When Te-Hina Paopao transferred from Oregon to South Carolina, even she couldn’t believe it. As a West Coast native, the very idea of moving 2,646 miles across the country to play for the Gamecocks never crossed her mind. “South Carolina?! Like, don’t play with me,” she laughed when her high school coach first delivered the news. Yet, what followed was the start of an incredible chapter in Paopao’s basketball journey, one which would turn into one of South Carolina’s most beautiful seasons.

Growing up in Oceanside, California, Paopao’s basketball journey began much earlier than most. By the time she was 10 years old, she was already the starting point guard on a U16 National team. In an interview with Ari Shapiro, Paopao reflected on her realization by stating, “When I was entering the eighth grade, when I was getting calls from colleges and talking to college coaches – and I knew right then and there that I could do something big with this.”

By 14, WNBA star Kelsey Plum had taken notice, famously saying, “She’s just never scared. It’s like a fearlessness but a confidence that she has… I think she could start in the Pac-12 right now.” It was clear even then that Te-Hina Paopao was destined for the spotlight.

But her road to stardom was far from smooth. Paopao faced ACL tears in each of her first two high school seasons at La Jolla Country Day. Despite these setbacks, the Cali native returned stronger each time, eventually leading her team to a 32-1 record as a senior and earning multiple honors, including McDonald’s All-America and California Gatorade Player of the Year.

Oregon Years: Rising Through Adversity

At Oregon, Paopao began her collegiate career by quickly becoming a key player for the Ducks. “Te-Hina is next in the line of those guards that can just fill up the stat sheet,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves had said, comparing her to an alumnus of the Ducks and Current NY Liberty star, Sabrina Ionescu. Now all she had to do was drop the numbers.

And fill out the stat sheet she did. Starting 17 of 19 games she played, the guard averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game, despite missing the last five games of the season due to a foot injury. In fact, this would also earn her All-Pac-12 First Team honors as a freshman.

Her sophomore and junior years would have seen a continuation of these performances. However, injuries sidelined her for parts of both seasons, but she still managed to earn multiple All-Pac-12 honors. Even during a six-game shooting slump in her junior season, Paopao struggled through and ended her junior season with 13 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3 assists, and an impressive 42 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

After three seasons at Oregon, Paopao decided to enter the transfer portal. With her family’s encouragement, she decided to explore new opportunities.

While Paopao was looking forward to exploring her options, South Carolina’s head coach, Dawn Staley, already had her eye on the 5’9″ guard, a stellar 3-point shooter. “They just said they needed someone like me and felt like I was that piece they were missing,” Paopao recalled.

Hence, it was a fair trade, while Staley would get the missing piece to her championship-contending team, Paopao in exchange would get the opportunity to be mentored by one of the top coaches in the nation while getting ready for the WNBA. “One of the reasons I went into the portal was because I wanted to be prepared professionally for the WNBA,” Paopao explained.

While analysts were sure that she would make an impact, nobody knew what the degree would be.

And well let’s just say that Te-Hina Paopao made an impact in South Carolina. One so great that, in her senior year, she would help lead the Gamecocks to a historic undefeated season, making them just the fifth program in NCAA history to achieve the feat. Her three-point shooting, in which she led the nation with an astonishing 46.8 percent from beyond the arc and set a school record with 87 made three-pointers made her the first South Carolina player to lead the NCAA in three-point percentage.

Game after game, Paopao would come in clutch for the Gamecocks. However, her defining moment would come during the National Championship game against Iowa and rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, when she would go on to hit three of her four deep beyond-the-arc daggers during a crucial 12-5 run. She ended her senior year averaging 11 points on 46% shooting from the field and 3.7 assists per game for the Gamecocks in their National Championship journey.

Apart from being a scoring machine, she was a strategic leader. In fact, Staley described Paopao as “calm, cool, and collected,” and as a player who had a good shot selection, and always seemed to know what to do on the court. Paopao’s offensive rating in the South Eastern Conference (SEC) therefore skyrocketed, ranking her second in the conference and making her the finalist for the prestigious Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award.

Off the court, Paopao’s rising popularity has also garnered her a strong social media following. According to on3.com, she has garnered an audience of, 71K followers on Instagram under the handle @tehinapaopao. Her success has extended into the NIL space, where she is ranked #32 in the College Women’s Basketball NIL Rank. This has also helped her to ink deals with major brands like Sephora, Ouai, and McDonald’s.

Beyond the court: Paopao’s personal journey

While her basketball accolades are impressive, Paopao’s story goes beyond the stat sheet. She is proud of her Polynesian heritage, something that drives her every time she steps onto the court. “I take so much pride in wanting to make my family proud of me and just wanting to inspire the younger generation, especially for Polynesian hoopers,” she shared.

Her faith also plays a significant role in her life. “I know God has been there through every step of the way, through this journey,” she said, emphasizing how her spiritual beliefs have been her source of strength throughout her career.

Paopao recently announced that she would return for a fifth year at South Carolina, opting to use her extra year of eligibility rewarded to athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It wasn’t a hard decision at all. And I knew if I had another year under Coach Staley that I could be a much more all-around player and just get that improvement that I came looking for. And it was just everything I was looking for into a program.“

As Paopao looks to build on an already stellar college career, one thing is clear: her story is far from over. With Coach Staley in her corner, Te-Hina Paopao seems to be ready to leave an indelible mark on the NCAA scene this season.