Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. A point guard, she played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and spent eight seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), primarily with the Charlotte Sting. Staley also played on the United States women's national basketball team, winning three gold medals at the Olympic Games from 1996 to 2004, and was the head coach of the team that won an Olympic gold medal in 2021. She is the first person to win the Naismith Award as both a player and a coach.
A'ja Riyadh Wilson is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Tiffany Mitchell is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She also currently plays for the Galatasaray of the Eurocup and Turkish Basketball Leagues. Mitchell played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks, where she was a two-time SEC Player of the Year. After concluding her collegiate career, she was selected ninth overall in the 2016 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever. During the WNBA off-seasons, Mitchell has played overseas in Russia, Turkey, Israel and Australia.
The 2016–17 Southeastern Conference women's basketball season began with practices in October 2016, followed by the start of the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season in November. Conference play started in early January 2017 and concluded in March with the 2017 SEC women's basketball tournament at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The South Carolina Gamecocks were both regular season and tournament champions, with the Mississippi State Bulldogs as runner-up. Both teams received bids to the 2017 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament and advanced to face each other in the championship, where South Carolina claimed their first-ever national title.
Kelsey Mitchell is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Paris Kea is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously played for the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty. She was selected 25th in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever. She played college basketball at North Carolina.
Crystal Simone Dangerfield is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Kayseri Basketbol of the Turkish Super League. After a high school career that made her the nation's top-ranked point guard, she played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. Dangerfield was drafted in the second round of the 2020 WNBA draft by Minnesota, where she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year after leading the team in scoring. At 5'5", for the 2024 season, she is the shortest player in the WNBA.
Tyasha Pearl Desiree Harris is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Harris was selected to third team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) in 2020. She is also the winner of the 2020 Dawn Staley Award, which is named after her coach at South Carolina.
Aliyah Boston is an American professional basketball power forward and center for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote and the AP Rookie of the Year. She played college basketball at the University of South Carolina.
Zia Cooke is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and for the Townsville Fire of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She played in college for South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). At Rogers High School in Toledo, Ohio, she was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and earned McDonald's All-American honors. A two-time All-SEC selection in college, Cooke helped South Carolina reach the Final Four of the NCAA tournaments in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Destanni Mone Henderson is an American professional basketball player for Danilo's Pizza of the Turkish Super League. She previously played for the Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, and Atlanta Dream in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Henderson played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks, helping her team win the national championship and earning first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a senior. At Fort Myers Senior High School, she won three straight state titles, was a McDonald's All-American selection and was rated as the number one point guard in her class by ESPN. Henderson competes for the United States national team and won a gold medal at the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup.
The 2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game was the final game of the 2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. It determined the national champion for the 2021–22 season and was contested by the UConn Huskies and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The game was played on April 3, 2022, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the game, the Gamecocks jumped out to an 18-point lead early in the second quarter and held off UConn scoring runs to win the national championship, 64–49. South Carolina's Aliyah Boston was voted the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP). This was UConn's first loss in the women's national championship game.
Evina Westbrook is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. She most recently played for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at UConn and Tennessee. She was selected in the 2nd Round of the 2022 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. During her time in the WNBA, Westbrook has played for the Minnesota Lynx and the Washington Mystics.
Breanna Beal is an American basketball player who is a free agent. She played college basketball at South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Sam Thomas is an American professional basketball player. She was undrafted in the 2022 WNBA Draft, but made the Phoenix Mercury roster in 2022. She played college basketball at Arizona.
Khayla Pointer is an American professional basketball player. She was drafted into the WNBA by the Las Vegas Aces and played for the Indiana Fever. She played college basketball at LSU from 2017 to 2022. She currently plays for Casademont Zaragoza in Spain.
Maya Caldwell is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA and for Uni Girona CB of Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. She played college basketball at Georgia.
Raigyne Louis is an American professional basketball player. She was drafted by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2018 WNBA draft. She played college basketball at LSU.
The Freshies were the 2019 recruiting class of the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball program. They were the number one recruiting class of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I season and played together until 2023. Developed under head coach Dawn Staley, they helped South Carolina win the 2022 national championship and reach the Final Four in all three NCAA tournaments they competed in. The class also won four Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season titles and three SEC tournament titles, finishing with a 129–9 record over four years.
Raven Johnson is an American college basketball player for the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
