South Carolina women's basketball May notebook: Catch up with the Gamecocks
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With classes over the Gamecocks have scattered and are mostly doing their own things. Find out what they’ve been up to.
Monday, May 13 is the final day for WNBA roster cutdowns. The regular season begins May 14. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (Phoenix) and Victaria Saxton (Indiana) are among former Gamecocks on the bubble. Seattle already waived Alaina Coates and Kaela Davis, and Las Vegas waived Brea Beal. On Friday, Atlanta waived Destanni Henderson.
On May 10, news leaked that Toronto would be home to the WNBA’s 14th team, beginning play in 2026 and joining Golden State as the two newest teams. The WNBA wants to add two more teams. Among the reported finalists are Philadelphia and Charlotte. Both cities have ties to Dawn Staley: she is from Philadelphia and played for the Charlotte Sting during her WNBA days. Staley could have some sort of advisory and ownership role with either team, but she has repeatedly shot down the idea of coaching in the WNBA (and would take a significant pay cut to do so, since she makes three times the highest salary in the WNBA).
Joyce Edwards continues to add rewards to her impressive collection. She was named all-state in soccer, SLAM named Edwards an All-American, and USA Today named her to the All-USA team (the Player of the Year will be announced in August). Edwards is the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
Edwards and Maddy McDaniel, South Carolina’s other incoming freshman, were each selected to participate in the USA basketball U18 team trials that begin on May 15. The U18 national team will be named at the conclusion of trials and play in the U18 AmeriCup Tournament from June 17-23 in Colombia. Edwards won a gold medal at the U19 World Cup last summer.
McDaniel has not played in any of the postseason all-star games due to injury. The Team USA invite suggests she might be close to returning to the court.
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Last week, Tennessee State hired Candice Dupree as its head coach. Before a successful WNBA career, Dupree starred for Dawn Staley at Temple, where her jersey is retired. Dupree represents another part of Staley’s expanding influence on the sport.
Last week Georgia natives Sania Feagin and Raven Johnson had their high school jerseys retired. Forest Park High retired Feagin’s number 20 and Westlake High retired Johnson’s number 25. South Carolina retired the 25 jersey for Tiffany Mitchell last season, and Johnson may change her number next season.
After her jersey retirement, Johnson attended Game 3 of the Minnesota-Denver Western Conference Semifinals. Johnson and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards are friends from their time as prep basketball stars in Atlanta. The Timberwolves lost the game, making it less successful than Johnson’s last trip to the Target Center.
