South Carolina women’s basketball turned to the transfer portal to retool its roster after losing to UConn in the 2025 national championship game.
The Gamecocks became the landing spot for Ta’Niya Latson, one of the top scorers in the nation, who’d spent the first three years of her career at Florida State.
In her final NCAA season, the senior guard has played a vital role in helping South Carolina return to the Final Four for the sixth straight year.
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (35-3) will play a rematch against No. 1 overall seed UConn (38-0) in the semifinals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 3 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here’s what to know about Latson before the game against the Huskies.
Why did Ta’Niya Latson transfer to South Carolina?
Latson chose to transfer to South Carolina to become a more well-rounded player. She wanted to improve her passing and defense while playing in a system that would more closely resemble that style of play she’ll experience next season in the WNBA.
Latson also chose South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley because she wanted to win. Staley has three national championships.
In her three seasons at Florida State, Latson never won an ACC regular season or tournament title. She and the Seminoles only made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament once and never made it to the second weekend.
Did Ta’Niya Latson play with Raven Johnson before South Carolina?
Yes. Latson and Johnson were teammates in high school. They won three state titles together at Westlake High School in Atlanta. They also played on the same AAU team, called Finest Basketball Club. Their AAU team roster also included South Carolina players Joyce Edwards and Ashlyn Watkins.
Ta’Niya Latson stats
Latson averages 14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals in 28 minutes per game for the Gamecocks. She is shooting 32.9% from the 3-point line and a career-high 49.6% from the floor. She was picked to the All-SEC second team.
In her career, Latson has averaged 20.4 points per game on 45.6% shooting. She led the nation in scoring with 25.2 points per game last season. In her first two seasons, she ranked inside the top 15 in the nation in scoring. In each of her three seasons at Florida State, she averaged at least 20 points.
Latson won numerous conference and national awards before coming to South Carolina, including first-team All-ACC (2023-25), second-team All-American by the AP (2025), All-America honorable mention by the AP (2023-24) and WBCA (2023-25) and National Freshman of the Year by the WBCA and USBWA (2023).
Ta’Niya Latson 2026 WNBA Draft projections
USA Today’s latest mock draft projects Latson to be the No. 6 pick taken by the Toronto Tempo. The Athletic projects Latson will be drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the No. 15 pick. ESPN’s February mock draft projects Latson will be selected No. 13 by the Atlanta Dream.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
