Ta’Niya Latson was expected to be a top-10 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft. In the end, she ended up falling several spots below that elite group, being selected with the No. 20 overall pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the event.
While it wasn’t a slide that would become embarrassing for Dawn Staley’s former South Carolina star, as she was picked in the first round anyway, it certainly affected her in some way. After all, we are talking about a group of hyper-competitive players.
She admitted as much when asked about her slide in a press conference with the Sparks this Sunday. Here’s what she told the press:
“Yeah, definitely. … I was kinda shocked. It’s about fit, I feel like. Fit over pick. I flipped my mentality immediately when I found out I was going to LA. … I think it was a blessing in disguise, honestly.”
This could be a blessing in disguise for the shooting guard, who will probably get the chance to be a starter from the get-go for Los Angeles. Both shooting guards for the Sparks last season, Sarah Ashlee Barker and Julie Allemand, have been traded to other teams this offseason, freeing the role in the lineup for the upcoming 2026 season.
Ta’Niya Latson on What She Learnt in Her Single Season at South Carolina?
When Ta’Niya Latson transferred from Florida State to South Carolina, she was coming to Columbia as one of the top scorers in the nation. With the Gamecocks, she got a chance to compete for the national title, which, in the end, was a goal South Carolina fell short of, as it lost to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament title game.
Regardless, ahead of the WNBA Draft, Ta’Niya Latson told the press the opportunity was worth it and that this final season made her a better player for the pros:
“Just patience, working on efficiency, working on my jump shot. She (coach Dawn Staley) taught me a lot about myself,” Latson said. “She believed in me as a player. I just got to carry that into the league, carry her words into the league with me. Take everything that I learned here and carry it, and elevate my game.”
She also admitted that it kind of humbled her, as she had to learn to no longer be at the center of the lineup and share duties with equally talented players. A very important lesson for anyone wishing to go professional.
Read more:
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