COLUMBIA —South Carolina women’s basketball secured the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson via the transfer portal on Tuesday but there’s still work left to do.
The Gamecocks fell 82-59 in the national championship to UConn on Sunday. It didn’t take long for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley to be asked about what she’s looking for out of the transfer portal, which opened March 24 and closes April 22.
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“We need some experience players that can come in and contribute,” Staley said. “Bring some leadership to a core group of young players that are pretty talented. We’ve always been good when we have some experience, some youth and everything in between.”
Latson averaged 25.2 points this season at Florida State and is heading into her fourth year of college basketball but her first with South Carolina. Staley is also getting back starting point guard Raven Johnson, who announced minutes after Latson committed that she would return for another year instead of declaring for the WNBA draft.
Starting forward/center Sania Feagin and starting guards Te-Hina Paopao and Bree Hall are out of eligibility, and 6-foot-5 center Sakima Walker is in the portal, leaving gaps in the roster but the main thing Staley needs right now is a true center.
It’s assumed that Chloe Kitts (6-foot-2) and Joyce Edwards (6-foot-3) will start as the two forwards this season, with a three-guard lineup of Johnson, Latson and likely MiLaysia Fulwiley (or Tessa Johnson).
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In that case, having a true center coming off the bench would be key for Staley. Redshirt freshman Adhel Tac is a 6-foot-5 center but this season was still getting back to game readiness after battling knee injuries. Junior Ashlyn Watkins (6-foot-3) is more of a forward but regardless, her timeline is unknown after she tore her ACL on Jan. 5. Maryam Dauda also plays a forward role at 6-foot-4.
Based on the transfer portal Wednesday morning, here’s who might be a good fit for South Carolina.
Madina Okot, Mississippi State
Madina Okot is a 6-foot-6 center who played for Mississippi State this season, averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. She is from Mumias, Kenya and played for Zetech University before getting a U.S. visa which allowed her to play for the Bulldogs.
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It’s not easy being a center in the SEC conference so if Staley got a transfer center who knows the physicality and toughness required for conference play, it would be a huge advantage.
Ra Shaya Kyle, Florida
In the same way Okot would bring SEC experience, Ra Shaya Kyle would as well. She would bring even more general experience, as Okot has only played one season whereas Kyle has played four full seasons and nine games.
The 6-foot-6 center averaged 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds this season. Against South Carolina, she scored 15 and in other conference games she scored 23 (against Vanderbilt), 19 (against Tennessee) and with the exception of Kentucky, she never scored less than 10 in an SEC game this season.
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If she’s fine with not being guaranteed a starting role, she could make a huge difference in Columbia next season.
Oyindamola Akinbolawa, Auburn
Oyindamola Akinbolawa averaged 3.4 points as a junior for Auburn this year and although her stat line differs from the first two on this list, she does have the age experience Staley is looking for.
At 6-foot-5, if Staley sees enough potential in her and trusts that playing 29 games in the SEC this year is enough experience, she could also bring good size off the bench.
TRACKER: South Carolina women’s basketball transfer portal tracker 2025: Who’s in, out for Dawn Staley
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Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Center options for Dawn Staley, South Carolina in the transfer portal
