For Dawn Staley, winning starts at the center. And when she doesn’t have one, you can feel the tension. So when she was asked about recruiting a true big during a call-in show, in early March, she didn’t miss a beat. “Um, yes. You got any help?” she shot back, drawing laughs but also underscoring a real problem. The paint—the very place that once housed names like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston—suddenly felt empty. But not anymore. South Carolina just made a move that changes the equation.

The Gamecocks’ frontcourt woes hit a critical point when both Adhel Tac and Sakima Walker struggled to stay healthy. Walker, a 6-5 presence, officially entered the transfer portal on April 8, leaving South Carolina with a glaring hole in the paint. The Gamecocks’ 82–59 loss to UConn in the NCAA Finals laid bare just how much that void hurt them. There was no Cardoso to dominate the glass. No Boston to control tempo. It wasn’t just a loss. It was a message.

That’s why this new signing matters.

According to 94 Feet WBB: Breaking News, “Mississippi St’s Madina Okot has officially signed with South Carolina, per sources.” The ink has dried. The headache’s been offloaded. It’s not just a big name—it’s a big solution.

Let’s be honest: Dawn Staley’s system has always revolved around interior dominance. However, after Ashlyn Watkins tore her ACL in January, Staley was forced to rotate just three frontcourt players—Chloe Kitts, freshman phenom Joyce Edwards, and Sania Feagin—through the toughest stretch of the season.

And still, they made it all the way to the national championship game.

Even Staley acknowledged this in the Final Four : “The fact that we’re here, the fact we’re here without (Watkins) is quite an incredible feat that is probably not talked about a whole lot because we don’t talk about it a whole lot,”

And now, with a new post player in the fold, Staley’s not just plugging a gap—she’s setting up for another run. The new addition was spotted in Columbia over Easter weekend, taking in the city and meeting her future teammates. The move may have taken a few weeks to finalize, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum. Staley had made her pitch clear in March, calling South Carolina “Post Player U” on her Carolina Calls show, essentially sending an open invitation to post players across the country.

And well, Okot seems to be the perfect replacement. The numbers don’t lie. Okot brings in 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game on 64.9% shooting. That’s tied for third-best rebounding in the SEC, despite playing just 22.6 minutes a night. She’s also 6-foot-6, with a standing reach of 8-8 and a 6-10 wingspan—stats that place her in the same physical bracket as Boston and Cardoso.

With Okot in the fold, Watkins doesn’t have to rush her ACL recovery. Tac, who has missed almost two years of action, gets room to grow. It’s a frontcourt puzzle—and now Staley finally has the piece she’s been missing.

She may have joked about needing help in March, but with this move, Staley just found it. 

Staley Moves On: Why Did Walker Walk from South Carolina?

However, just as South Carolina’s roster evolves, so does the story of one player—forward Sakima Walker, who has officially entered the transfer portal after two seasons in Columbia.

Walker initially arrived with the Gamecocks as the JUCO Player of the Year at Northwest Florida State prior to the 2023-24 campiagn, but never found consistent playing time at South Carolina. While she was a strong locker room presence and leader of younger term off the court, she averaged just  6.5  (7.6 in 2023 and 5.5 in 2024) minutes per game in each of her two seasons on campus.

She did play in 31 games in South Carolina’s undefeated 2023-24 campaign and made one start, though, and of course earned a National Championship ring with the program.

In fact analytically, Walker, who played just over two minutes per game in each of her two seasons at South Carolina, never found a consistent role in Dawn Staley’s deep lineup. 

Season-by-Season Stats:

• 2023-24: Averages of 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds across 31 games.
• 2024-25: Dropped to 1.4 points and 0.7 rebounds in just 15 games.

What’s most striking? Walker’s numbers took a hit as her career went on, with her points per game plummeting from 3.3 and 4.7 in her freshman and sophomore years at Rutgers to a mere 2.0 in 2023 and 1.4 in 2024 with South Carolina. Similarly, her rebounding dropped from 2.1 and 2.8 to just 1.3 in 2023 and 0.7 in 2024, despite playing a total of 46 games over those two seasons.

For a player once regarded as one of the top junior college prospects in the nation, it’s been a disappointing fall from grace. Injuries, limited minutes, and the intense competition at South Carolina all played a role, but with her time in Columbia officially over, Walker will now be looking for a fresh start. The question is: Which program will seize the chance to unlock her potential?

Walker has one more year of eligibility remaining. Her departure leaves South Carolina at 12 players on the current 2025-26 roster, meaning it has three open scholarships available as Dawn Staley continues working in the transfer portal.