Latest news with #Ta'NiyaLatson
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
South Carolina lands Ta'Niya Latson, nation's leading scorer, after title game loss
South Carolina lands Ta'Niya Latson, nation's leading scorer, after title game loss Between the third and fourth quarters of the national championship game, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was asked on the broadcast, 'Who else can score for you right now? Where do those points come from?' Advertisement Staley responded, 'I don't know,' as her team struggled to find offense in a 23-point defeat. Now, the Gamecocks are adding the nation's leading scorer, as Ta'Niya Latson announced Tuesday on Instagram that she will transfer to South Carolina for her final college season. Latson scored 25.2 points per game as a junior at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to their first NCAA Tournament win since 2019. Over her three seasons in Tallahassee, she averaged 22.5 points and 3.9 assists in 30.2 minutes per game. Latson was eligible to declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft but chose to enter the transfer portal, ultimately landing with the Gamecocks. She will presumably step into the starting shooting guard role vacated by fifth-year senior Te-Hina Paopao. In theory, Latson is the high-volume scorer South Carolina needs. However, there will be an adjustment period on a team that historically prioritizes its depth. Latson had the highest usage rate in the ACC the last three years, and the highest usage rate nationally in 2025, ending 38.2 percent of Florida State's possessions while she was on the floor. Only MiLaysia Fulwiley had a usage percentage over 30 for the Gamecocks last season, and she averaged less than 20 minutes per game. Advertisement The backcourt remains crowded for South Carolina, which is returning three rotation guards in Raven Johnson, Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson, plus rising sophomore Maddy McDaniel. Latson could have sought out a different team with a larger role, but she has already done that. After collecting a bevy of individual accolades at Florida State — second-team All-America in 2025, national freshman of the year in 2023 and three all-ACC selections — Latson can now chase team success with the Gamecocks. She will reunite with her high school teammate Raven Johnson, who also chose to opt out of this year's draft in favor of one last collegiate season, after the duo combined for three state titles at Westlake High School in Atlanta. Following the loss to UConn, Staley said, 'I'm as excited for what our team will look like next year. I am because I do think they'll be talented enough to get here, especially with getting in the transfer portal and getting some experienced pieces that can help with this young group.' Advertisement She immediately delivered on that process by landing a senior guard who complements what the Gamecocks had been missing. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Florida State Seminoles, South Carolina Gamecocks, Women's College Basketball 2025 The Athletic Media Company
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Could LSU women's basketball land the nation's leading scorer in transfer portal?
Could LSU women's basketball land the nation's leading scorer in transfer portal? LSU women's basketball is in the mix for one of the top ranked players in the transfer portal. Ta'Niya Latson entered the transfer portal after leading the nation in scoring at Florida State. According to a report from On3, LSU is showing interest in the guard. In her junior season at Florida State, Latson averaged 25.2 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45% from the field. In her final game of the season, which was against LSU in the NCAA Tournament's second round, Latson dropped 30 points. Could she have played on the court of her future team? Depending on roster movement for the Tigers with the portal open and the WNBA Draft looming, Latson may be a fit for head coach Kim Mulkey's system. Flau'Jae Johnson's future is unclear as she could return to Baton Rouge for a fifth year or turn professional. That would put LSU down its two leading scorers with Aneesah Morrow projected to be a first-round pick. Adding Latson would begin to address the gap on both ends of the floor. The Tigers would get an experienced ball handler who could score in multiple ways with Latson. She gets the ball into the paint and can distribute to scorers around her while also creating havoc on the defensive end. LSU would immediately be a contender once again for next season
Fox Sports
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Timing of transfer portal opening can be tough on coaches still in tournament
Coaches still playing in the NCAA Tournament have to split their time between preparing their teams for the Sweet 16 and talking to potential transfers who have entered the portal. Such is life in college basketball. Dawn Staley is one of those coaches, and she said it's a huge challenge. "I think the timing is all screwed up," the South Carolina coach said Thursday. "It really plays on your ability to compartmentalize. If you aren't — I mean, most coaches are, but if you are not really good at it, it can sidetrack you. But for us, the main thing, the main thing at this point is trying to win another national championship." The portal opened Tuesday and 595 women's basketball players entered in the first 24 hours, according to the NCAA. That's two and a half times more than the 233 players that entered in the same time frame last year. There were 757 men's basketball players in the portal in the opening 24 hours this year, which was also more than double last season. This is the first year that the portal opened up this week. Last year, it opened a day after the NCAA Tournament selection show. As of Friday morning, there were over 1,000 women's basketball players in the portal. One name not in the portal yet, but entering soon is Florida State guard Ta'Niya Latson, who led all Division I players in scoring this season. Her representatives at Klutch Sports Group confirmed to The Associated Press that she was exploring her options to transfer. Latson's decision was first reported by ESPN. The portal has exploded over the last few years with name, image and likeness (NIL) money becoming a major reason for players to transfer. "A lot of kids are leaving because of it, but at the same time, I feel like you have to follow your heart instead of the money," said guard Te-Hina Paopao, who landed at South Carolina as a transfer last year from Oregon. "Just be able to have fun with the game and create those relationships that I've created, and just be able to fall in love with the game again, and continue to play the game that you