After Paige Bueckers’ WNBA Decision, Kelsey Plum Shares Another NCAA Star’s Commitment

Being a senior is a hectic job in the world of college basketball. Clearly, many players come face-to-face with the dilemma of coming back for another year or turning pro. While for most, it’s time to step into the limelight of the WNBA, others prefer to stay and lead their respective programs to new heights. Among the latter is South Carolina’s 5′ 9″ guard Te-Hina Paopao.

The 21-year-old dropped a major announcement regarding her availability for the WNBA draft. Apparently, the news caught the attention of the Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum.

Kelsey Plum acknowledges the decision of Te-Hina Paopao

The two-time WNBA champion took part in spreading a major decision taken by Te-Hina Paopao recently. Seemingly, she shared a post of the’ espnw’ on her story stating that Paopao will be returning for another year of college basketball with the Gamecocks. The post read, “Breaking: Te-Hina Paopao is returning to South Carolina for her fifth year of college, she announced on social media.” 

Earlier, the dynamic No.0 of South Carolina celebrated her senior day in style. She walked down on the court proudly honoring her Polynesian culture and heritage. Moreover, Te-Hina Paopao received a very warm hug from head coach Dawn Staley. Also, Paopao had quite a productive night as she bagged 14 points to go with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. As it turns out, she becomes the second prominent name after UConn’s Paige Bueckers to take her name out of the upcoming draft.

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There is no doubt that she will be an excellent addition to the team next year as well. Her current stats are further proof of how good she really is once she steps on the court with the ball in hand.

What do the numbers say?

One of Dawn Staley’s prized players, Te-Hina Paopao came to South Carolina after spending 3 seasons with the Ducks. Consequently, her debut season under Staley is turning out to be an effective one. In the 28 games played so far, she has scored a total of 321 points at an average of 11.5 points per contest. Moreover, she maintains a field goal percentage of 48.3 and has the best numbers on the team when it comes to delivering free throws (84%). In addition to this, she also holds a staggering 48.3% accuracy from the 3-point range. As a result, this makes her the best shooter from beyond the arc.

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Fans will be glad to hear such delightful news coming out of South Carolina’s camps. While Paopao has shown what she can do, everyone will still be eager what else she can offer next year. It appears that Dawn Staley knows how to get the best out of her players.

Are you excited to see Te-Hina Paopao in action for another year? Let us know in the comments section.