Latest news with #Gamecocks'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
South Carolina QB turns heads with latest NIL deal
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers isn't just rewriting the Gamecocks' playbook—he's changing the NIL game, one action figure at a time. Fresh off a breakout 2024 campaign, Sellers has signed a unique and headline-making NIL deal with Collegiate Legends, becoming one of the first players in the country to be immortalized as a collectible action figure. The $3.7 million On3 NIL Valuation attached to the redshirt sophomore now places him at No. 5 in college football and solidifies his spot among the sport's most marketable names. Gamecock Icon Turned Collectible Advertisement As part of the deal, Sellers will receive a custom, poseable action figure available exclusively through Gamecock Traditions. Priced at $99.99, it's already creating buzz online and in Columbia. 'This is more than just a toy – it's a celebration of Gamecock greatness,' said Collegiate Legends president Holly Tanory. With features including a Heisman pose and lifelike detailing, the collectible connects fans, alumni, and young supporters to the rising star in a tangible way. South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers.© Jeff Blake-Imagn Images Giving Back Through NIL Sellers isn't pocketing the spotlight for himself. He's using the deal to give back, gifting a portion of the figures to local children—a heartfelt move that adds depth to his brand and resonates well with fans and future sponsors alike. It builds on a growing trend of NIL athletes turning endorsements into community impact. Sellers previously partnered with Cheez-It for the Citrus Bowl and made a splash in EA Sports College Football 25. Now, he's proving that NIL can be about more than personal gain—it can be a platform for connection and purpose. Advertisement With a stellar 2,274 passing yards, 17 touchdowns through the air, and another 655 rushing yards in 2024, Sellers is already on NFL Draft radars. But off the field, this latest NIL deal signals something bigger: LaNorris Sellers isn't just building a brand—he's becoming one. Related: Livvy Dunne stuns in her latest business venture Related: Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola turns heads with new NIL deal
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MiLaysia Fulwiley transfers from South Carolina to SEC rival LSU after two seasons with Gamecocks
MiLaysia Fulwiley, one of the top players in the transfer portal, has found a landing spot — with one of her former team's rivals. On Friday, the former South Carolina guard announced that she would be transferring to LSU. The junior guard, who had reportedly entered the transfer portal earlier this month, was one of the bright spots on the Gamecocks' dynamic bench this season. After two seasons on the South Carolina bench, it seemed like Fulwiley would finally enter the Gamecocks' starting lineup next year. Advertisement Instead, Fulwiley will be joining Kim Mulkey and the Tigers, playing alongside players like star LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson. The Gamecocks had far and away the best bench in the country, averaging 40.3 bench points per game this year — and Fulwiley was a major reason why. The guard averaged 19 minutes per game off the South Carolina bench this season, putting up an average of 12 points, three rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. During March Madness — a postseason run that ended with the Gamecocks losing to UConn in the NCAA title game — Fulwiley had a number of key games, including a 23-point performance in a four-point win over Maryland in the Sweet 16. Advertisement Although Fulwiley had established herself as one of the team's stars, she was held from Dawn Staley's starting lineup in favor of guard Raven Johnson, who was a junior and had seniority. If she had stayed at South Carolina, Fulwiley was also likely to lose minutes to Ta'Niya Latson, who transferred from Florida State after leading the country in scoring last season. Fulwiley will also fill a void for LSU, who was in need of a point guard after junior Last-Tear Poa transferred to Arizona State.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dawn Staley signs baby South Carolina fan after Gamecocks' Elite Eight win over Duke
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley is normally asked by fans to take photos, or to sign a piece of Gamecocks merchandise. That wasn't the case on Sunday, however, after the Gamecocks clinched their ticket in the Final Four of the women's NCAA Tournament at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Following the No. 1 seed Gamecocks' win over No. 2 seed Duke in the Elite Eight, the 17-year South Carolina coach was asked to sign ... a baby. Advertisement REQUIRED READING: Who does South Carolina women's basketball play next in NCAA Tournament? Final Four bracket update Naturally, she obliged: As seen in the video above, Staley signed the seat of the young Gamecocks fan's bottoms. Staley told reporters at Legacy Arena that her hand was shaking the entire time while writing her name, adding it was the first time she was asked to sign a baby. That sharpie is permanent, after all. With its win over Duke on Sunday, South Carolina is returning to the Final Four for the fifth consecutive season under Staley and the seventh time in program history, all of which have also come under her leadership. South Carolina has now won 20 of its last 21 women's NCAA Tournament games over the last four seasons. Advertisement South Carolina will have to wait another 24 hours to learn its opponent in the Final Four, as No. 1 seed Texas and No. 2 seed TCU are set to play on Monday in the Elite Eight of the Regional 3 Birmingham side of the bracket. Regardless of the opponent, Staley and South Carolina will now look to become the first program since UConn to win back-to-back national championship titles. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley signs baby after South Carolina clinches Final Four spot
Boston Globe
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
South Carolina is one win from a third NCAA Tournament title in four years, but mighty UConn stands in the way
