The South Carolina Gamecocks roared through the women’s NCAA Tournament just weeks ago, looking to win the national championship, led by Dawn Staley.
But instead of another glorious ending, their season finished with a thud when they lost in the national championship game to UConn by 23 points.
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But on Wednesday, Staley’s crew took a major step toward winning it all next year.
Madina Okot, a promising 6-foot-6 center who is entering her second season in the NCAA, committed to playing for South Carolina after spending this past season with Mississippi State.
She took to Instagram to thank everyone in the Mississippi State community for their support during the 2024-25 season.
Okot averaged 11.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks a game while shooting an outstanding 64.9% from the field this past season.
She is originally from Kenya and only started playing basketball in 2020, which has led scouts to believe she has a ton of untapped potential.
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She spent two years at Zetech University in her native Kenya before heading to the United States to suit up for the Bulldogs.
South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
South Carolina already has plenty of firepower, especially after it landed Ta’Niya Latson, a transfer from Florida State. She averaged 25.2 points a game during the 2024-25 campaign, which led all of women’s Division I college basketball.
She should be able to take plenty of pressure off Okot and allow Okot to focus more on defense and rebounding, which appear to be her strong suits, at least at this point in her career.
Related: LSU’s Kim Mulkey Has Clear Message for Players Who Enter Transfer Portal
