In recognition of 25 seasons of Gamecock women’s basketball this century, we recently counted down the top 25 moments of the last quarter-century. Now we’ll do the same for the top 25 players.
Last week, we covered players 25 through 11. Today, we get to the top ten.
Only a player’s time at South Carolina counts; nothing at another school or in the WNBA. Also, if a player’s career began in the 20th century, those seasons before 2000-01 don’t count.
Volume matters, so four good seasons might be better than one great season. That being said, there is admittedly a benefit of the doubt given to players with eligibility left. And even on a list of individuals, you play to win the game
I know you’re all scrolling to the bottom, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
10. Shaunzinski Gortman (1998-2002)
58 games, 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals
Gortman’s career spanned the centuries, so only her junior and senior seasons count. They were pretty good years, though. A do-everything guard, she helped lead the Gamecocks to the Elite Eight in 2002, which at the time was the best season in program history.
9. Allisha Gray (2016-17)
37 games, 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals
Gray was arguably the most important player on the 2017 national championship team. If she hadn’t been able to hold her own as an undersized four, South Carolina’s small-ball lineup wouldn’t have worked. But Gray not only held her own, she also had some big games, including 18 points and eight rebounds against Stanford and 18 points and 10 rebounds against Mississippi State. She’d had a great season up to that point, but the postseason cemented Gray’s legacy.
8. Jocelyn Penn (1998-2000, 2001-2003)
62 games, 20.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 1.8 assists
Like Gortman, only Penn’s junior and senior seasons count. She led the Gamecocks in scoring both seasons, helping lead them to an Elite Eight and then a second-round appearance. Penn averaged 23.9 points as a senior, the second-highest average in program history, and set the single-game scoring record with 53 points. She did it all after redshirting the 2000-01 season to give birth to her daughter Tionna.
7. Tyasha Harris (2016-2020)
139 games, 9.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals
As a freshman, Harris earned the starting point guard job and won a national championship. As a sophomore, she set South Carolina’s single-season assist record (220). We’ll skip her junior season, but as a senior, Harris became South Carolina’s all-time assists leader (702) and was named an All-American and SEC Female Athlete of the Year. She also holds South Carolina’s career record for assist-to-turnover ratio (2.55).
6. Alaina Coates (2013-2017)
133 games, 12.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 62.0 FG%
Unfortunately, Coates’ legacy is often defined by what she wasn’t. The Gamecocks went on their championship run after a foot injury ended her college career. As a player, she didn’t have the most versatile skillset: she was going to rebound, block shots, and score at the rim. But Coates did that really, really well. She is South Carolina’s career leader in field goal percentage, third in career rebounds (sixth in career rebounding average), third in career double-doubles, and tied for third in career blocks (sixth in block average).
5. Kamilla Cardoso (2021-2024)
101 games, 9.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.96 blocks, 1.3 assists, 100.0 3P%
Coates has better career stats than Cardoso, but Cardoso only played at South Carolina for three seasons, and the first two she spent backing up Aliyah Boston. Cardoso didn’t just hang around the rim and score on putbacks and lobs; she was an athletic rim runner and deft passer who raised her game to match the stage. It’s good to be the best player on an undefeated team.
4. Tiffany Mitchell (2012-2016)
139 games, 13.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 39.9 3P%, 2.6 assists, 1.7 steals
Mitchell was Dawn Staley’s “firstborn,” the first great player who turned South Carolina into a national power. Mitchell was SEC Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015, and she would have become the first three-time winner in 2016 if not for some kid named A’ja Wilson.
3. Aleighsa Welch (2011-2015)
137 games, 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 blocks
Like La’Keisha Sutton, it’s hard to figure out where to rank Welch. As a freshman, she was a 6-0 starting center. She willingly, even gratefully, took a back seat as Dawn Staley brought in bigger and more talented players. But Welch was the heart and soul of South Carolina’s first SEC championship team, first tournament championship team, and first Final Four team. “Muffin” was also the enforcer who made sure the Gamecocks were always the tougher team (ask the Mizzou player who went into hysterics when Muffin glared at her), and the glue that bridged the gap from the early, unheralded Gamecocks to the five-star McDonald’s All-Americans. Welch was also a two-time honorable mention All-American, two-time first-team All-SEC, and SEC Tournament MVP. She ranks second in career offensive rebounds and sixth in total career rebounds.
1. A’ja and Aliyah
A’ja Wilson is the best player in the world and has been for three or four years, but that doesn’t count for this list. She turned South Carolina into a championship contender, won the program’s first national championship, is the all-time leading scorer and shot-blocker, and is fourth in rebounds. There’s a reason she got a statue.
But Boston turned South Carolina into the nation’s dominant program. She is the all-time leading rebounder and leader in double-doubles and triple-doubles, second in blocked shots, and the fifth-leading scorer (all despite losing an extra dozen games or so because two seasons were shortened by the COVID pandemic). Boston was also the best defensive player South Carolina has ever had. If there is ever another statue at Colonial Life Arena, it will be Boston (reportedly, the holdup is that she doesn’t want one).
Both were the consensus national player of the year once, and Boston was also a non-consensus winner as a sophomore. Wilson won three SEC Player of the Year awards while Boston only won two. They both won too many awards to list, but Boston’s entry in the media guide is an inch or so longer than Wilson’s.
Their teams both won an identical 129 games (Wilson missed seven games in her career due to injury). Wilson lost 16 games and Boston lost nine. Both players have one national championship. Wilson made the Final Four two of a possible four times. Boston made it three out of three possible times. Wilson also never lost an SEC Tournament game. Boston lost one.
Their leadership styles were different. Wilson was vocal and had a big personality that still impacts the program to this day. Boston led by example, and her quiet perfectionism set the tone for everyone else.
Let’s not forget that both had lots of help, too. Wilson’s 2017 title team had four other future WNBA Draft picks (including Gray, who is currently an MVP candidate). Boston’s 2022 team had a mind-boggling nine other future draft picks (although six were waived during their rookie contracts, and the other three are still on their rookie contracts).
You try to pick one.
Wilson (2014-2018)
138 games, 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 assists, 0.98 steals
Boston (2019-2023)
138 games, 14.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.7 assists, 1.02 steals
