COLUMBIA, South Carolina – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced “Net Worth” as the theme of the Gamecocks’ 2021-22 season during the team’s open scrimmage Friday night at Colonial Life Arena. The program develops an annual theme to amplify the team’s goals and mindset for the upcoming season.
“Net Worth” draws on the universal symbol of success in basketball: cutting down the nets. Every member of the team, program and fan base plays a role in the journey to achieving this level of success. Not every role is the same, but each person has a “net worth” – added value needed for the team to achieve its goals.
Staley returns all 12 members of last season’s NCAA Final Four and SEC Tournament championship team, all of whom added a year of experience playing in the top five, getting the best shot from each opponent. As his No. 1 class of 2019 recruits became juniors, Staley added the No. 1 class of 2021 recruits to the mix as well as ACC freshman and defensive player in the year in title. Of the 16 Gamecocks on the roster, 13 earned national or conference recognition in high school or college.
Unanimous All-American and first team Athleticism National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston tops the list of awards, adding two-time Lisa Leslie Center of the Year and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year to her accolades. Junior guard Zia Cooke Joined Boston as an All-America and First-Team All-SEC member last season and was subsequently named the 2021 NCAA Hemisfair Region MVP and Final Four All-Tournament Team Oven. Senior Destanni Henderson has proven to be a consistent threat in the postseason, garnering SEC All-Tournament team honors over the past two seasons. Often unknown attackers Victory Saxton And Laeticia Amihere announced their future impact on the team in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, earning all-tournament recognition in the NCAA Hemisfair Region. In addition to the transfer Kamilla Cardoso bringing his ACC honors to the team, newcomers Raven Johnson And Saniya Rivers each earned at least one National Player of the Year recognition in high school before arriving in Columbia.
The Gamecocks’ 2021-22 schedule is busy, including the first non-conference games scheduled at Colonial Life Arena. Defending national champion Stanford, NCAA Final Four participant UConn, and Big Ten champion Maryland will all travel to Columbia this season. From the SEC, last season’s regular season champion Texas A&M, second-round NCAA tournament teams Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee and WNIT runner-up Ole Miss will also travel to face the Gamecocks this season.
Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the Gamecocks’ 2021-22 season can find more information at https://thegamecockclub.com/wbb/ or by calling the South Carolina Sports Ticket Office at 1-800-4SC-FANS (472-3267).
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the latest information on the women’s basketball season.
