"She's not afraid to say what's on her mind": South Carolina's Te-Hina Paopao on her "genuine" bond with WNBA star Kelsey Plum

In her second year with the program, South Carolina Gamecocks guard Te-Hina Paopao has helped her team in its bid for another national title. On Wednesday, the second-ranked squad in the country outpaced the Auburn Tigers by 17 points, winning 83-66 to maintain an undefeated 9-0 record in the SEC, 21-1 overall.

For Paopao, she is looking to cap off her fifth and final year of college basketball with a second straight national championship. With how she has fared this season, it seems as though the Oceanside, California, native is a lock to become a WNBA player whenever she declares for the draft — much like a good friend of hers, Las Vegas Aces All-Star Kelsey Plum.

Paopao and Plum went to the same high school, La Jolla Country Day, through which Plum is a few batches older than Paopao. During an interview with 1801 Media's "The Coop with Olivia Thompson," uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday, the graduating senior shared the kind of wisdom she gets from having a successful women's basketball player as someone to look up to.

"She's super genuine, she's authentic," Paopao said (14:20). "That's what I love about her, like she's not afraid to say what's on her mind or answer the questions with the answers I don't want to hear but I got to hear at the same time."

With as bold and true as Plum can be, Paopao can use her no-holds-barred advice to carve out a successful career post-college. In the 2024-2025 season, the 22-year-old is averaging 10.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals for Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks.

Te-Hina Paopao describes the meaningful connection she has with Kelsey Plum

Te-Hina Paopao also detailed in the interview the kind of relationship she has with Kelsey Plum, which is a connection that runs deep with her seeing the 30-year-old WNBA standout as a veteran presence. From high school to professional ranks, the senior looks to replicate a successful career like hers.

"KP, she's family for life," Paopao said (13:33). "Relationships, life-long friends, and just someone who I could count on. At such a young age, being with someone who has competed at the collegiate level, and has been through it all, just being able to get that early access to someone like that, it was a blessing and I was very grateful for our relationship. I still am."

After the win against Auburn, Paopao and the rest of the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks now look on to Thursday night's game against the Georgia Bulldogs on the road with hopes of securing conference win No. 10, 22nd overall.