She was on the cover of the Slam magazine for the University of South Carolina. She won a national championship, and the very next season, she won the Sixth Player of the Year award with USC. Yet, she decided to leave for the rival team. Yes, MiLaysia Fulwiley’s transfer story is hard to understand for many, or to put it in Kim Mulkey’s lines –  “It’s just broken, guys.”

The star guard was seen as the next one to step up for Dawn Staley’s side, who lost the 2025 NCAA title to UConn. The stage was set for her; she was a part of the system, and her decision to move to LSU, a conference rival, just shook things up. Kim Mulkey, who lashed out at the ‘transfer policies’ after losing on Wisconsin forward Serah Williams, was ok with the player coming in those rolling doors. USC’s second top scorer traded her Garnet-and-Black for Purple-and-Gold, raising questions over player loyalties.

Looking at the entities involved in the transfer – LSU vs USC rivalry and high-profile coaches involved in the mix, and adding the 0-17 record of LSU against South Carolina, it gets all jumbled up. A hard pill to swallow. But here’s how the ‘Good Follow’ podcast’s national analysts broke it down.

Two-time gold medalist Angel McCarti mentioned that the fact NIL has allowed players to switch teams, and they have the right to do so. In the case of MiLaysia Fulwiley, the very reason she was looking for a fresh start was a lack of game time at USC. with addition of a new guard, who is already an accomplished star, made her feel insecure about her place in the starting five, so she chose another contender program where she could have more impact. Rose sided with her, but with a pinch of reality check for MiLaysia Fulwiley.

“I think LSU, she continues to have a chance to contend for a championship.” Host Ros Gold-Onwude said in her analysis. “Coach Mulkey is someone where players have had the chance to be free and do their thing.” With Flau’Jae Johnson returning to the lineup, Kim Mulkey will have a strong backcourt for the next season. At the same time, she predicted that a new start would take more effort for Fulwiley to prove herself.

“Sometimes when people are so stuck on oh she’s not starting or this and that like you lose the bigger picture.” she added, “It was South Carolina that was the platform and the vehicle, you know where you had the opportunity to shine.” Now with five other guards already in the LSU lineup, there will be added pressure to perform in Kim Mulkey’s team. Was the USC situation worse? Didn’t Dawn Staley give her enough chances?

Despite constantly playing at a high level, the coach dropped her to a bench role. Staley herself acknowledged that the 20-year-old guard is talented and fast, but needs to work on a few aspects of her game to make it perfect. Yet when she stacked up more talent ahead of Fulwiley, it was difficult. Fans slammed Dawn for her approach to preserving the talent. Many said it was an obvious transfer, and some added that Mulkey will do justice to Fulwiley’s talent. The national reporter provided a perspective that could bring a smile to Coach Dawn Staley’s face.

“I don’t think that Malaysia was in a bad situation at South Carolina either”, she mentioned. “I know there was a lot of critiques when you know Tanay Latson came over there and transferred in like what did that mean for full way and for me, I think in college, there’s a progression that happens season after season”. Unlike fans’ perspective, this puts Staley in a good light, and to be honest, she has been very fair to Fulwiley.

MiLaysia Fulwiley at USC did get a chance to put forward her case as a powerful athlete on the court. She was on the All-Freshman team SEC. She was the SEC tournament MVP with a 24-point eruption against LSU in the final of the SEC tournament. At a national level, she became a champion. And now, even last season, in her sophomore year, she won SEC Sixth Woman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year. And the star made it to the NCAA Final once again with USC.

As an individual, SC also put herself in the public eye through big NIL deals. Working with Stephen Curry at Under Armour was wild exposure for the youngster. MiLaysia Fulwiley was on the cover of USC’s Slam magazine with two team starters. Dawn Staley to her part was right. At LSU? The coach is pleased with her coup.

“I’m excited to welcome MiLaysia as the newest member of our LSU Tiger family!” Mulkey said, as per an X post from Reed Darcey of NOLA News. “She’s bringing her incredible playmaking ability to Baton Rouge, standing out as one of the most electrifying talents in college basketball. Her ability to affect winning has been clear throughout her career, and we can’t wait to see her shine in purple and gold at the PMAC soon!” This is an exciting pairing for the side looking to make a push in the NCAA. The schedules for women’s basketball in the SEC will be out in a few days, and when they come, fans will want to circle one fixture, the South Carolina vs LSU matchup.

And want to know Dawn Staley’s past failures to keep good players at USC? There is a list….

Is Dawn Staley struggling to keep her stars satisfied?

USC HC Dawn Staley’s tough-love approach is well-known. Instead of praising the player much, she believes in pushing them for ‘more’. The 54-year-old coach has provided a significant number of stars to the WNBA, but since the context is losing players on the transfer portal, we will check on the name and reason for the athletes leaving her dressing room.

Sakima Walker and MiLaysia Fulwiley are two of the premium players lost in the 2025 portal. Fulwiley, the most efficient one, was second in scoring, still and was ninth in minutes played. The addition of Latson made Milaysia’s position a bit insecure for more game time. In earlier season, Talaysia Cooper’s move could be a similar case to Fulwiley, who chose to leave the program following Te-Hina Paopao’s addition in 2022. Sahnya Jah was another name who joined the USC right from high school and moved to Arizona. The star, since moving away had more time on the court but has yet to make a major impact. Saniya Rivers was another big starter for NC State left USC because she couldn’t find a starting role in the Gamecocks’ lineup – more interestingly, she landed an eighth overall selection in a recent WNBA draft.

Why can Dawn Staley hold up her stars? A few of the reasons could be the stacked roster, Staley’s coaching approach, and the new NIL Era, where every player aims for high returns. The third option is hardly in Staley’s hands, while the first two have proved to be very successful for USC’s rise to being a premium program in WBB.

And it’s not new for any coach to face the challenges of player transfer. Though Dawn Staley runs one of the best programs in the country, in today’s game, every player wants to explore options for their personal growth. This makes it hard for elite coaches to hold on to every star, especially in the face of stacked rosters, personal ambition, and a shifting college sports landscape.

Right now, Staley is pleased with two exciting additions – Ta’Niya Latson from Florida State, the nation’s leading scorer, and 6-ft-6 dedicated centre, Madina Oko. Dawn Staley will look to put dominance over LSU in the SEC and break Geno’s supremacy in the NCAA.