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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
South Carolina, Dawn Staley host Saniyah Hall, No. 1 recruit in 2026 class, for an official visit
COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball hosted Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 ranked player in ESPN's HoopGurlz rankings for the class of 2026, for an official visit. The 6-foot-2, 5-star guard/small forward revealed the visit via Instagram on May 12, posting photos in a South Carolina uniform and then one with her and coach Dawn Staley. The duo stood in front of the program's three national championship trophies. Advertisement She captioned the post "Gamecock Nation Wsp?? ❤️🤙🏽🐔 #officialvisit #uncommitted." Adhel Tac, a 6-foot-5 center for the Gamecocks commented, "Seee I think this is itt," on the post. Hall is from Lorain, Ohio, but plays for Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. She was a high school teammate of Agot Makeer, who is one of Staley's two incoming freshmen in the class of 2025. Makeer committed on March 1 then signed on April 24. NIL: What South Carolina's Shane Beamer said about Dawn Staley statue, Nick Saban's potential new role Hall is the No. 1-ranked player from Florida in her class, and the top small forward according to 247Sports Composite. During the 2024-25 high school season, Hall averaged a team-high in points with 20.3, rebounds with 6.7 and steals with 2.8 per game. Advertisement According to Hall's social media, she took official visits to UCLA on March 22 and North Carolina on May 1. She visited Southern Cal on Nov. 8, but did not indicate it was an official visit. Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@ and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina, Dawn Staley host Saniyah Hall for an official visit
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who Dawn Staley is recruiting for South Carolina women's basketball 2026 class
COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball's roster is seemingly set for the 2025-26 season. Coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks lost five players via the portal and to the WNBA, and gained four for 2025-26, but when next season ends they're set to lose even more talent. Advertisement South Carolina's Chloe Kitts, Raven Johnson, Ta'Niya Latson, Maryam Dauda, Ashlyn Watkins and Madina Okot will all be out of eligibility. It's not confirmed whether Watkins will get a medical redshirt season or not. Staley will return Ayla McDowell, Agot Makeer, Tessa Johnson, Adhel Tac, Maddy McDaniel and Joyce Edwards for 2026-27, depending on who enters the portal. Given the major gaps to fill, Staley has been recruiting and watching high school basketball so far this offseason. She was at an AAU event hosted by Select Events Basketball in Manheim, Pennsylvania, from April 25-27. She could use depth in every position after next season but here's a list of names to keep an eye on. Advertisement ESPN does not have anyone in its top 60 players in the class of 2026 from South Carolina. Oliviyah Edwards, forward Oliviyah Edwards is from Tacoma, Washington, and plays high school basketball for Elite Sports Academy. The 6-foot-3 five-star forward is the No. 4 ranked player in ESPN's HoopGurlz rankings for the class of 2026. Edwards is already somewhat familiar with Columbia, as she was on campus in January ahead of the Gamecocks' game against LSU and was seen at practice the day before the win. She had 23 points and seven rebounds in an AAU game in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on April 26. While it's still a mystery where McDowell, a small forward, and Makeer, a wing will play this season, losing Kitts and Watkins is more than enough reason to recruit Edwards hard. She can join the other Edwards (Joyce), in the paint. Advertisement Depth at forward has always been Staley's specialty, and she has the tools in Columbia to turn a great high school forward into a pro. So she may go hard for Edwards as she's developing in her senior high school season. Jordyn Jackson, guard Jordyn Jackson is a 6-1 guard from Washington, DC, who is No. 8 in the class of 2026 rankings. The five-star guard plays for Sidwell Friends High School and was named the 2024-25 Gatorade District of Columbia Girls Basketball Player of the Year. On Jan. 31, she announced her final six schools are: South Carolina, TCU, Ohio State, Miami, Maryland and Alabama. Advertisement Although Tessa Johnson will return, and Makeer can play a guard role, recruiting a true guard should be a priority for Staley. She brings height like Johnson does, and can balance out the guard room, giving some different play style than McDaniel brings as the true point. Kate Harpring, point guard Kate Harpring is No. 2 in ESPN's rankings and is a five-star 5-foot-10 point guard. She's from Atlanta, Georgia and plays for Marist School. She is the daughter of former NBA star Matt Harpring, who played for the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic after playing at Georgia Tech. She was named Georgia's Gatorade Player of the Year, averaging 32.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.1 steals and 3.7 assists. Advertisement She can not only run the point but she's a dominant scorer, which Staley will lose when Latson leaves for the WNBA. On July 17, she announced she received an offer from South Carolina then she posted a picture on an unofficial visit in November. She's also taken unofficial visits to Duke, Southern Cal, Notre Dame, North Carolina and UCLA. McKenna Woliczko, wing McKenna Woliczko, a five-star 6-foot-2 wing and the No. 6 ranked player, posted a picture from an unofficial visit on X as South Carolina faced Texas in the Final Four: "Good luck today in @WFinalFour @GamecockWBB #uncommitted." She then reposted a post on April 20 that said she's expected to narrow down her top 10 this summer, with pictures of her in South Carolina, Iowa and Ohio State jerseys. Advertisement She is from San Jose, California, and plays for Archbishop Mitty. Brooklyn Hall, forward Brooklyn Hall is the younger sister of Bree Hall, who won two national titles with South Carolina before getting drafted into the WNBA on April 14. Brooklyn is a 6-foot forward and a four-star player who is ranked No. 57. Hall averaged 18.1 points for Western Reserve Academy. NEXT SEASON: Predicting Dawn Staley's starting lineup for South Carolina women's basketball in 2025-26 Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@ and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley recruiting targets for South Carolina basketball in 2026
New York Times
25-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Aaliyah Chavez, No. 1 recruit in 2025 class, commits to Oklahoma over South Carolina, UCLA
Aaliyah Chavez, the nation's No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class and the sole uncommitted player left in ESPN's HoopGurlz top-100 ranking, announced her commitment to Oklahoma on Tuesday afternoon. Her six finalists had been Texas Tech, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, South Carolina and UCLA. 'I'm not just joining a program, I'm joining a family,' Chavez said. 'I'm ready to give my all to make this my home and bring a national championship to the city of Norman.' Advertisement Chavez, the Gatorade national player of the year, joins a Sooners recruiting class that already includes guard Keziah Lofton and forward Brooklyn Stewart, the 50th and 62nd-ranked players, respectively, in 2025. The group was ranked No. 25 in ESPN's most recent ranking of the top-25 recruiting classes at the beginning of March, but Chavez's commitment should vault them into at least the top 20. The 5-foot-11 point guard who hails from Lubbock, Texas won the 5A Texas state championship earlier this month with her Monterey High School team. She scored 19 points in the title game en route to being named MVP. With that win, she capped her high school career by totaling 4,796 points, 1,279 rebounds and 771 assists. Chavez, who also won a 2024 national championship with Cyfair Elite on the EYBL circuit, is a three-level scorer who can finish through contact at the rim. She has good size to defend on the perimeter, and during her high school career, she averaged nearly three steals per game through four seasons. At Oklahoma, Chavez could see immediate playing time, as the Sooners are graduating Payton Verhulst, Skylar Vann, Lexy Keys and Nevaeh Tot. Chavez will get to play with center Raegan Beers in the post and bolster a perimeter group of Sahara Williams and Zya Vann, who are playing in the Sweet 16 this Saturday against UConn.
