South Carolina women's basketball: Three things we learned in Las Vegas

South Carolina split its two games at the Players Era Championship. Here are three things we learned in Las Vegas.

South Carolina’s frontcourt is elite, and still getting better

Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot practically seem to take turns making spectacular plays. Edwards makes an A’ja-esque jumper? Now, Okot is going to lead a fast break at 6-6. And according to Dawn Staley, the pair are still learning how to play together.

I don’t know what the ceiling is for either player, but I know they haven’t reached it. Okot is top-15 in the country in rebounding average and should be top-five in double-doubles (official stats hadn’t been updated at the time of this writing).

Edwards is starting to find her identity as a player who is equally good at scoring or creating for her teammates. There are moments when Edwards can take over a game with her scoring. Staley wants her to do it even more,  but without getting tunnel vision, looking for the shot.

“Next step is you’ve got to be able to make plays, plays for yourself and plays for your teammates,” Staley said. “That’s the next step. I think she had aboutthree shots in the fourth quarter that were kind of forced. But we give her the leeway to do that. But she just has to be aware because I think she had Tessa (Johnson) in a corner. Just being aware. She’s a young player that we have to put her in situations and show her situations in real time.”

Additionally, Adhel Tac appears to be coming on. She missed nearly two years do to injuries, and the rust and inexperience showed last season. Tac got off to a slow start this season, but in the last week has started to look like the player who was the second-ranked post in her class.

“I think we found someone that we’re a little more comfortable with putting in the game in Adhel Tac,” Staley said. “(Tac) gave us valuable minutes. And I like her energy and effort out there, and I like her rebounding.”

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South Carolina’s bench needs to be more productive

South Carolina got just 11 bench points against Duke and then somehow only got two points against Texas.

Some of the problems are situational. Maddy McDaniel, expected to be the Gamecocks’ top reserve, isn’t in 100% game shape. And starter Raven Johnson was the Gamecocks’ lead defender on Madison Booker, so it was harder to find minutes for McDaniel.

Similarly, it’s hard to find significant minutes for both Adhel Tac and Maryam Dauda in a tight game. Although both had moments in Las Vegas, Staley is probably hoping one will emerge as the primary backup forward.

Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell had tremendous starts to the season, enough to make everyone forget they are freshmen. But they are still freshmen, and they haven’t earned Staley’s complete trust yet.

Those are all of the negatives. There are also quite a few positives.

McDaniel has provided a noticeable spark every time she enters the game, and she’ll play more as the season goes on. 

The “A-ha!” lightbulb appears to have come on for Tac. She had her first career double-double against Queens and was first off the bench in both games in Las Vegas. Staley is probably looking at the Texas box score and thinking she should have played Tac even more. Plus, Dauda had six rebounds in 10 minutes against Duke.

And the freshmen? They’re still the same players that wowed us over the first six games of the season. They’ll get better.

“I like our team,” Staley said. “I like the fact that they gutted it out, and I like the fact that again we could see where we faltered, and when you can see that and when you have people in the game that understand it a little bit better, we’re moving the chain. We’re going to move the chain in practice; that’s the most important thing.”

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The Gamecocks are fine

Thursday’s game was a little bit like an SEC Tournament game, where you kind of just have to shrug and say, weird things happen when you play back-to-back.

A win would have been preferable, but would South Carolina rather beat Texas on Thanksgiving or on January 15? The answer is obvious. (Plus, Vic Schaefer has a habit of only beating Dawn Staley in the game that is less important.)

They aren’t going to shoot 5-18 on layups in a half again, and if anything, the takeaway should be that they were great at getting shots at the rim. 

Ta’Niya Latson and Tessa Johnson were inconsistent in Las Vegas, but both had more good moments than bad. Latson proved she is the clutch player the Gamecocks were hoping for with her steal and game-tying free throws. 

Raven Johnson is quietly having a fantastic season. She is averaging career-highs in points, shooting percentage, three-point percentage, and assists, plus the second-highest rebounding average of her career. Johnson is still defending at an elite level, too.

South Carolina still has work to do, but the gathering of elite teams in Las Vegas showed that everyone still has work to do. Don’t cancel your tournament plans just yet.

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