South Carolina women's basketball: Suspended guard returns to practice

Suspended guard Maddy McDaniel has returned to practice on Thursday, according to a team spokesperson.

McDaniel had been indefinitely suspended since November 11 for undisclosed reasons. She missed three games: against Clemson, Southern Cal, and Winthrop.

McDaniel hurt her knee in the season-opening game against Grand Canyon and sat out the second half. She was at practice working on the side during the following week. McDaniel was in uniform and warmed up with the team, but did not play against Bowling Green.

The following week, McDaniel was not at the portion of practice open to the media on the Monday before the Clemson game. Dawn Staley said at that time that McDaniel “probably” wouldn’t play.

Then, just over an hour before tipoff against Clemson, South Carolina put out a statement saying that McDaniel was suspended and would not attend the game.

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

After the game, Staley declined to say why McDaniel is suspended. When asked if McDaniel would play in South Carolina’s next game against Southern Cal, Staley said, “Doubt it.”

Asked when McDaniel would return, Staley was brief.

“That’s on her,” she said. “We evaluate it every day.”

McDaniel averaged 3.1 points and 1.7 assists last season. She was one of the surprises of the first half of the season, arguably outplaying Raven Johnson for the first couple of months. McDaniel was expected to play an expanded role this season as possibly South Carolina’s top reserve.

With McDaniel out, South Carolina has used multiple players as the backup point guard, including Ta’Niya Latson, Tessa Johnson, and Agot Makeer.

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