Ta'Niya Latson's arrival in South Carolina earlier this year spurred a few big changes for the Gamecocks; most notably, MiLaysia Fulwiley announced her own decision to leave the program the following day. South Carolina's head coach Dawn Staley has certainly worked her magic with transfers before, and reporting from Gamecock Central appears to support the idea that she's doing exactly that all over again with Latson.
The pressure will certainly be on Latson, who averaged 22.53 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting, including 32.6 percent from 3-point range, and 84.2 percent from the free throw line in three seasons with the Florida State Seminoles.
As the outlet noted, part of Latson's decision-making process included her own desire to play on a larger stage, and to do so with a team who has what it takes to go all the way. The Gamecocks lost the NCAA Championship match to the UConn Huskies this year, and there's little doubt the team will be pushing themselves as hard as possible to avoid a repeat of that fate in 2026.
Latson arrived at South Carolina already well-developed by Florida State's head coach Brooke Wyckoff, who helped her expand her game beyond shooting, and by former teammates Mikayla Timpson (who was drafted by the Indiana Fever this year) and O’Mariah Gordon. Latson told Gamecock Central that Staley is now pushing her to develop on both ends of the floor, and helping her in terms of "seeing things that I normally didn’t see at Florida State."
Dawn Staley has compared Ta'Niya Latson to Joyce Edwards
Latson has a teammate who has experienced a lot of what she's facing with the Gamecocks this season: Joyce Edwards, who Staley noted was able to play as herself through the 2024-25 season.
“Joyce was able to just be Joyce and not feel the extra pressure of performing at a high level because she was playing with so many other great players,” she told te the outlet. “It’s the same with Ta’Niya. Ta’Niya’s going to play with other great players. Is she going to be able to score 20 tonight? Yeah, probably. But she also has to learn to protect that as well. Pass out, right?”
The move to South Carolina reunited Latson and Edwards, who previously played together, and also reconnected Latson with high school teammate Raven Johnson.
Latson's first game with the Gamecocks will be an October 21 event with GarNET & Black Madness, and the team will host an exhibition game against Anderson on Friday, October 24.