'But once you are able to understand what it takes to succeed there, it's a little easier because you know.' Auriemma and the Huskies stand in the way with the teams set to play Sunday for the NCAA title (3 p.m., ABC). It's been nine years since Auriemma's team won the championship, which capped off a run of four consecutive titles from 2013-16. Advertisement That win was the most recent of the record 11 national titles that Auriemma has won in his four decades at the school. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up UConn has only reached the title game once since 2016, and during that drought has come up on the short end of heartbreaking last-second losses in the Final Four on buzzer-beaters. The Huskies' lone title appearance in the past nine years came in 2022 when Staley's team beat UConn to start the Gamecocks' current run of success, a game that ended Auriemma's perfect record in title games. Auriemma has a healthy respect for Staley, knowing the South Carolina coach from her playing days at Virginia to her time with USA Basketball. She was an assistant coach for him during the 2016 Olympics before she became the national team's head coach. Related : Advertisement 'To be where she is right now and to have done it in the way that she's done it, I have a lot of respect for her,' he said. 'I have tremendous respect for her knowing how she grew up and how hard she fought to get to where she is today. ... You don't get here by accident. You get here by being committed and true to who you are. And she doesn't try to be anything she's not.' After losing in the 2023 Final Four to Caitlin Clark and Iowa, the Gamecocks had an undefeated season last year to claim the school's third title since 2017. The only UConn player who saw significant time in the title game three years ago against South Carolina was Paige Bueckers. She'll be playing in her final game for UConn and is hoping to leave the school with a championship, joining many other Husky greats that have played for Auriemma. 'I think everything in life has kind of taught me not to take things for granted,' she said. 'Being in the national championship game, it's extremely hard to get to and extremely rewarding to be a part of. And just how much we need to play 40 minutes and how connected we need to stay throughout the game. It's going to be a game of runs. It's extremely high stakes.' The teams met earlier this season and UConn stunned South Carolina with a 29-point victory that ended the Gamecocks' 71-game home winning streak, winning 87-58 on Feb. 16. Neither team puts much stock in that game, although BetMGM has the Huskies as 5.5-point favorites despite being the lower-seeded team. Advertisement
Chicago Tribune
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Dawn Staley has South Carolina one win from a 3rd national title in 4 years — but UConn stands in the way
TAMPA, Fla. — Dawn Staley and South Carolina are one win from joining an elite group of programs in women's basketball history with a third national championship in four seasons. Only two other schools have accomplished that feat: UConn and Tennessee. 'It's hard to break into what Pat Summitt and Geno (Auriemma)' have done for women's basketball, Staley said. 'It's really hard to even be mentioned in that air. … Anything that you do and you have sustained success is really, really, really hard. 'But once you are able to understand what it takes to succeed there, it's a little easier because you know.' Auriemma and the Huskies stand in the way with the teams set to play Sunday for the NCAA title. It has been nine years since Auriemma's team won the championship, which capped off a run of four consecutive titles from 2013-16. That win was the most recent of the record 11 national titles that Auriemma has won in his four decades at the school. UConn has reached the title game only once since 2016 and during that drought has come up on the short end of heartbreaking last-second losses in the Final Four on buzzer-beaters. The Huskies' lone title appearance in the past nine years came in 2022, when Staley's team beat UConn to start the Gamecocks' current run of success, a game that ended Auriemma's perfect record in title games. Auriemma has a healthy respect for Staley, knowing the South Carolina coach from her playing days at Virginia to her time with USA Basketball. She was an assistant for him during the 2016 Olympics before she became the national team's head coach. 'To be where she is right now and to have done it in the way that she's done it, I have a lot of respect for her,' he said. 'I have tremendous respect for her knowing how she grew up and how hard she fought to get to where she is today. … You don't get here by accident. You get here by being committed and true to who you are. And she doesn't try to be anything she's not.' After losing in the 2023 Final Four to Caitlin Clark and Iowa, the Gamecocks had an undefeated season last year to the school's third title since 2017. The only UConn player who saw significant time in the title game three years ago against South Carolina was Paige Bueckers. She'll be playing in her final game for UConn hoping to leave the school with a championship, joining many other greats who have played for Auriemma. 'I think everything in life has kind of taught me not to take things for granted,' Bueckers said. 'Being in the national championship game, it's extremely hard to get to and extremely rewarding to be a part of. And just how much we need to play 40 minutes and how connected we need to stay throughout the game. It's going to be a game of runs. It's extremely high stakes.' The teams met earlier this season, and UConn stunned South Carolina with a 29-point victory that ended the Gamecocks' 71-game home winning streak, winning 87-58 on Feb. 16. Neither team puts much stock in that game, although BetMGM has the Huskies as 5.5-point favorites despite being the lower-seeded team. Staley: Credit is due While Staley complimented what Bueckers has accomplished for UConn and women's basketball during her career, she also believes her team's dominant run over the past few years merits equal recognition. When the Gamecocks went undefeated en route to their championship last year, the major storyline was Clark, one of greatest college basketball players trying to capture a national title in her final game. 'Sometimes we create these narratives about great players,' Staley said. 'Caitlin was one of them. Paige is one of them right now, and we tend to forget the narrative about what our kids have been able to do.' Staley sees a similar sentimental narrative unfolding around Bueckers, who like Clark has accomplished just about everything at the college level outside of a title. 'She's a great player but just because you're a great player doesn't mean you need to win the national championship to legitimize it,' said Staley, who led Virginia to three Final Finals but never won a title. 'Paige is legit. She was legit from the moment she stepped on this stage.' Staley's seniors are also legit. Sania Feagin, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson each will be going for their third national championship in four seasons. 'I want the sentiments to be about our players and what our players have been able to do — equally, because there's room to do both,' Staley said. 'We can raise Paige up because she deserves that and raise our players up because they deserve that. And that's not talked about enough. There's room for it in our game.' Another 1-2 matchup
