Depth was a recurring challenge for South Carolina women’s basketball throughout the 2025-26 campaign. One look at the roster being assembled for next season, however, makes it clear that Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks will not be dealing with that problem again anytime soon.
The program landed its third five-star prospect of the 2026 recruiting class when forward Oliviyah Edwards chose South Carolina, further cementing what is shaping up to be one of the most talented rosters in program history. Edwards arrives as the No. 3 overall recruit in the country. With the season having wrapped up just weeks ago and the new year set to open with a November contest in Paris, it is not too early to start mapping out what Staley’s rotation could look like in 2026-27.
The Full Roster
Edwards’ addition brings South Carolina’s projected 2026-27 roster to 14 players — a number that slightly exceeds Staley’s typical roster size. Over her tenure with the Gamecocks, she has carried an average of just under 13 players per season and has seldom pushed toward the 15-player maximum. While a transfer portal addition remains possible, it would be against the grain of how Staley has traditionally built her rosters.
Nine players from last season’s squad are returning, all of whom carry championship experience and three of whom have championship-winning experience. Seven players who saw court time last season are back: Tessa Johnson, Joyce Edwards, Adhel Tac, Agot Makeer, Ayla McDowell, Maddy McDaniel, and Alicia Tournebize. Joining them are Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins, both of whom missed the 2025-26 season.
Five newcomers round out the group. Incoming freshmen Oliviyah Edwards, Jerzy Robinson, Kaeli Wynn, and Kelsi Andrews join Texas transfer Jordan Lee, who signed alongside Edwards’ commitment announcement.
Full Roster by Position:
Guards: Senior Tessa Johnson; juniors Maddy McDaniel and Jordan Lee; sophomores Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell; freshman Jerzy Robinson.
Forwards: Seniors Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins; juniors Joyce Edwards and Adhel Tac; sophomore Alicia Tournebize; freshmen Oliviyah Edwards, Kaeli Wynn, and Kelsi Andrews.
Projecting the Rotation
Training camp is months away and the full roster has yet to come together on campus, but projecting Staley’s rotation is worth the exercise.
Projected Starting Five
G: Maddy McDaniel
G: Jordan Lee
G: Tessa Johnson
F: Chloe Kitts
F: Joyce Edwards
Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards are the safest bets for the starting lineup. Joyce Edwards led the team in scoring last season at 19.2 points per game while earning All-American honors, and she started every game she appeared in. Johnson earned her first All-SEC recognition during her junior campaign and was the second-highest returning scorer at 12.8 points per game, also starting every game she played.
McDaniel steps into the point guard role vacated by Raven Johnson. After two seasons contributing off the bench, she enters 2026-27 as the leading candidate to take over that position. Her ability to attack the lane and her work running the second unit last season speak to her readiness, though continued offensive development will be important as she takes on a larger role.
Lee addresses a specific need Staley identified heading into the offseason. Staley said she wanted to add “lead guard play” in the portal this offseason, and after Lee signed, Staley noted in a news release that the transfer “has a deep skill set and can impact the game on both sides of the ball,” adding that her defensive ability is a significant asset. Lee averaged 13.2 points per game at Texas and has shot 36.2 percent from three-point range throughout her college career.
Kitts rounds out the projected starting five as she works her way back from the ACL injury that kept her off the court all of last season. Prior to the injury, she had emerged as one of the SEC’s premier players, averaging career-bests of 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, winning SEC Tournament MVP, and earning NCAA Tournament All-Regional recognition.
Projected Second Unit
G: Jerzy Robinson
G: Agot Makeer
G: Ayla McDowell
F: Alicia Tournebize
F: Ashlyn Watkins
Watkins has not appeared in a game since suffering an ACL injury on January 5, 2025 against Mississippi State, followed by a full season away from the sport. Returning her to a reserve role makes sense given that extended absence, but if she can recapture the form that earned her All-SEC honors in her sophomore year, she becomes an enormous asset off the bench.
Makeer is a player who could make a strong case for a starting spot, but slotting her into a lead role in the second unit could be the best fit early in the season. Her freshman year demonstrated she can affect the game on both ends of the floor, particularly during the NCAA Tournament, and a starring role running the reserve unit could be the ideal environment for her continued development.
Tournebize enters a critical stretch in her growth as a player. The 6-foot-7 forward has the tools to score at all three levels and stretch the floor, but adding strength remains the next step in her development if she is to be a consistent factor against the SEC’s best interior players. Paired with Watkins, she and the returning senior could give South Carolina a formidable second-unit frontcourt.
Robinson arrives as one of the most gifted freshmen in the class — a five-star guard with a natural scoring ability who figures to be the offensive engine of the second unit, much as McDaniel was last season. Reaching double figures off the bench regularly is a realistic expectation.
Staley praised McDowell’s contributions on both ends of the floor despite modest counting stats — 4.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game — calling her “predicatable.” Tac has flashed her value in limited stretches but has been unable to maintain full health. She is already considered a valuable presence within the program, and staying on the court would allow her to become a meaningful rotation piece.
Among the freshmen forwards, Oliviyah Edwards has the profile to push her way into second-unit minutes. As the No. 3 overall prospect in the country, her talent is unquestioned, but a deep post group means she may need to be patient early. If she produces quickly, the path to expanded minutes is there.
Wynn and Andrews are both well-regarded prospects who are entering a crowded position group. Significant minutes in their freshman seasons would be a positive surprise given the competition in front of them.
As has been a hallmark of Staley’s program, the depth of this roster means most reserve players could be starters at the majority of programs in the country. The culture of buy-in at South Carolina remains the connective tissue that makes it work. It also bears noting that a player’s role in the rotation does not define their ceiling. Joyce Edwards, for example, led the team in scoring her freshman season while coming off the bench in nearly every game.
Alternative Lineup: Four-Guard Look
G: Maddy McDaniel
G: Agot Makeer
G: Jordan Lee
G: Tessa Johnson
F: Joyce Edwards
If Kitts or Watkins are not at full speed to open the season, a four-guard alignment gives Staley a viable alternative. Makeer functioned in exactly this role last season when Staley deployed this configuration, making her the natural fit in a hypothetical four-guard starting five.
Fun Look: The Skyscraper Lineup
F: Joyce Edwards
F: Chloe Kitts
F: Ashlyn Watkins
F: Adhel Tac
F: Alicia Tournebize
Sixth: Oliviyah Edwards
For entertainment purposes only — a completely frontcourt lineup with no player standing shorter than 6-foot-3, anchored by Tournebize at 6-foot-7 and Tac at 6-foot-5. The added intrigue: Watkins, Tournebize, and Oliviyah Edwards have each dunked in a college game during their careers, with Watkins being the only one to have done so in a South Carolina uniform. Whether Staley ever deploys this group is extremely unlikely, but it is a fun illustration of just how much size this roster carries.
