Two South Carolina women’s basketball stars projected in top 10 of ESPN’s latest WNBA Draft mock

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is among the best coaches all-time at developing players for the WNBA. The Gamecocks have helped high school recruits and transfer portal prospects on their road to the professional game. This week, ESPN released an updated projection ahead of next summer’s WNBA Draft. Two USC stars cracked the top 10.

According to women’s basketball analyst Michael Voepel, guard Ta’Niya Latson could go No. 6 overall to the expansion Toronto Tempo, and post Madina Okot could be No. 10 off the board to the Indiana Fever.

Projecting the Tempo’s first roster is impossible at this point, but if Okot went to the Fever, she would join with Gamecock legend Aliyah Boston in the Indiana frontcourt. Bree Hall also finished the year with the Fever but doesn’t have a contract beyond 2025.

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Said Voepel about Latson:

“The draft order of the expansion teams will be decided by coin flip; for now we have the Tempo here and the Portland Fire at No. 7. Latson led Division I in scoring at 25.2 PPG last season with Florida State. Now in a more balanced offense with No. 2 South Carolina, she is averaging 18.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.7 APG. Her 54.5% shooting from 3-point range is from too small a sample size (6 of 11) to judge it yet, but that would be a big step if she maintains it.”

And about Okot:

“Okot, who is from Kenya, transferred to spend her final season with the Gamecocks, and has fit in well. She leads South Carolina in rebounding (10.8 RPG) and blocks (2.2 BPG) while averaging 13.3 PPG. Like (Lauren) Betts, she is a more traditional center, but there is still a place for those players in the WNBA, especially if they defend well.”

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Both Latson and Okot are in their first year with South Carolina. The Gamecocks have utilized the two transfer portal additions in the starting lineup with great success this season.

Latson has been one of two 18-point scorers for USC, along with sophomore forward Joyce Edwards. She also has contributed around four assists and four rebounds per game. Latson’s scoring punch and athleticism with the ball in her hands have been great complements to point guard Raven Johnson and the Gamecocks’ assortment of frontcourt talents.

Okot has been a double-double machine down low. She has logged four in six games and is averaging 13.3 points and 10.8 rebounds. Okot has shown some flashes of low-post dominance, something that has been present for each of the team’s three previous championship runs (A’ja Wilson in 2016-2017, Aliyah Boston in 2021-2022, and Kamilla Cardoso in 2023-2024).

Latson is in her last year of NCAA eligibility after spending three previous seasons at Florida State. For Okot, the picture is less clear. She played two years in Kenya before a year at Mississippi State. Coach Staley has said that USC will “fight like heck” for an additional year of eligibility for Okot. However, a first-round draft selection would be hard to pass up for the 6-6 post player.