How South Carolina's Dawn Staley is unlocking even more 'greatness' from star transfer Ta'Niya Latson

On paper, the South Carolina Gamecocks look like one of the most dangerous teams in the nation. However, after a summer of change, coach Dawn Staley is still trying to suss out the defining characteristics of this group.

"I always get excited about the direction of each team, who they will be. The identity of them," Staley told CBS Sports. "I know they work hard, our teams work hard, but they blossom into their own unique identity. That's delayed a little bit for some reason."

By now, Staley is used to seeing her roster's personality shine during practices, but this particular team was not together all summer. Freshmen Ayla McDowell and Agot Makeer were with the Brazil and Canada national teams, respectively. Meanwhile, sophomore Joyce Edwards had multiple events with USA Basketball. The talent is there, and Staley said her young players are very much "holding their own" during practice while playing "unafraid." However, the team seems to be more serious than previous squads.

"Now that we are practicing, it's so lean," she said. "They just go on about their business. And maybe that's it, maybe that's their identity."

Besides their personality, the Gamecocks have other questions they need to answer this season. Last year, they reached their fifth straight Final Four before falling to UConn in the national championship game, then lost Bree Hall, Sania Feagin and Te-Hina Paopao to graduation and MiLaysia Fulwiley to the transfer portal. Additionally, senior forward Ashlyn Watkins is taking this season off to work on her personal life and senior forward Chloe Kitts is out for the season due to a torn ACL.

But Staley still has plenty of faith in this team, especially because she was able to land one of the biggest names in the transfer portal: former Florida State guard Ta'Niya Latson. Ahead of the season opener on Nov. 3 against Grand Canyon, Staley opened up about Latson's evolution, Johnson's offensive challenges and the optimism she has in her post players. 

Ta'Niya Latson is in 'learning mode'

The Gamecocks immediately got stronger offensively with the addition of Latson during the summer, as the 5-foot-8 guard led the nation in scoring last season with an average of 25.2 points per game. 

Last season, Latson had 17 games with 25+ points, including a 40-point performance against Virginia Tech. There is no doubt she will be an impactful addition to the roster, but Staley also set realistic expectations for this transition.

"You can see her greatness because that's what she does, she scores the basketball with ease," Staley said. "So we are going to challenge her to continue to do that and add some of the things that will protect. I want her to see what is happening on the weak side of the floor when she is driving. She just goes, that's her natural reaction, to go. And I want her to think more in practice and then in the games I want her to think less."

Staley's players always take pride in their defense, and the way she manages her rotations makes it so the team doesn't have to rely on one specific player, which makes the Gamecocks more difficult to scout. This will be a significant change for Latson, whose main focus at Florida State was to be the go-to scorer. Staley gave credit to FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff for getting Latson to such a high level offensively, and now the hope is that Latson continues to grow in other areas.

"Ta'Niya came to us for a little bit of a different experience because she wants to make herself a better pro. It's great. She is in learning mode. She is in a place where it probably doesn't feel good and she is probably not as confident as she is going to be with everything that she is learning right now, and I'm ok with that. We see her natural gift, and that is to score. We see that. I don't think I've had a player that's been that gifted at scoring the basketball. 

"We are looking forward to our team benefiting from her and I know she is looking forward to benefiting from being with our team."

Raven Johnson needs to be 'a little bit more selfish' 

Johnson already played a key role for the Gamecocks this offseason -- she was a high-school teammate of Latson's, and helped recruit her to Columbia.

But on the court, Johnson will also be a key veteran presence for the Gamecocks. She has proven herself defensively through her college career, including when she locked up now-WNBA star Caitlin Clark during the 2024 NCAA Tournament championship game.

She also does a good job running the South Carolina offense, but although she creates opportunities for her teammates, she hasn't been much of a scoring threat herself, at least not consistently. Last season she averaged a career-low 4.9 points per game while shooting 35% from the field and 29.5% from beyond the arc.

As she enters her senior year, Staley said Johnson's offseason has been all about getting better as a scorer.

"Just be the veteran that we need her to be. I think Raven, in order for her to increase her chances of going to the next level and playing well at that level is to score," Staley said. "Just be a little bit more efficient at scoring the basketball. We are challenging her to be the Raven that she's been while creating some more opportunities for her to score. Being a little bit more selfish when it comes to all the things that she already does for us."

Bigs make a 'big jump' 

Joyce Edwards had an impressive freshman season, and Staley said she will be embracing a bigger role her sophomore year. Besides her strong inside presence and great basketball instincts, Staley said Edwards brings a lot of energy to practice. She is "incredibly smart," loud and one of the best TikTok dancers the coach has ever seen.

However, Staley said all bigs on her team will play a key role this season and shared she was particularly proud of the improvement she has seen from them.

"I think our bigs have made a big jump," she said. "....Super cool to see them as a unit."

Latson got a lot of the attention this summer, but Mississippi State transfer Madina Okot will also play a crucial role. The 6-foot-6 center has adjusted well to her new team, and Staley said she has shown a lot of good work in the past few months.

Senior Maryam Dauda played her first season as a Gamecock last year after spending her first two years at Arkansas. Staley pointed out that Dauda was a key defensive piece for the team down the stretch with her rebounding and blocks, while contributing on to contribute on offense. 

Meanwhile, sophomore forward Adhel Tac started her career at South Carolina in recovery mode from injuries she suffered in high school. The coach said she is much healthier now and has grown into an impactful player.

"I can say she's got great hands now, she's a finisher and she's a communicator out there on the floor," Staley said.