Dawn Staley, the basketball coach at South Carolina, won’t use the transfer portal to acquire a new player for her squad unless the player fulfills a positional need and matches the Gamecocks’ culture.

Camilla Cardoso was Carolina’s top prize winner out of the portal three years ago. It was point guard Kierra Fletcher the next year. Te-Hina Paopao replaced the roster void left by the departure of the great shooter.

Now that USC needed a big man who could both block shots and score points, Coach Staley had identified the ideal candidate. Maryam Dauda, a former forward for the Arkansas Razorbacks, declared her commitment to the South Carolina basketball program on Wednesday.

Dauda is a 6’4″ power forward who is a big-time shot-blocker who adds some shooting touch and athleticism to the frontcourt for the Gamecocks. Last year, as a redshirt sophomore for the Razorbacks, Dauda averaged over 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.

Dauda is a defender with some switchability, much like current Gamecock forwards Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts. She joins with Watkins, Kitts, Sania Feagin, Sakima Walker, and Adhel Tac to keep South Carolina basketball atop the college basketball world in the paint.

Dauda’s defensive versatility and shooting ability will allow Staley a ton of lineup flexibility at the power forward spot. Kitts and Dauda both have shooting touch, Dauda and Watkins are shot-blockers who can switch to multiple positions, and all four of Dauda, Watkins, Kitts, and Feagin can score on the block and have rebounding chops. In other words, no matter what type of frontcourt the Gamecocks face, they will have a counter.

Replacing the outgoing Kamilla Cardoso won’t be easy, but because of the embarrassment of riches for the Gamecocks at power forward and center and another year of experience for the dynamic young guards on the roster, there is a chance that Carolina will be even better in the 2024-2025 season than they were in their undefeated 2023-2024 campaign.