Ta’Niya Latson left Florida State for Dawn Staley’s South Carolina in her last year in college. She then declared for the WNBA Draft and was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the 20th pick. One of the most talented players in college basketball, USC’s JuJu Watkins, reacted to Latson being drafted.
She showed support on her Instagram Story by resharing a post about Latson’s selection along with a clapping emoji.
“👏,” Watkins wrote.
Latson is set to share the court with veterans Kelsey Plum, Nneka Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby, Erica Wheeler, Ariel Atkins, and Emma Cannon. She will also join former Gamecock Sania Feagin at the Sparks. With Cameron Brink and Julie Vanloo in the team as well, the Sparks have gotten even stronger with the addition of an elite scorer in Ta’Niya Latson.
Latson was a part of Dawn Staley’s South Carolina team that reached the NCAA Finals for the second consecutive season. Although it lost to UCLA, there were many positives to take away, including the performances of Latson and Raven Johnson.
Ta’Niya Latson’s sacrifice to join Dawn Staley’s South Carolina
Ta’Niya Latson ended the 2024-25 season as the top scorer in the country with Florida State, averaging 25.2 points per game. For three seasons, she had built a reputation as an elite scorer and ball handler and was the No. 1 option on her team.
For her senior year, she decided to sacrifice that to join South Carolina. She was well aware that she would need to adjust to play for Coach Staley. And adjust she did. Her points average dropped from 25.2 to 14.1 this past season as she grew accustomed to a different role in her new team. And when push came to shove, like against an unbeaten UConn, Ta’Niya Latson showed she could still carry the load.
Read more:
South Carolina WNBA Draft: All Dawn Staley Players Departing in 2026 Listed
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