South Carolina Gamecocks center Madina Okot has thrived under Dawn Staley, making her one of the premier bigs in women’s college basketball. She will have her hands full trying to control UCLA’s Lauren Betts on Sunday, but another concern has popped up as she may be playing her final college basketball game already.
Okot is now a senior, though she started playing college basketball in her native Kenya. This begs the question of whether those years playing college ball outside of the US should count into her eligibility. Whatever the decision will be, it should set the precedent for any player coming from another country who has played college basketball already.
As for what Madina Okot’s options might be, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley has vowed to try to get her at least one more year of eligibility. They are expected to launch a petition for the NCAA and she will be expected to argue that the time she spent in college outside of the United States should not count because it is different and is not the same as years of NCAA eligibility.
The outcome is still up in the air, but the NCAA is expected to decide swiftly on this after hearing the arguments. For now, their focus is still on the national championship games for the women’s, men’s Division I, Division II and Division II basketball.
As for Okot, if granted more eligibility, she is expected to return to South Carolina next year. Meanwhile, if she does not, she has a lot of options, from playing in the WNBA to playing in Europe or back home in Kenya.
Madina Okot Feels At Home in South Carolina
Madina Okot has blossomed into a dominant double-double machine with the Gamecocks and she has now adjusted to life in the United States, even though it has been tough to be far from home. In an interview with Clutchpoints, she says that she has some good chemistry with her new teammates there.
“The chemistry is good. I feel like everybody knows each other,” Okot said. “We all know each other well on and off the court.”
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