South Carolina women's basketball: December mailbag

On Wednesday, I opened the floor to women’s basketball questions on The Insiders Forum. Here’s a sample of what was discussed.

Become a subscriber to get your question answered in the next mailbag.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball! 🏀 

(Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.)

CockyGirl: Were you encouraged or discouraged by the Texas loss?

Initially discouraged, but the more I thought about it, encouraged. It was a lot like last season’s loss at Texas. In that game, all the Gamecocks had to do was make a normal percentage of free throws, and they would have won. In Las Vegas, all they had to do was not go 5-18 on layups in the first half, and they would win by three or four scores.

RoosterPrime: What’s your gut instincts on Jerzy Robinson and Alicia Tournebize?

With Tournebize, I really have no idea. If she decides to go the college route, I like South Carolina’s chances. But it’s a toss-up if she even goes that route. Her mom and Boyer seem to have a really good relationship, and it probably helps that her mom did the NCAA to WNBA route.

I still like South Carolina’s chances with Jerzy. I’ve mentioned here that Nike seems to want her wearing A’Ones (or A’Twos), and I’ve brought it up with people who know more than I do. Nobody has confirmed that, but nobody has pushed back either.

Kookster: Since Wendale Farrow has strong ties and relationships in California, does this give us an actual chance with Kaleena Smith and Sydney “Bean” Douglas?

I haven’t spent much time on 2027 yet, so I can only speak broadly. South Carolina will have a chance because it always does. If you’re a 5-6 point guard, who better to learn from than a 5-6 Naismith-winning point guard? And if you are a 6-7 post, who had the three best centers in the WNBA last season? The Gamecocks and Farrow have been recruiting both players for a couple of years now. But with the very best players, it always comes down to NIL, and you never know when someone might decide to make a godfather offer.

🏀 GamecocksW newsletter: WBB coverage delivered straight to your inbox!

CockyGirl: Because of your profession, are you able to sit through close games and not care either way how the game ends or do you get invested?

Professionally speaking, the best games are over by halftime and with a clear storyline, and if USC is winning, even better (you rarely get good quotes after a loss). In close games like Texas and Louisville, where the outcome is completely in doubt, you’re writing so frantically trying to get all the details right that it’s almost impossible to be emotionally involved in the game. And 100% of the time, those are the games where your computer or the CMS stops cooperating, so it’s a row of tired, grouchy writers cursing at their laptops for five minutes. There have been very few players that I haven’t liked personally, so I want them to win. But I’m not usually thinking about that in the last few minutes of a game.

So tell us a player you didn’t like?

How about some of my favorites? Maryam, Tessa, Breezy, Aliyah, Adhel, Sania, Khadijah, and A’ja has never given a bad quote. Joyce is always nice to talk to. It may seem backwards, but a lot of players, like Ashlyn and Fulwiley, would rather talk about anything but basketball.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!