The South Carolina Gamecocks (7-0) are once again on top of the world of college basketball, with big early-season wins over the Maryland Terrapins and Notre Dame Fighting Irish earning them the top overall spot in the AP rankings.
These aren’t the same Gamecocks that went 129-9 over four seasons, either. South Carolina lost five rotation players—including one of the program’s all-time greats, Aliyah Boston—to the 2023 WNBA Draft, making the overhauled Gamecocks’ immediate success all the more impressive. In roles significantly larger than in previous seasons, sophomore guard Raven Johnson has been a walking highlight reel, while center Kamilla Cardoso ranks in the top-10 in both rebounds and blocks per game.
It’s been senior guard Te-Hina Paopao, though, who has held everything together. Paopao, a 5-foot-9 transfer from Oregon, has made a seamless transition in her first season at South Carolina, bringing much-needed leadership to a program in flux while maintaining the steady play that has made her one of the country’s most reliable point guards.
That reliability, in addition to on-court leadership that has kept the young, new-look Gamecock roster together and a skillset that has allowed South Carolina to lean into a new offensive identity, has made Paopao…
