Dawn Staley Plans On Utilizing Transfer Portal
The transfer portal is surprisingly full this time of year and South Carolina women’s head coach Dawn Staley said she plans on adding to her already talented roster.
“That’s a part of how we have to navigate through recruiting now, the transfer portal and how many student-athletes put their name in that,” she said. “Yes, we are on the market for some players we feel could fit on our roster and with our team.”
While Staley didn’t get into specifics as to what she’s looking for, there a few players that could help fill the void left by Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who are both preparing for the WNBA Draft.
-Shakira Austin is a 6-5 rising junior forward looking to transfer out of Maryland. Austin apparently was recruited by South Carolina, but didn’t take any official visits on campus. She was a prolific shot-blocker for the Terrapins in addition to averaging 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
-Rickea Jackson hasn’t announced she’s transferring yet but there are indications she’s unhappy with the departure of Vic Shaefer. Jackson’s mother posted a note on Twitter saying the 6-2 rising sophomore is processing everything that took place in the last few days. Jackson originally chose Mississippi State over South Carolina and has played AAU basketball with some of the current members of the Gamecocks.
Other noteable names in the portal:
-Jazmine Massengill, 6-0, guard, Tennessee.
-Chloe Bibby, 6-1, forward, Mississippi State.
-Robyn Benton, 5-9, guard, Auburn.
-Brooke Moore, 5-7, guard, Auburn.
-Lauren Hansen, 5-8, guard, Auburn.
On the coach’s side, Mississippi State head coach Vic Shaefer announced he was heading home to Texas to coach the Longhorns after the school parted ways with Karen Aston.
The search to fill the spot of the South Carolina women’s biggest rival begins and already several names have been tossed around.
Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell came up due to Starkville being just 30 minutes from his hometown of Louisville, MS. Mitchell heard the chatter and took to Twitter to quiet the rumors.
WBBTeedUp posted a tweet Tuesday saying a source informed them that an ACC coach with Final Four experience is expected to be paid $2 million for the job. By process of elimination this led many to believe Louisville’s Jeff Walz had been offered the job, but Rick Bozich of WDRB reported that Walz said he had not in fact received an offer.
Some notable names coming up as replacements:
-Current Mississippi State assistant coach Johnnie Harris
- Cormer Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors
-Current Old Dominion coach and former Tennessee player Nikki McCray-Penson
-Current Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff
-Current Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors
Question of the day: Who would you like to see Staley add to the roster? Click on link below to comment.
https://www.si.com/college/southcarolina/basketball/question-of-the-day-IicWhAPR806LjKJW7Ut68A