South Carolina is hosting a pair of 2026 visitors this weekend. It’s the first set of visits in what should be a busy few weeks.
Emily McDonald, a 6-0 guard from New York, and Kaeli Wynn, a 6-2 forward from Los Angeles, are taking their official visits this weekend.
Wynn is ranked 22nd by Rivals, 15th by ESPN, and 38th by 24/7. She plays for powerhouse Mater Dei in California and comes from a basketball family. She suffered a dislocated knee in January and did not play the rest of the season or this summer.
Her mom played at Southern Cal (where she was a teammate of Lisa Leslie) and was the head coach at Long Beach and Washington before taking over at Mater Dei. Wynn’s sister Jada has played for Colorado and Texas Tech, and will play this season for UC-Irvine, where their dad Derek is an assistant coach.
Wynn has taken unofficial visits to Stanford, Texas Tech, and Michigan State, and plans to take an official visit to Stanford.
Wynn describes herself as a “do-it-all player,” and she is capable of playing multiple positions. Not surprisingly, with two coaches for parents, Wynn has an extremely high basketball IQ, and her versatility and decision-making on the court stand out.
McDonald ranked 49th by Rivals, 39th by ESPN, and 34th by 24/7, but she is one of the hottest names in this recruiting class. She blew up this summer, earning offers from South Carolina, UCLA, and other blueblood programs.
South Carolina was impressed by McDonald at the Power 24 Finals in Ohio in July, where she led her Team Northeast to a runner-up finish. She earned a scholarship offer soon after.
McDonald plays for powerhouse Long Island Lutheran, but she spent her freshman and sophomore seasons at St. Mary’s, which doesn’t get the same kind of national attention.
Several scouts list McDonald as a combo guard and stress her point guard abilities, but “combo guards who can play point” are almost always shooting guards in college. ESPN touted McDonald’s combination of playmaking and shooting ability, along with her vocal leadership on the court.
McDonald has already taken unofficial visits to Baylor, Kentucky, TCU, North Carolina, Indiana, and Wake Forest. She took her official visit to North Carolina last weekend.
Neither Wynn nor McDonald has publicly announced a list of finalists.
South Carolina has previously hosted two 2026 recruits on official visits. Saniyah Hall visited in May. She committed to Southern Cal at the beginning of July. McKenna Woliczko visited at the end of June and plans to announce her commitment in the coming weeks.
South Carolina also has official visits lined up with Oliviyah Edwards (September 19-21) and Sitaya Fagan (late September). Olivia Vukosa and Aaliah Spaight also plan to visit, but their dates have not been announced.
