Dawn Staley adds Khadijah Sessions to South Carolina women's basketball staff

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is adding one of her former star players to her staff. Former point guard Khadijah Sessions has been added to the Gamecocks coaching staff, it was announced Thursday morning.

On July 1, NCAA legislation went into effect and allowed Staley to add another coach to her staff. She hired Sessions as an assistant coach. Sessions previously was coaching high school basketball.

“There are few people who understand and embody what our program is about like Khadijah,” Staley said in a statement. “From her vision and communication as a point guard to how she translated that into coaching at the high school level, she is ready for this move into the college ranks. I can’t wait to watch and help her develop in our sport.”

Khadijah Sessions played at South Carolina from 2013-16, helping the Gamecocks win three SEC regular season championships and two SEC Tournament titles during that time. She was a three-year starter at USC and helped South Carolina to its first Final Four in program history in 2014-15.

“I’m super excited to be joining Coach Staley and the staff,” Sessions said in a statement. “I gave every inch of me to this university as a player, and I’m ready to do the same as an assistant coach. I absolutely love the University of South Carolina, and to be doing this alongside the GOAT – I couldn’t ask for a better college start. Coaching is something I take pride in, and I’m just ready to get to work, learn and grow.”

After graduating from South Carolina in 2016, Sessions spent a season playing overseas, before eventually getting into coaching. She had been working at Ridge View High School, before taking the job with the Gamecocks.

Hailey Van Lith admits she considered Stanford, South Carolina before transferring to LSU

Hailey Van Lith has been one of the most recognizable stars in women’s college basketball over her three seasons with the Louisville Cardinals. That spotlight upon her only got bigger this offseason, though, once she entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to play for the reigning champion LSU Tigers.

However, that wasn’t the only school that Van Lith considered during her process. In a Bleacher Report interview with Taylor Rooks, she admitted that both Stanford and South Carolina were options for her. Still, considering her relationship with Kim Mulkey and the state of things down in Baton Rouge, she felt as though that choosing the Tigers made too much sense for her and her career.

“LSU was my only official visit,” Van Lith said. “You know, I did talk to a few other schools. I was entertaining Stanford and South Carolina.”