Dawn Staley was undefeated in National Championships games heading into Sunday's contest against Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies.
Unfortunately, nothing went right for South Carolina in the National Final, as they trailed the entire game and ended up losing by 23 points.
The Gamecocks may not have won the title this year, but they did get something special as soon as the season ended. On Tuesday, South Carolina landed the top women's basketball transfer in the entire country.
South Carolina lost the National Championship but picked up the best transfer in the country
Reports began piling in on Tuesday afternoon that Florida State guard Ta'Niya Latson was transferring to South Carolina so she could compete for a National Championship under Coach Staley.
Last season for the Seminoles, Latson led the entire country in scoring at 25.2 points per contest, which helped her earn First-Team All-ACC and Second-Team All-American Honors by the Associated Press. Latson can do everything on the basketball court as well — she contributed 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals per contest last season at Florida State.
It became clear during the National Championship that South Carolina did not have enough firepower to compete with UConn, but with the addition of Latson, that problem should be solved. Pairing Latson with Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Chloe Kitts and Raven Johnson should make the Gamecocks the odds-on favorite to be hoisting the trophy at this time next year.
South Carolina will lose Te-Hina Paopao, and the transfer portal is always a concern, but the Gamecocks will have more experience and more reinforcements next season. Coach Staley also has two top-25 high school recruits joining the fold next year, so she is building another contender down in Columbia.
It will be tough to dethrone Coach Auriemma and the Huskies, who have both Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong returning next season. However, the addition of Latson is a complete game-changer and immediately shifts the landscape for next year.