Intense Dawn Staley practice sessions unveil the secret behind South Carolina’s success for Arkansas transfer Maryam Dauda

Maryam Dauda posted her regular season-best 19 points, one steal and three blocks for Arkansas against South Carolina in March 2024. Months later, the forward joined the Gamecocks through the transfer portal, adding more firepower to their incoming talent pool of Joyce Edwards, Madisen McDaniel and Adhel Tac.

As Dauda absorbs the knocks of the two-time defending NCAA championship program through team practices, she translates what mounts Dawn Staley’s crew at the top of college basketball.

"Obviously, playing against the best of the best and then being on their side now and seeing how they do everything in practice and how everything works, I'm just like 'Thats why you guys are the best,'" Dauda said in an interview with Julia Westerman. "Everything is being worked on and you're being challenged in practice."

When probed about the biggest changes and learnings as a player, Dauda highlighted the physicality, accountability and defensive values of the program.

"I'm going to say that the defense has been hard," Dauda said. "It's been something that I'm working on and taking a step forward every single day. And obviously, how physical it is. Everybody is competitive like I said. There's no let-up. You're not coming in and just slacking off.

"If you're not doing what you're supposed to do, your teammates are going to hold you accountable and coaches are gonna hold you accountable."

In two seasons at Arkansas, Maryam Dauda displayed her skillful footwork and ability to score against the best defenders. The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists last season while touching double-digit scoring 17 times.

Her best game came in the Razorbacks’ season-ending loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in a WBIT first-round game. She scored a game-high 22 points on 56.3% shooting alongside nine rebounds.

What will Maryam Dauda's role be under Dawn Staley?

The biggest common element in Dawn Staley's 2023-24 lineup was the lack of a clear offensive leader. As Chloe Kitts, MiLaysia Fuwiley, Kamilla Cordoso and Tessa Johnson rotated as the best players to score, it enabled the Gamecocks to enter games with a strategically advantageous position.

Maryam Dauda has all the tools to fit into that mold. She is an impact player who can score in multiple ways, can collapse defenses by attracting attention with her footwork inside the perimeter and is surrounded by enough 3-point talent to either hit the open teammate or to make up for her 31.9% outside scoring.

Moreover, Maryam Dauda will also be expected to take on heavy defensive roles and to emerge as a great help piece inside the paint.