SouthCarolina Basketball

Why Dawn Staley’s Culture Still Outpaces the Chalkboard

Berry Winn
Every program in the country studies Dawn Staley’s playbook, but the secret to South Carolina’s dynasty isn’t written in diagrams. It’s cultural. Staley has built something that transcends game plans. Her players don’t just know where to be - they know who they are. It’s accountability, confidence, and family, all braided into the same heartbeat. Even when rosters change, the identity doesn’t. Everyone buys in. Everyone leads. That’s why the
Read More

South Carolina Men To Use Early Schedule to Build Culture – Lamont Paris Wants More Than Wins

Brandon Wagner
You can feel the difference this year. South Carolina men’s basketball isn’t just trying to compete - they’re trying to build something. Coach Lamont Paris has his squad leaning into defense, discipline, and details. The Gamecocks’ mix of veterans, freshmen and transfers gives this team an energy that’s been missing. They move with purpose. They don’t look rattled when shots aren’t falling. It’s not flashy, but it’s progress. You can
Read More

Tessa Time: Why Tessa Johnson Might Be the Next Great Dawn Staley Star

Berry Winn
If you’ve been around South Carolina women’s basketball long enough, you start to recognize that look - the one Dawn Staley’s stars get when it’s their turn. Tessa Johnson’s got it. Calm but confident. Ready but patient. The moment’s not too big because she’s built for it. She’s already showing why people inside the program are so high on her. Her jumper’s smooth, her poise is rare, and she carries
Read More

Eli Ellis Shows He Belongs: Solid Debut Sets the Tone for a Gamecock Rise

Jon Carter
Eli Ellis didn’t play like a freshman - he played like somebody who’s been waiting for this moment his whole life. From the minute he touched the floor, he looked comfortable, confident, and completely unfazed by the stage. You could see the composure right away. No panic. No hesitation. Just basketball. His shot selection was sharp, his pace was mature, and his presence gave the Gamecocks a spark when they
Read More

Eli Ellis: If You Ever Doubted Him, Don’t Switch Up Now

Berry Winn
I’ve been in those Colonial Life Arena seats long enough to know when a player walks in with more than talent. You can feel it - the kind of energy that doesn’t need validation because it’s been earned in empty gyms and long nights. When Eli Ellis signed with South Carolina, that’s what I felt. A kid from Hickory, North Carolina, who’s been slept on, second-guessed, and overlooked since middle
Read More

Gamecocks Women Earn Preseason Respect – Edwards and Latson Lead the Charge

Brandon Wagner
The standard in Columbia hasn’t slipped... it’s evolved. South Carolina women’s basketball came into the new season with fresh faces and new fire, and the voters noticed. Picked second in the SEC preseason rankings and placing both Joyce Edwards and Ta’Niya Latson on the Preseason First Team, Dawn Staley’s squad is once again sitting exactly where it likes to be: respected, but still hungry. What’s special about this year’s group
Read More

Gamecocks Men Embrace Experience and Enter Season with a Chip on Their Shoulder

Jon Carter
This South Carolina men’s team looks different. You can see it in how they walk into the gym, how they talk in huddles, how they carry themselves before the ball even tips. Coach Lamont Paris built a roster full of grown men this year - six upper-class transfers mixed with hungry returners who remember every loss, every headline, every doubt. That kind of memory can be fuel. And this group
Read More

Alumni to Assistant: How Khadijah Sessions is Shaping the Next Generation of Gamecock

Berry Winn
I still remember those early days, before South Carolina women’s basketball became what it is now. I was a season ticket holder when Dawn Staley first took the job. Back then, you could hear her in the huddle from across the court because there were barely enough people in the stands to drown her out. The energy was there, the vision was there, but the crowd wasn’t yet. That came
Read More

Columbia After Dark: South Carolina Men’s and Women’s Hoops Light Up Midnight Madness

Brandon Wagner
Columbia knows how to throw a party when basketball season comes around. Both South Carolina programs kicked off 2025–26 with a night that felt like a state holiday. The lights dropped, the music hit, and Colonial Life Arena turned into a celebration of what this city does best - community and competition. Dawn Staley owned the moment, hyping the crowd like a rock star, while her players showed flashes of
Read More

The New Hotbed: How South Carolina EYBL Teams Are Changing the National Conversation

Brandon Wagner
South Carolina used to be the place college scouts drove through on their way to Georgia or North Carolina. Not anymore. From Columbia to Charleston, the state’s EYBL programs are flipping the script, producing elite talent that is showing up on national leaderboards and highlight reels. The grassroots scene here has become a full-on movement - a mix of hard work, culture, and community pride that is starting to reshape
Read More