South Carolina gets its wish just days after conceding to the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Women’s Championship game.Â
South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley may have lost her first National Championship, but she wasted no time fortifying her roster. One of the best recruiters, former Florida State standout Ta’Niya Latson has committed to transferring to Greenville, South Carolina.
First reported by Latson herself on social media, the Gamecocks are securing the nation’s top scorer. One of the best in the business in developing and securing national titles, Staley continues to prove her dominance in women’s basketball. Leading South Carolina to three NCAA titles in seven seasons, Staley has recruited some of the most elite names in the history of women’s basketball. From A’ja Wilson to Aliyah Boston, Staley also recruited WNBA stars Tiffany Mitchell, and Tyasha Harris.
Latson and Staley Are A Match Made In Heaven
BREAKING: Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson has committed to South Carolina, she announced.
The 5-8 junior averaged 25.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 4.6 apg this season.
TRACKER: https://t.co/StsxDxjlYl pic.twitter.com/Ue6y9gL5tY
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) April 8, 2025
Of those recruits, Staley’s been successful in scouting and signing Allisha Gray via the transfer portal during her collegiate career. According to Talia Goodman, of On3, more than 1,300 athletes have entered the transfer portal. Given Staley’s impeccable recruiting skills, it’s hard to believe South Carolina won’t continue to make waves through the portal.
A gifted athlete and winner, the two worlds of Ta’Niya Latson and Dawn Staley ultimately collided. Staley and the Gamecocks vow to spring back after a gut wrenching loss to UConn in the NCAA Championship. Although Latson failed to play during the 2023 NCAA women’s tournament, the Seminoles were bounced from the first and second rounds over the last three years.
Losing against LSU was heartbreaking for Latson and company, who managed to keep the score fairly close through the first half. Blown out 101-72, Latson scored 30 of Florida State’s total points. Aside from Makayla Timpson and Sydney Bowles, the Seminoles offense was lackluster, respectfully.
What better timing for Latson, who needs Staley as much as Staley needs her. Both share a winning mentality, and a championship is on the minds of both player and coach. It’s the definitive win-win for Dawn Staley and Ta’Niya Latson.
Not only did South Carolina bolster their offense, they picked THE best scorer and top prospect in the portal.
Heaving led all NCAA Women’s scorers with 25.2 points per game, the Florida native averaged 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.2 steals in 29 games with the Florida State Seminoles. A natural born scorer at American Heritage School, Latson is a well renowned volume shooter.
What Ta’Niya Latson Will Bring To South Carolina
Taniya Latson upset #11 NC State and went for 31 as a Freshman 😤 @NiyaLatson @fsuwbb pic.twitter.com/Rh3Ghvj3zr
— Ballislife Womens Basketball (@ballislifewbb_) January 13, 2023
Small but mighty, Latson is listed at 5 foot 8. One of the craftiest guards, Latson is notorious for getting downhill and attacking defenses in unique ways. Named 2023 ACC Rookie of the year, Latson was named three-time First-Team All-ACC. A scoring machine, her 659 points scored was the most of any ACC Freshman in history. Perhaps her best standout performance came against Virginia Tech Hokies.
In early January, Latson scored a career-high 40 points on 18-28 (64.3%) field goal shooting against the Hokies. Recording seven 30+ point regular season games, that was enough to name Latson Second-Team All-American.
The Seminoles leading scorer, Latson led Florida State with 565 field goal attempts, which ranked no. 9 in the nation. Only trailing USC’s JuJu Watkins, and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, Latson has solidified herself as a prolific scorer at the collegiate level.
Latson ranks among the upper echolon of scorers, and will bring much needed offensive to the Gamecocks. Although South Carolina ranked among the tops teams this season, they missed a primary scoring threat. Freshman Joyce Edwards was the Gamecocks leading scorer off the bench with 12.7 points per game. While Staley produced the deepest bench in the nation, South Carolina lacked a clutch, volume scorer.
Without Latson, South Carolina ranked No. 15 in the country with 79.1 points per game. Boasting the No. 15 best field goal percentage in the nation (46.5 %), the addition of Latson should only boost that. Aside from the commanding 108-48 victory over Tennessee Tech in the NCAAW first round, the Gamecocks averaged a mere 64.4 points per game.
Ta’Niya Latson Has Deep Ties To South Carolina Players, Raven Johnson
It’s a match made in heaven for Latson, who spent one year as teammates with Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson at Westlake High School. Although ultimately transferring to American Heritage her senior year, Latson and Johnson led Westlake to two state finals. In addition, Johnson spoke about Latson’s AAU years alongside former Gamecock Kamilla Cardoso. It turns out the Florida native has close ties to South Carolina’s MiLayia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards.
Given both players are great friends, this is joyous news for South Carolina fans. Only two players recorded points in double figures for South Carolina, and that was Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson in the Title game. The news brings relief for the Garnet and Black Attack.
With the news signals Raven Johnson will return for a fifth year of college eligibility with South Carolina. This was a down year offensively for Johnson, who averaged just 4.9 points per game on 35 percent shooting from the field. Widely considered one of the most underrated defenders in NCAA women’s basketball, Johnson was named SEC All-Defensive team this year. Instead of declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft, Johnson will Latson will create a formidable defense in the back court.
It will be interesting how South Carolina rebuilds, since senior center Sakima Walker joined the transfer portal this week. It’s also expected senior Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, and Sania Feagin will declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Latson joins an elite South Carolina team, who remains in win now mode. Joining the team will be five star recruits Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell. A player who excels in getting to the charity stripe, Latson was the missing piece all along for South Carolina. With the departure of Paopao, will the acquisition of Ta’Niya Latson put South Carolina back on top as champions?
Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Writer, Content Creator, Managing Editor, and Manager for Ballislife Bets. She has a focus on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane currently resides in the Connecticut/NYC area with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in business administration.
