses matter, here’s what stands out about this South Carolina team so far.
South Carolina has scorers but 3-point shooting still a work in progress
Latson didn’t come to South Carolina to shoot 3-pointers, but she did come after averaging 21 or more points the last three seasons for Florida State. She finished with 19 on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor against UNC, piggybacking off a 14-point night against Anderson.
She is getting more comfortable in South Carolina’s system and her mid-range magic was on display against the Tar Heels.
Latson got help from her fellow starters with sophomore forward Joyce Edwards scoring 27 against Anderson and 12 against UNC. Okot finished with double digits both games (17 and 11) and Tessa Johnson went 7-of-11 from the floor for 19 points against UNC.
The Gamecocks shot 53.1% from the field against Anderson and 50% against UNC but from behind the 3-point line they were 4-of-18 both games (22.2%). It’s an area to work on, especially if teams take away options inside.
South Carolina will need to be a multidimensional offense this season, especially in SEC play.
What Dawn Staley said about 2025-26 South Carolina roster’s chemistry
Staley lost starting forward Chloe Kitts to an ACL tear in the preseason, which put a wrench in her first five’s chemistry. Edwards and Kitts played really well down low last season, something Staley was looking to build off this season.
At times the last two games but against UNC especially, it looked like South Carolina was shooting early in the shot clock or late on a closeout, likely due to some miscommunication.
“This is a totally different basketball team,” Staley said. “We don’t have the continuity, chemistry and flow that we need. It’s a lot better, even than when we played against Anderson.”
Staley said with so many scorers, her players are still learning sometimes making that extra pass “stabs a defense just a little deeper.”
How Chloe Kitts injury is impacting South Carolina
Losing Kitts meant Edwards’ role would get bigger but Staley will need help from everyone. Until game action, it was hard to see where exactly South Carolina would struggle most without her.
It was a quality night from Okot in her debut on Oct. 24 but she found herself in foul trouble early against UNC. That forced some early minutes from Maryam Dauda, who looked more dominant in the paint. She relied on her 3-point shot a lot last year but looks stronger now and attacked the offensive boards especially against UNC.
She had 10 points and five rebounds against UNC.
Adhel Tac is improving, too, but has only scored nine points in 23 minutes across two games. She is 6-foot-5 and if Dauda is giving Edwards rest at the forward spot, Tac will need to score if Okot is in foul trouble.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.
MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.
One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.
Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.
The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.
Dawn Staley & Gamecocks on ‘rusty’ start in huge win over Southern U
Dawn Staley and Joyce Edwards on their ‘rusty’ start in their first game in two weeks that turned into a massive 69-point win NCAA tournament.
Sports Pulse
COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.
That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.
For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.
Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.
“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”
The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.
“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”
The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.
“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”
Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.
“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”
Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.
“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”
As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.
“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.
She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.
“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.
She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.
Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.
“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”
Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.
“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”
She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.
“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”
On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.
It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.
With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.
Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
Rochester, N.Y. — An Orleans County man faces a peeping tom charge in South Carolina after a woman said he left an audio recording device in her home.
According to an incident report from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, an officer responded to the home Jan. 24 for a report of a possible peeping tom or voyeurism incident. The victim told the officer she had been in a relationship with Nicolas Vagg from May-October 2024 and said he traveled from New York to visit her in 2024.
The woman told the officer she found a small black rectangular device in her bedroom. She later determined it was a recording device. She said she connected the device to her phone and found audio recordings captured during her time with Vagg, as well as others from her interactions with another man after she and Vagg broke up.
Vagg, 32, of Albion turned himself in Tuesday, according to the report. He was charged with sex/ peeping tom, eavesdropping or peeping.
Georgetown County Detention Center records indicate Vagg was initially held on $2,000 bond and released later Tuesday.
The victim received a no-contact order of protection, according to the incident report. Vagg’s next court date is scheduled for May 28.
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