At the start of the season, South Carolina’s coaching staff had some questions about the potential of their roster.
The preseason had been “a mess,” in the words of coach Dawn Staley, and there was an internal feeling, at least according to newcomer Te-Hina Paopao, that being ranked sixth in the country was generous. It wasn’t that the Gamecocks weren’t talented enough, but rather that the roster was so new. No one knew what to expect, especially in the short term.
The defense wasn’t the main concern. Players don’t usually make it to South Carolina unless they can defend, and they certainly don’t get minutes unless they’re guarding. As associate coach Lisa Boyer says, “You’ve got to be able to make stops out there, you’ve got to be able to rebound, you’ve got to be able to put pressure on the ball for us.” The high expectations are warranted: Per Her Hoop Stats, the Gamecocks have had a top-three defense each of the last five seasons.
It was the other end of the floor that prompted some doubt. South Carolina had four returners from the 2022-23 rotation, all of whom came off the bench. There were few certainties they could rely on, and that meant the coaching staff had to be open-minded about the direction of their new-look squad.
Four months later,…
