Former South Carolina women's basketball star traded

On Wednesday, the Connecticut Sun traded South Carolina women’s basketball alum Ty Harris to the Phoenix Mercury. The WNBA blockbuster also sent Alyssa Thomas to Phoenix and sent Natasha Cloud, Bec Allen, and a draft pick to Connecticut. TheNextHoops’ Howard Megdal first reported the news on Tuesday evening, but the deal won’t be official until February 1st.

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Harris had her career-best season as a professional last summer. In her first opportunity as a full-time starter in the WNBA, Harris averaged 10.5 points, three assists, and a steal. She also finished the year ranked in the top 10 in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (39.5%).

Making the move from Connecticut to Phoenix will see Harris move from one WNBA playoff team to another. Last year, the Mercury were the 7-seed, while the Sun were the 3-seed. Phoenix lost in the first round, and Connecticut fell in the second.

With the Mercury, Harris could fit as a starter or as a sixth-woman off the bench. Her scoring ability, efficient outside shooting, and playmaking enable Harris to play with any other guard on the Phoenix roster.

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During her South Carolina women’s basketball career, Harris was an All-American and a finalist for several major awards. She won the 2019-2020 Dawn Staley Award ahead of becoming a first-round pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft.

Harris is the all-time leader in assists in Gamecock history and 10th all-time in SEC history. She also ranks in USC’s all-time top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1st), games played (1st), single-season assists (1st), free throw percentage (2nd), assists per game (3rd), 3-pointers (9th), steals (9th), single-season steals (9th), and 3-point percentage (10th).

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