Arkansas transfer Maryam Dauda commits to South Carolina WBB

Former Arkansas women’s basketball player Maryam Dauda has committed to play for coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina next season, Dauda announced via X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday. It’s USC’s first transfer portal pickup of the offseason.

Dauda played two seasons at Arkansas for coach Mike Neighbors after redshirting 2021-22 due to injury. The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 10.1 points (shooting 45%), 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game this past year. Dauda was Arkansas’ leading scorer, tallying 19 points, when the Gamecocks defeated the Razborbacks 98-61 on Feb. 29.

“She’s good,” Staley said of Dauda after the game. “A big that has great footwork. A big that could shoot the 3. A big that keeps you off balance. I mean, she can put the ball on the floor. She’s really, really, really good. I was very, very impressed. I found myself just complimenting her with what she was able to do out there on the floor.”

She confirmed on Instagram live Sunday that she visited South Carolina over the weekend after visiting Baylor earlier in the month.

The addition of Dauda could be big for USC as it looks to complete its “repeat tour” after winning a third national championship on April 7. She provides more post experience and skill to a team already overflowing with elite front-court talent. The Gamecocks only lost one player this offseason: senior center Kamilla Cardoso, who was selected by the Chicago Sky with the third overall pick in the WNBA Draft.

South Carolina is otherwise returning all of its 2023-24 starters (guards Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, Bree Hall and forward Chloe Kitts) as well as SEC Tournament MVP MiLaysia Fulwiley and All-Final Four team member Tessa Johnson. Upperclassmen Sania Feagin is also coming back, as is Ashlyn Watkins (whose 68.2 defensive rating led the nation this past season, according to Basketball Reference). And it’s assumed Sakima Walker (a senior who has not officially announced her return nor departure) is, too.

Adhel Tac, USC’s 6-foot-5 2024 signee who early enrolled in January to rehab a knee injury, will make her college debut next season, as will Camden’s Joyce Edwards (a 6-foot-2 forward and the No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2024) and Maddy McDaniel (a 5-foot-8 point guard and the No. 14 recruit in the class of 2024). Together they make up the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation behind Southern Cal (No. 1) and UConn (No. 2).

With Dauda’s addition, USC now has the No. 2 (Raven Johnson), No. 4 (Feagin), No. 13 (Dauda) and No. 14 (Hall) recruits from ESPN’s 2021 HoopGurlz rankings.

Ten of South Carolina’s 13 players are former McDonald’s All-Americans: Paopao, Watkins, Tessa Johnson, Raven Johnson, Fulwiley, Feagin, Hall, Edwards, McDaniel and Dauda. The maximum number of roster spots in college basketball is 15.