Veteran’s praise highlights undeniable Dawn Staley truth recruits are well aware of

There are many different paths to the WNBA now. Playing college basketball is still the most traditional option, and there are many great programs to choose from, including some that have a long history of sending players to the WNBA ready to contribute and thrive in the pro game. Under Dawn Staley’s leadership, South Carolina has become one of those programs. 

Since Staley took over as the program’s head coach in 2008, she has sent many role players, stars, and superstars to the WNBA. It took Staley a while to build the women’s basketball powerhouse South Carolina is now known as. In 2016, Tiffany Mitchell left the program as its highest draft pick in a while. She was selected ninth overall by the Indiana Fever. The next draft classes saw Alaina Coates, Allisha Gray, Kaela Davis, A’ja Wilson, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, Ty Harris, Destanni Henderson, Aliyah Boston, Laeticia Amihere, Zia Cooke, Victaria Saxton, Kamilla Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao, Sania Feagin, and Bree Hall make the move from the Gamecocks to the W. 

Mitchell recently appeared on the It’s Just Different Podcast with Ashley Roberts and talked about her basketball journey. She had high praise for Dawn Staley. “I was fortunate to be drafted to Indie where there was just a bunch of vets,” Mitchell said. “And then, of course, coming from South Carolina, we’re prepared. She [Staley] trains and coaches us like pros. So, when I got there, it felt like a seamless transition for me.”

As a former pro, Staley knows what it takes to succeed at the next level, and she consistently prepares her players to make the same transition. As a result, she still attracts high-end recruits and steadily builds competitive rosters. 

South Carolina shared big recruiting news 

Plagued by injuries, Staley has had to survive the 2025-26 season with a nine-player rotation and a rather thin frontcourt. Losing forward Chloe Kitts to a season-ending knee injury really hurt the team’s depth. Fortunately, Staley was able to attract a high-level recruit to join the team for the next semester and add some depth. 

French youngster Alicia Tournebize will join the Gamecocks after the holiday break. Tournebize is a 6’7” center with pro experience and turned heads with her ability to dunk. The 18-year-old started her pro career in 2022 with Tango Bourges Basket and also played for the French national team in several youth competitions. As one of the youngest players on her team, Tournebize hasn’t gotten much playing time this season, averaging only about seven minutes per game. That should change once she gets to South Carolina.

While she will have to adjust to her new situation and learn the ins and outs of Staley’s system, there should be plenty of frontcourt minutes available. 

Tournebize isn’t the only potentially game-changing recruit to commit to Staley’s program either. Jerzy Robinson, a top-five recruit in her high school class, also committed to the program for the next season. Robinson said that she wanted to commit to “a great program, somewhere that builds pros” when she revealed her choice on ESPN. 

Staley does just that at South Carolina, and Robinson already looks prepared to be one of the team’s next big stars. Only four recruits were ranked higher than her—Saniyah Hall, Oliviyah Edwards, Olivia Vukosa, and Kate Harpring. They committed to USC, Tennessee, UConn, and North Carolina in that order.