

South Carolina sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley plans to enter the transfer portal, a source with knowledge of the transfer told The Athletic.
Fulwiley, a South Carolina native, will have two full seasons of eligibility remaining. Since arriving on campus last fall, Fulwiley was seen as one of the biggest stars in women’s college hoops, producing highlight-reel like plays from game 1.
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In her debut with the Gamecocks as a freshman playing against Notre Dame in Paris, Fulwiley even drew the attention of Magic Johnson, who posted that he had just witnessed “the best move in all of basketball including the pros like LeBron, Steph, KD, Victor, and Jokic” from Fulwiley. That kind of attention for eye-popping plays would be a hallmark of her two seasons with the Gamecocks.
However, during Fulwiley’s two seasons on-campus, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had emphasized her desire to have the talented guard play more in between those big moments, and as a result, Fulwiley’s minutes often fluctuated throughout the two seasons.
In her 77 games for the Gamecocks, Fulwiley started three games and averaged just fewer than 19 minutes per game. But in the SC program, that wasn’t particularly low. South Carolina is a program often lauded for its depth and committee approach. This season, none of the Gamecock starters averaged more than 25 minutes per game.
For her career, Fulwiley averaged 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 43 percent from the floor. In the national title game against UConn last Sunday, Fulwiley finished with a team-high four assists and nine points (second-most for a South Carolina player) while playing 18 minutes — the third-fewest minutes of any player who appeared for the Gamecocks.
A large part of South Carolina’s success has been players buying into the process of coming off the bench for the early parts (and sometimes almost all) of their careers.
Before Te-Hina Paopao decided to come back for her fifth year this season, many thought Fulwiley might be able to break into the starting rotation. However, with the departures of Paopao and Bree Hall, two spots were opening in the starting rotation alongside Raven Johnson (who opted to return for her medical redshirt year). But the backcourt got even more crowded this week when Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson — the nation’s leading scorer and a high school teammate of Johnson — committed to the Gamecocks.
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Fulwiley was the No. 13 player in the 2023 class. She chose the Gamecocks over schools like Louisville, Ole Miss and Florida as South Carolina had been in on the hometown recruit early, offering her as a seventh grader. She is the second South Carolina player to depart the program with eligibility remaining, joining senior center Sakima Walker.
(Photo: Butch Dill / AP)
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