Dawn Staley bolsters South Carolina roster with latest transfer portal addition hours after national championship loss

Modified Apr 08, 2025 18:45 GMT

NCAA Womens Basketball: Final Four National Championship - Source: Imagn — Dawn Staley reacts during the 2025 NCAA championship game. (Credits: IMAGN)

Dawn Staley's South Carolina squad is still recovering from Sunday's national championship loss, but the Gamecocks coach must look ahead to next season. A recent transfer portal addition shows that she is doing just that.

Ta'Niya Latson took to Instagram Tuesday to announce that she will join South Carolina for her senior season. The Florida State guard led the nation in scoring this season with 25.2 points per game.

Latson's scoring ability will significantly benefit the South Carolina squad, whose top scorer this season averaged just 12.7 points per game. The Gamecocks are likely looking to up their offensive game after falling to UConn 82-59 in the national title matchup.

The shooting guard excels at creating assists, averaging 4.6 per game. Staley can utilize this skill since Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina's top assister (2.8 apg), has exhausted her eligibility.

Dawn Staley has proven success as head coach of South Carolina with three national championships (two in the last four years). Even though Sunday's title game loss is still a fresh memory, she knew the team needed to move forward. Ta'Niya Latson is a massive signing for the Gamecocks ahead of next season.

What kind of player is Dawn Staley's South Carolina squad getting from their latest transfer portal addition?

Ta'Niya Latson in action for Florida State Seminoles. (Credits: IMAGN)

Ta'Niya Latson is so much more than just the NCAA's top scorer. She arrives in South Carolina as a versatile guard with physicality and athleticism. The junior first honed her basketball skills in middle school, when she would play pickup games against men on her father's Army base in Hawaii.

Coaches quickly noticed Latson's skill set. She became a sought-after player as a McDonald's All-American and the No. 1 shooting guard in her class. She decided to play for Florida State.

"Her athleticism and her speed, but then her body control when she's in the air, it's like something that you see in the elite ones," Florida State HC Brooke Wyckoff said. "Or get the ball out of the reach of someone that's going to block it and still score over them. Before she takes off and she's got the ball in her hand, her ability to read in a millisecond where the defense is coming from and just cleanly step around like human cone drills in tiny, tight spaces is also at an elite level."

Ta'Niya Latson has been a three-year starter for the Seminoles and has averaged 20-plus points in each of her college seasons. This season, she proved her defensive dominance with a career-high 2.2 steals per game. The dynamic guard has decided to take her talents to South Carolina for her final year of college eligibility.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by William Paul