love." Paopao isn't alone in her sentiments. Sedona Prince, who transferred twice in her career, starting at Texas before going to Oregon and now TCU, feels that players shouldn't just be after getting the most NIL money. "I would say in this new era, I mean, right before [revenue] share and stuff, don't go for the money," Prince said. "It's just going to fail. I know a lot of kids are trying to get paid, as they should. That's how it should be. That's how it always should have been. But be very smart." Maryland forward Saylor Poffenbarger started her career at UConn before transferring to Arkansas and then the Terrapins. She knows all too well about how the transfer portal works. "When I went into the portal the second time, I had to pick the things that were important to me," she said. "It's hectic. Everyone throwing numbers, everyone's throwing this, everyone throwing that. You kind of just have to stay true to you and ... pick a school that aligns with your morals because at the end of the day, you're you and the school's not changing for you when you enter them." While students enter the portal when their season is over, the current timing makes it difficult for the roughly 10% of programs still playing. One problem is currently that there's no better time for the portal to open. The Student Athletic Advisory Committee agreed to reduce the length that the portal was open from 45 days to 30, which allowed changing the timing to this year's date. Some coaches wanted a close date no later than May 1 because of final exams and summer school enrollment so that players could be eligible at their new school. With the 30-day window and May 1 deadline, the portal had to open before the Final Four ended. So Staley and the other coaches in the Sweet 16 have to multitask even more than usual. If players don't understand that Staley may not have all the time to recruit them right now because the Gamecocks are trying to win a championship, then they might not be the right fit for the program. Staley said she was going to call a few players after finishing with her media obligations on Thursday. "You still have to do it," she said. "Yes, I'm going to call somebody when I leave here. A few people. Just because you got to let them know, 'Hey, we're thinking about you.' We got this run we're trying to [finish] but you are a priority for us." UCLA coach Cori Close has noticed another problem with the timing of the portal opening: Schools are now quicker to fire and hire coaches before the portal opens so they don't get behind. "I think we have been rushing hires so that we could get people in place before the portal, which has distractions from their current teams," she said. "I am going to be advocating in the offseason that we make another shift. "I don't think it's in the best interests of our game and the best interests of our kids and the best interests of our coaches to have that being a distraction in the most magnified time." Reporting by The Assocaited Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Women's College Basketball recommended Get more from Women's College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
NBC Sports
28-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
March Maddening? Timing of transfer portal opening can be tough on coaches still in the tourney
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Coaches still playing in the NCAA Tournament are having to split their time between preparing their teams for the Sweet 16 and talking to potential transfers who have entered the portal. Such is life in college basketball. Dawn Staley is one of those coaches, and she said it's a huge challenge. 'I think the timing is all screwed up. It really plays on your ability to compartmentalize,' the South Carolina coach said. 'If you aren't — I mean, most coaches are, but if you are not really good at it, it can sidetrack you. But for us, the main thing, the main thing at this point is trying to win another national championship.' The portal is open and 595 women's basketball players entered in the first 24 hours, according to the NCAA. That's 2 1/2 times more than the 233 players that entered in the same time frame last year. There were 757 men's basketball players in the portal in the opening 24 hours this year which also was more than double last season. This is the first year that the portal opened up now. Last year, it opened a day after the NCAA Tournament selection show. There were over 1,000 women's basketball players in the portal. One name not in the portal yet, but entering soon is Florida State guard Ta'Niya Latson, who led all Division I players in scoring this season. Her representatives at Klutch Sports Group confirmed to The Associated Press that she was exploring her options to transfer. The portal has exploded over the last few years with NIL money becoming a major reason for players to transfer. 'A lot of kids are leaving because of it, but at the same time, I feel like you have to follow your heart instead of the money,' said guard Te-Hina Paopao, who landed at South Carolina as a transfer last year from Oregon. 'Just be able to have fun with the game and create those relationships that I've created, and just be able to fall in love with the game again, and continue to play the game that you love.' Paopao isn't alone in her sentiments. Sedona Prince, who transferred twice in her career starting at Texas before going to Oregon and now TCU, feels that players shouldn't just be after getting the most NIL money. 'I would say in this new era, I mean, right before (revenue) share and stuff, don't go for the money,' Prince said. 'It's just going to fail. I know a lot of kids are trying to get paid, as they should. That's how it should be. That's how it always should have been. But be very smart.' Maryland forward Saylor Poffenbarger started her career at UConn before transferring to Arkansas and then the Terrapins. She knows all too well about how the transfer portal works. 'When I went into the portal the second time, I had to pick the things that were important to me,' she said. 'It's kind of it's crazy. It's hectic. Everyone throwing numbers, everyone's throwing this, everyone throwing that. You kind of just have to stay true to you and ... pick a school that aligns with your morals because at the end of the day, you're you and the school's not changing for you when you enter them.' While students enter the portal when their season is over, the current timing makes it difficult for the roughly 10% of programs still playing. One problem is currently there's no better time for the portal to open. The Student Athletic Advisory Committee agreed to lessen the length that the portal was open from 45 days to 30, which allowed to change the timing to this year's date. Some coaches wanted a close date no later than May 1 because of final exams and summer school enrollment so that players could be eligible at their new school. With the 30-day window and May 1 deadline, the portal had to open before the Final Four ended. So Staley and the other coaches in the Sweet 16 are having to multi-task even more than usual. If players don't understand that Staley may not have all the time to recruit them right now because the Gamecocks are trying to win a championship, then they might not be the right fit for the program. Staley said she was going to call a few players after finishing with her media obligations. 