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South Carolina women's basketball: Sania Feagin's positive attitude is hard to replace

On3 imageby: Chris Wellbaum09/04/25ChrisWellbaum
South Carolina women's basketball senior Sania Feagin (Photo by Katie Dugan)
South Carolina women's basketball senior Sania Feagin (Photo by Katie Dugan)

South Carolina has to replace three starters and its second-leading scorer from last season’s team, but stats are relatively easy to replace. Leadership and intangibles are much harder to replace, and that’s why South Carolina has to figure out how to replace Sania Feagin.

Feagin was a key contributor as a senior. She started all 38 games and played nearly 20 minutes per game, averaging 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. 

Those numbers are replaceable. But it will be hard to replace Feagin’s relentless positivity. 

Feagin rarely played during her first two seasons. She earned a bigger role as a junior, but didn’t become a key player until her senior season. 

Feagin was the fourth-ranked recruit in her class, and she admitted that her path wasn’t always easy. But she never got down, and told me last spring that she never considered transferring. 

“I’m glad it worked out the way it did,” she said.

Feagin’s attitude was infectious. She was always first off the bench to celebrate her teammates’ accomplishments. Although her confidence in herself may have wavered at times, she always had the utmost confidence in her teammates.

After Kamilla Cardoso hit the buzzer-beating three to beat Tennessee in the SEC tournament semifinals, I asked each player on the team if they thought the shot was going in. Each one, including Cardoso, expressed varying degrees of doubt – except Feagin.

“I knew it was going in,” she said. “I had so much faith and confidence in Kamilla. We do it every day. Every day after shootaround we go to the three-point line and shoot threes with (Coach Lisa) Boyer. I had so much confidence in her. I ran on the court before the ball even went in the net.” 

Sure enough, Feagin jumped off the bench and was celebrating before the shot went in.

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That attitude helped Feagin make a WNBA roster over other rookies. The Sparks knew she could handle not playing much and still be a positive teammate. Sure enough, she’s still the first person celebrating her teammates’ game-winners.

Feagin played in Wednesday night’s game against Atlanta. It was her first game action in almost a month, but she stayed positive, and the Sparks gave her a chance to play in front of family and friends in her hometown.

She also got to reconnect with Te-Hina Paopao, her Gamecock teammate. It was straight out of Dawn’s Daycare.

Check out Allisha Gray at the beginning of the clip, practically rolling her eyes as if to say, “Those kids.”

That’s what South Carolina has to replace. 

The Gamecocks still have some of the Daycare. Raven Johnson, Tessa Johnson, Adhel Tac, and others won’t suddenly stop being goofy. But who will have unwavering faith that every shot is going in?

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