The South Carolina women’s basketball team may have only just entered the offseason, but there’s been little downtime for the Gamecocks.
In just a few short weeks, head coach Dawn Staley and her staff have been busy reloading the roster. Through the transfer portal, South Carolina has landed two major additions: high-scoring Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson and rising sophomore center Madina Okot from Mississippi State.
The Gamecocks also received a major boost with the return of veteran guard Raven Johnson. Her future was the subject of speculation throughout the latter half of the season, as she remained publicly non-committal about whether she’d return. It wasn’t until early April that she officially announced her plans to come back for another season.
“She had no choice. We weren’t going to let her leave,” teammate Adhel Tac joked during Monday’s Gamecock Gala awards ceremony.
Though uncertainty surrounded Johnson’s decision for a time, freshman Joyce Edwards said she had a feeling Johnson would stay.
“I feel like I always knew, so I wasn’t really preparing my emotions for her to leave,” Edwards said.
During Johnson’s tenure, South Carolina has compiled a staggering 144-7 record and claimed two national championships. Her teammates are hopeful they can help her close out her collegiate career on a high note.
“We don’t like the thought of having Raven leave — or someone like Raven,” Tac said. “It’s a really great thing and we’re gonna do our best to give her an amazing last year here.”
Off the court, the Gamecocks have also added a new face to their coaching staff. Staley recently brought on Wendale Farrow as an assistant coach, filling the role left by Winston Gandy, who departed to become the head coach at Grand Canyon University.
“We struck gold in bringing Wendale into our Gamecock family,” Staley said in a press release. “He’s an accomplished young coach who has been involved in every element of successful programs—from Xs and Os to player development to recruiting and community engagement. We’re excited for the impact he’ll have on our team and in Columbia.”
Farrow, 37, joins South Carolina after four years at Southern Cal. Though he’s only been with the program for a few days, he’s already making a strong impression.
“We love him,” Tac said. “He’s a great addition to our staff. He just fits us. He brings really great vibes.”
Despite their recent championship game loss to UConn, the Gamecocks were back in the gym about a week later and are already preparing for next season.
“We started practicing again already,” Edwards said. “We have all of May off, then about a week and a half in June before we’re fully back at it.”
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