South Carolina places three on early 2026 WNBA Draft board

Last week, South Carolina women’s basketball had three players selected in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, and Sania Feagin all came off the board in the second round. Now, nine Gamecocks have earned selection in the last three drafts.

Based on an early look at the best prospects for the 2026 WNBA Draft, the Gamecocks could be in line for at least three players in the top 15 of next year’s draft.

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According to ESPN’s Michael Voepel, South Carolina’s Ta’Niya Latson, Chloe Kitts, and Madina Okot will be early picks.

Voepel has Latson as next year’s No. 4 prospect. The dynamic guard transferred in this offseason and will be the best scorer in garnet and black since A’ja Wilson. The former Florida State Seminole led the nation in points per game this past season, and she will look to bring some get-a-bucket juice to the Gamecock offense. If she has a good year as projected, her WNBA Draft future is bright.

Forward Chloe Kitts is Voepel’s No. 10 prospect. The rising senior played her best ball down the stretch of this past season for the Gamecocks. Despite lacking elite size, Kits is a good rebounder with a developing offensive game that adds range each season. The WNBA will like the SEC Tournament MVP as a stretch-4 who can hit the boards better than most non-traditional bigs.

Another new Gamecock, center Madina Okot, made Voepel’s list. The 6-6 post player who transferred in from Mississippi State will be a major part of the Gamecocks’ quest to return to the national championship stage next season. Athletic players who can be a nightly double-double and affect shots at the rim don’t grow on trees, and Okot has a lot of potential as a professional because of that profile. Depending on how the NCAA handles Okot’s career playing collegiately in Kenya, she could have multiple years remaining in college, however.

It’s worth mentioning that Voepel included guard Gianna Kneepkens at No. 9. Kneepkens is in the transfer portal after becoming one of the top shooters in the country while at Utah. South Carolina is one of the favorites to land her services, and a decision could come soon. Per reports, she has also visited (and is considering) Texas, Oklahoma, and UCLA.

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Forwards Ashlyn Watkins and Maryam Dauda and guard Raven Johnson all will be eligible for next year’s draft, too. Johnson could have been picked late in this year’s draft but elected to return for a final season in Columbia. Watkins is a future pro, too; however, she is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January. Dauda has flashed some ability that would be intriguing at the WNBA level if she can put it all together.

Latson, Kitts, Okot, Johnson, Watkins, and Dauda (and, potentially, Kneepkens) will be major pieces for Dawn Staley’s 2025-2026 team. As they always are, the Gamecocks are one of the favorites to win next year’s title. If South Carolina can pull it off–in the process, winning their third title in five seasons and fourth in ten seasons–it will happen thanks, in large part, to the team’s future WNBA stars.