'You still have to do it. Yes, I'm going to call somebody when I leave here. A few people. Just because you got to let them know, 'Hey, we're thinking about you,'' she said. 'We got this run we're trying to (finish) but you are a priority for us.' UCLA coach Cori Close has noticed another problem with the timing of the portal opening: Schools now are quicker to fire and hire coaches before the portal opens so they don't get behind. 'I think we have been rushing hires so that we could get people in place before the portal, which has distractions from their current teams,' she said. 'I am going to be advocating in the offseason that we make another shift. 'I don't think it's in the best interests of our game and the best interests of our kids and the best interests of our coaches to have that being a distraction in the most magnified time.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Maddening? Timing of transfer portal opening can be tough on coaches still in the tourney
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Coaches still playing in the NCAA Tournament are having to split their time between preparing their teams for the Sweet 16 and talking to potential transfers who have entered the portal. Such is life in college basketball. Dawn Staley is one of those coaches, and she said it's a huge challenge. 'I think the timing is all screwed up. It really plays on your ability to compartmentalize," the South Carolina coach said Thursday. 'If you aren't — I mean, most coaches are, but if you are not really good at it, it can sidetrack you. But for us, the main thing, the main thing at this point is trying to win another national championship.' The portal opened Tuesday and 595 women's basketball players entered in the first 24 hours, according to the NCAA. That's 2 1/2 times more than the 233 players that entered in the same time frame last year. There were 757 men's basketball players in the portal in the opening 24 hours this year which also was more than double last season. This is the first year that the portal opened up this week. Last year, it opened a day after the NCAA Tournament selection show. As of Friday morning there were over 1,000 women's basketball players in the portal. One name not in the portal yet, but entering soon is Florida State guard Ta'Niya Latson, who led all Division I players in scoring this season. Her representatives at Klutch Sports Group confirmed to The Associated Press that she was exploring her options to transfer. Latson's decision was first reported by ESPN. The portal has exploded over the last few years with NIL money becoming a major reason for players to transfer. 'A lot of kids are leaving because of it, but at the same time, I feel like you have to follow your heart instead of the money,' said guard Te-Hina Paopao, who landed at South Carolina as a transfer last year from Oregon. 'Just be able to have fun with the game and create those relationships that I've created, and just be able to fall in love with the game again, and continue to play the game that you love.' Paopao isn't alone in her sentiments. Sedona Prince, who transfered twice in her career starting at Texas before going to Oregon and now TCU, feels that players shouldn't just be after getting the most NIL money. 'I would say in this new era, I mean, right before (revenue) share and stuff, don't go for the money,' Prince said. 'It's just going to fail. I know a lot of kids are trying to get paid, as they should. That's how it should be. That's how it always should have been. But be very smart.' Maryland forward Saylor Poffenbarger started her career at UConn before transferring to Arkansas and then the Terrapins. She knows all too well about how the transfer portal works. 'When I went into the portal the second time, I had to pick the things that were important to me,' she said. 'It's kind of it's crazy. It's hectic. Everyone throwing numbers, everyone's throwing this, everyone throwing that. You kind of just have to stay true to you and ... pick a school that aligns with your morals because at the end of the day, you're you and the school's not changing for you when you enter them.' While students enter the portal when their season is over, the current timing makes it difficult for the roughly 10% of programs still playing. One problem is currently there's no better time for the portal to open. The Student Athletic Advisory Committee agreed to lessen the length that the portal was open from 45 days to 30, which allowed to change the timing to this year's date. Some coaches wanted a close date no later than May 1 because of final exams and summer school enrollment so that players could be eligible at their new school. With the 30-day window and May 1 deadline, the portal had to open before the Final Four ended. So Staley and the other coaches in the Sweet 16 are having to multi-task even more than usual. If players don't understand that Staley may not have all the time to recruit them right now because the Gamecocks are trying to win a championship, then they might not be the right fit for the program. Staley said she was going to call a few players after finishing with her media obligations on Thursday. 'You still have to do it. Yes, I'm going to call somebody when I leave here. A few people. Just because you got to let them know, 'Hey, we're thinking about you,'' she said. 'We got this run we're trying to (finish) but you are a priority for us.' UCLA coach Cori Close has noticed another problem with the timing of the portal opening: Schools now are quicker to fire and hire coaches before the portal opens so they don't get behind. 'I think we have been rushing hires so that we could get people in place before the portal, which has distractions from their current teams,' she said. 'I am going to be advocating in the offseason that we make another shift. "I don't think it's in the best interests of our game and the best interests of our kids and the best interests of our coaches to have that being a distraction in the most magnified time.' ___ AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Spokane contributed to this story. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press
