South Carolina women's basketball: Catching up with the transfers
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South Carolina lost four players from last season’s national championship team to the transfer portal. For some, the change of scenery has been a revelation, for others, not so much. Here’s how the four former Gamecocks have faired.
Destiny Littleton, Southern Cal
12.8 ppg, 31.6% 3PT%, 3.8 rpg, 3.9 apg, 88.4% FT%
Littleton has started all 21 games for the Trojans and provided valuable veteran leadership for a team that has already won more games this season (16) than either of the past two years and appears headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine seasons.
She is third on the team in scoring and leads the Trojans in threes, free throws, and assists. Littleton led all scorers with 18 points when Southern Cal upset #2 Stanford a couple of weeks ago. Last weekend Littleton hit six threes and scored a season-high 21 to lead the Trojans to an upset of #25 Colorado. She played all 40 minutes in both games.
You have to be happy for Littleton. She battled injuries and mental health issues throughout her career, but she is finishing her career with her best season and back in her home state.
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Elysa Wesolek, North Florida
8.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 40.8 FG%, 36.2 3PT%
Wesolek has been a part-time starter for the 6-13 Ospreys. She had 20 points in a win over Liberty and a career-high 21 in a win over Jacksonville. Wesolek has scored in double figures six times.
Eniya Russell, Kentucky
3.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.0 apg
Russell has only played in 14 games this season and has missed three of the last four games. She tied her career-high with 14 points against Ohio, but then has just two points total (scored against South Carolina) in five SEC games since.
As a former McDonald’s All-American, Russell seemed like a player who would blossom with a fresh start and more playing time. It hasn’t happened, and she and the Wildcats are struggling through a rough season.
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Saniya Rivers, NC State
8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 bpg, 2.1 spg, 50.0% FG%
Rivers has emerged as the Wolfpack’s sixth player. She is playing a role similar to her role with South Carolina last season, but with much more court time. Rivers is an athletic, rangy lead guard who can make plays on defense and create on offense.
She scored a career-high 22 points in an early-season win over Iowa, but it wasn’t until conference play that Rivers found her groove. She is averaging 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.9 steals against ACC foes, leading the team in the last two categories.
Rivers still isn’t a great shooter, which is surprising given her high school success as a scorer. But she has grown into her role and become one of NC State’s most important players.
