She has wowed the likes of Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant with her moves on the hardwood. Watching her fastbreak behind-the-back layup in South Carolina’s season opener against Notre Dame on November 3, 2023, Johnson tweeted that it was “the best move in all of basketball including the pros like LeBron, Steph, KD, Victor, and Jokic” and told his 5 million followers that it was a must-see. But those who have coached her knew such plays are nothing special for her.

“That play, we’ve seen it 1,000 times,” her high school coach, Reggie McLain, had said about the move. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley echoed the same: “That play is routine for her.” During her two seasons with the Gamecock, she has orchestrated tons of such eye-popping yet “Normal” plays. But even then, this talented guard has come off the bench in all 38 games. The reason is quite simple.

South Carolina is a powerhouse of talent. Moreover, Staley wanted to use her judiciously. So, her time on the court has not been very impressive for her entire duration with the program. Out of her 77 games, she started thrice and averaged less than 19 minutes. In fact, in a game in November against UCLA, after missing two shots and committing a turnover, she was benched and looked visibly frustrated. Many had suggested at that point that she should transfer since her time was being sacrificed for the sake of others. So, is that what prompted MiLaysia Fulwiley, one of Staley’s brightest stars, to enter the transfer portal?

Yes, you read that right, Fulwiley, the five-foot-ten guard from Columbia, has reportedly entered the transfer portal with two full seasons of eligibility remaining. In her career, Fulwiley averaged 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 43 percent from the floor. In the title game against UConn last Sunday, Fulwiley had a team-high four assists and nine points in her 18 minutes of playtime. Notably, it was the third-fewest minutes for those who played for the Gamecocks.

Throughout her time with the Gamecocks, Fulwiley has seen remarkable growth. And more than her performance, it is the change in her mentality. Being a guard is for Staley is not easy. The coach, an All-American point guard at Virginia in the 1990s, sets high expectations for her guards. So, first of all, she wants them to deliver on both sides of the court and, more importantly, be receptive to tough coaching. The second thing is what Fulwiley could do in this season. Take South Carolina’s Sweet 16 win over Maryland, for instance.

At one point, Staley felt Fulwiley was delivering defensively. Staley had to be quick to convey her message midgame, and understandably, she did not have much time to be soft and filtered with her words. Fulwiley has been known for crumbling when facing such tough words from the coach. But on that occasion, she didn’t.

Fulwiley absorbed the words and produced a game-high 23 points, effectively taking the game away from Maryland. Staley did take note of it. “She took it and found a way to really respond. I’m most proud of that,” the coach had said. The guard herself acknowledged that. “It’s a mindset of being able to control your thoughts during the game,” she said. “I’ve been training my mind to be stronger than my thoughts and my feelings,” she had said.

With that growth toward being much more matured, many had thought that in this season, she might get a spot in the starting lineup. Also, Ta-Hina Paopao and Bree Hall left, which made two spots open in that lineup. But, making things even more tricky, Ta’Niya Latson, the Division I leading scorer, transferred to the Gamecocks this week. Looks like Fulwiley read the writing on the wall. The NCAA community believed that this was a gigantic fumble by the South Carolina Gamecocks and did not react kindly to it, holding Staley responsible for her usage of Fulwiley.

Fans tear apart Dawn Staley for letting MiLaysia Fulwiley walk

Obviously, social media went wild after this shocking decision. MiLaysia Fulwiley was an integral part of the Gamecocks’ championship run this past year and has been quite exceptional during her two years at South Carolina. Not to mention, she was a fan favorite! So when the news broke that Fulwiley was entering the transfer portal, it had a mixed reaction for sure.

Fans chewed out the Hall-of-Famer coach for not using Fulwiley’s talents properly. The five-foot-ten guard has heaps of potential, but the Hall-of-Fame coach never managed to bring out the best in her. “Dawn Staley should be in jail for the way she misused MiLaysia Fulwiley.” One fan said, and it was a common sentiment.

A major complaint that fans had with Fulwiley’s situation was the fact that she was coming off the bench. Her explosive offensive talents were being utilized only with the second string, and it just didn’t make sense for the fans! “Yea cause she the best one on the team and Dawn still had her coming off the bench.” A fan tweeted, calling out Staley for not starting the sophomore guard in a single game this season. “Ah naaaaaaaw…. She got tired of coming off the bench. Got damn.” Another user said on X, sharing a similar opinion.

Some fans were genuinely quite happy for the talented prospect. Quite a few supporters tweeted in support of the five-ten guard. “Fulwiley is free at last, free at last, thank God almighty she is free at last.” While others lamented the loss of talent in South Carolina. “Sucks for SC.”

All in all, these are tough times for Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks. A championship loss, and a roster overhaul is always difficult to navigate, and to have a core player walk out on you? You wouldn’t want to be in the head coach’s shoes right now. Nevertheless, it’s too early to hit the panic stations. There’s a long off-season ahead of South Carolina, and it will be interesting to see how the team shapes up for their coming challenges.