When you think of South Carolina women's basketball, you probably think primarily of two things: head coach Dawn Staley, and winning basketball games.
That's because virtually since her arrival in Columbia, Staley has been the driving force behind turning the Gamecocks into one of the nation's elite programs. Everyone wants to play in South Carolina, and those who don't want desperately to beat South Carolina.
Staley has done great work adding talent through the transfer portal during her time in South Carolina, but that doesn't mean she hasn't lost some talent over the years. Let's take a look at some of the players who've left South Carolina over the years.
Sakima Walker
Sometimes, there's just not room on a team's roster for a talented player. That seems to be the case with Sakima Walker, a 6-foot-5 center who entered the portal this year.
Dawn Staley is a great recruiter, not only at the high school level but also with JUCO players. Walker, the 2023 NJCAA D1 Player of the Year at Northwest Florida State, was a strong addition because of her resume at the lower level, but she was just never really able to crack the rotation.
With Chloe Kitts, Joyce Edwards and a healthy Ashlyn Watkins next season, there just isn't really room for Walker, who will now try to find a new home where she can get more consistent minutes.
MiLaysia Fulwiley
The MiLaysia Fulwiley story at South Carolina is a weird one. She finished second on the team in scoring this past season, but was ninth on the roster in minutes per game and came off the bench in all 39 of her appearances.
When the Gamecocks added Florida State transfer Ta'Niya Latson out of the portal, the writing seemed on the wall for Fulwiley. Most expected her to take a larger role in South Carolina next season, but Latson has that role now, and Fulwiley is on the search for a home where she can get more consistent run and a chance to be a lead scorer.
Sahnya Jah
Sahnya Jah, a 6-foot-0 wing, transferred last season to Arizona after a freshman season at South Carolina where she appeard in just 16 games. Jah was ESPN's No. 40 high school recruit from that year's class, but because of how well Staley is at recruiting, she was the team's fourth-ranked recruit.
Jah was able to get more playing time at Arizona this year, but not a ton more. In 18 games, Jah averaged 15.2 minutes per contest, scoring 6.6 points per game. She missed time with a suspension and hit the portal again this year, following head coach Adia Barnes to SMU. Will her third season be her breakout campaign?
Talaysia Cooper
The same offseason that South Carolina added former Oregon point guard Te-Hina Paopao, point guard Talaysia Cooper chose to transfer to Tennessee. Cooper appeared in 24 games at South Carolina as a freshman, but averaged just 8.4 minutes per game. It was pretty clear she didn't have a future as a starter in South Carolina.
Cooper transferred to Tennessee outside of the transfer window and had to sit out her first season, but she took over as the Tennessee starter this past season, averaging 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.1 steals per game. Cooper left South Carolina to find a place to expand her game and it appears that she found just that.
Saniya Rivers
Saniya Rivers didn't make a huge impact in her one season in South Carolina, but it seemed clear when she transferred that the Gamecocks program would miss her contribution.
Rivers, who said she left Staley's program because "the fit wasn’t what [she] thought it would be," landed at NC State, where she became a crucial part of the Wolfpack for three seasons, resulting in Rivers being drafted with the No. 8 overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft.
Eniya Russell
Eniya Russell has been everywhere, playing for three different schools over the course of her college career, which began in 2020 at South Carolina.
After two seasons barely playing off the Gamecocks' bench, Russell entered the portal, saying that she wanted to "further pursue [her] basketball and educational aspirations and goals."
Russell landed at Kentucky, where her playing time barely improved in her first season, but she finally got a chance to play real minutes in the 2023-24 season. Russell would then hit the portal again, landing at Mississippi State and posting the best numbers of her career last season.
Destiny Littleton
Destiny Littleton had a strange journey to South Carolina. The No. 33 recruit in ESPN's 2017 rankings, Littleton committed to Texas, but was never really able to get many minutes. After two seasons, she opted to leave for South Carolina.
But Littleton wasn't able to play her first season there, as the NCAA denied her request for a transfer waiver, and then when she did hit the floor in 2020, she saw even fewer opportunities than she did at Texas. In her last season with the Horns, Littleton averaged 8.4 points. In two seasons at South Carolina, she averaged 2.6 points per game.
That led to another trip to the portal for Littleton. This time, she landed at the other USC, Southern Cal. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said of Littleton's decision to choose USC that Littleton "had her sights set on becoming a Trojan out of high school." The move to USC offered a chance for her to fulfill that dream, and it led to by far her best collegiate season, with Littleton averaging 14.0 points per game and starting all 31 games for the Trojans.