Dawn Staley Becomes the X-Factor in Ta’Niya Latson’s Move as National Analyst Gives Harsh Reality Check to Florida State

The 2025-26 Gamecocks roster is about to look different. Three Gamecocks just packed their bags for the WNBA. MiLaysia Fulwiley is gone. Sakima Walker, too. Only Raven Johnson is hanging around, and she’s coming with her high school buddy and the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson. And you know what? As much as Latson fits perfectly into South Carolina’s world, it’s an even better move for her own future. 

Latson officially entered the transfer portal on March 27. The day before, she dropped a super emotional thank-you letter on Instagram, showing love to Florida State and her coach, Brooke Wyckoff. One part of the message stuck with everyone: “To Coach Brooke—thank you for believing in me, for giving me an opportunity, and for pushing me every day to become the best version of myself. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done and continue to do.” 

But this was a major gut punch for Florida State. After falling to LSU in the second round of the NCAAT, losing Latson was like pouring salt on a fresh wound. Seminoles women had just finished a strong 24-9 season, and now, head coach Brooke Wyckoff has to replace her top three scorers — Latson, plus seniors O’Mariah Gordon and Makayla Timpson. You could almost hear the panic setting in Tallahassee.

And as tough as it was for FSU fans, this move was just too good for Latson to pass up. National analyst Emily Adler didn’t sugarcoat it either on Locked on Women’s Basketball. “No disrespect to Brooke Wyckoff, I have quite enjoyed the Florida State experience,” she said, “But Florida State was going to be pretty mediocre next year with the talent on the roster.”

She wasn’t done, though. Adler added, “From a specifically developmental perspective it’s not that Brooke is necessarily bad it’s just that Dawn Staley is Dawn Staley and no one really develops anyone the way that Dawn Staley does. If Ta’Niya Latson is going to become a more thoughtful playmaker on the drive, this is a pretty good place to go.” 

According to Adler, Latson’s decision basically upgraded her from a “solid 45” to a “hard 50” in terms of player stock. And she’s not wrong. Florida State hasn’t been past the Elite Eight since 2017, and Wyckoff hasn’t led the program past the second round during her head coaching run. 

Plus, with all the top scorers leaving, the Seminoles’ future was looking very shaky. Meanwhile, Latson’s résumé speaks for itself. 25.2 points per game as a junior, the first NCAA Tournament win for FSU since 2019, and a career average of 22.5 points and 3.9 assists per game. 

Now, she’s sliding right into the starting shooting guard role vacated by Te-Hina Paopao. She could’ve gone to the draft, but she entered the portal instead. And well, her stock with the Gamecocks is about to skyrocket. Because if there’s one thing we all know by now, it’s that Dawn Staley builds legends. Just ask A’ja Wilson (two-time WNBA MVP), Aliyah Boston (2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year), and many more. South Carolina is basically a cheat code to the pros. So, Latson’s is in very safe hands.

But does Staley show love equally to all her players?

When it comes to saying goodbye, Dawn Staley isn’t always consistent

After Latson committed and Johnson confirmed she’s staying, MiLaysia Fulwiley — South Carolina’s project starter — hit the portal. People started buzzing: where’s she going? Who’s she linking up with?

And Fulwiley broke the internet by announcing she’s transferring to LSU. Yes, rival LSU. She dropped a slick yellow and purple graphic on Instagram, captioned it “Geaux Tigers,” and suddenly, everyone was talking. Kim Mulkey, LSU’s head coach, was basically throwing a party online, tweeting three alarm emojis and posting a GIF of herself dancing. 

And can you blame her? She just stole one of the top portal talents from a bitter SEC rival. But while the basketball world was spinning, the internet got distracted by Staley’s reaction, or…lack of it. See, Staley’s known for being super active on social media. Sometimes a little too active.  A fan claimed they asked why Staley didn’t at least congratulate MiLaysia publicly, and instead of a nice reply, Staley just straight-up blocked them. The fan even dropped a screenshot. 

Meanwhile, Sakima Walker, the Gamecocks’ senior center, also entered the portal and committed to Cal. And Staley had no problem showing her some love. Walker posted her announcement, and Staley quickly replied, “All you Kim! Cali is up and so are you!” See the difference? She was hyped for Walker but stayed really silent when it came to Fulwiley heading to LSU. 

It will be interesting to see if she ever says anything about Fulwiley transferring to her team’s bitter SEC rival.