Dawn Staley has high praise for USC’s Adhel Tac: ‘She reminded me of an Aliyah Boston’

For the last 10 years, South Carolina women’s basketball has always had a dominant big.

• A’ja Wilson (2014-18) — Naismith Player of the Year and NCAA champion.

• Aliyah Boston (2019-2023) — Two-time Naismith Player of the Year and NCAA champion.

• Kamilla Cardoso (2021-24) — Two-time NCAA champion.

Now, there is no go-to presence in the post, coach Dawn Staley has said mutliple times this preseason. It’s hard to replace the 6-foot-7 Cardoso, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. But that doesn’t mean USC is without a big.

Adhel Tac, South Carolina’s enthusiastic bench presence through the second half of last season, could be USC’s next household name. The 6-foot-5 forward enrolled early in January and redshirted after sustaining a season-ending knee injury last fall and was cleared “to go full” about two weeks ago, Staley said. She played briefly in the preseason exhibition Tuesday against Memphis (scoring six points on 3-of-6 shooting and grabbing five rebounds in seven minutes and 38 seconds), but Staley liked what she saw.

“She’s got the makings of what we’ve had for the past 10 seasons, which was a dominant big,” Staley said Wednesday at SEC Media Day in Birmingham, Alabama. “She has the makings of that, so we’re going to pour into her, not put too much pressure on her.

“Some of the stuff she did out there, she reminded me of an Aliyah Boston.”

Boston was a four-year starter for South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks to a national title in 2022 and picking up two Naismith Defensive Player of the Year (2022, 2023) and two SEC Player of the Year (2022, 2023) awards along the way. She now stars for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

Tac’s communication on the floor Tuesday night stood out to Staley, calling back to the way Boston used to direct traffic for her a couple years ago.

“You can hear her,” Staley said.

Despite the fact that Tac is competing with several other post players on South Carolina’s roster for playing time, Staley described the support Tac has from her teammates as “quite incredible.”

Forwards Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin started at the four and the five spots vs. Memphis Tuesday night. Star freshman Joyce Edwards is also listed as a forward, while super-senior Sakima Walker is the Gamecocks only true center.

Staley said Wednesday that minute distribution will be difficult for the coaching staff to sort out because of the talent and number of players available. “We got a lot of bigs,” she said. “We’ll have seven bigs.”

Seven includes those listed above and junior forward Ashlyn Watkins, who has been suspended from team activities since her Aug. 31 arrest on charges of assault and kidnapping. It is unclear when or if she’ll return to the team this season. Her initial court appearance is set for Oct. 25, 10 days before USC’s 2024-25 season opener against Michigan in Las Vegas on Nov. 4.

In the meantime, Staley reflected on the overall position battle.

“They only want the best for each other,” she said. “They’re learning, they’re growing, and it’s a healthy competition. So they are putting the pressure on the coaches to make a decision as to who to play when and how much. And that’s the way you want it.”