Women's SEC Basketball

Dawn Staley isn't leaving South Carolina anytime soon.

The university announced that the legendary women's basketball coach signed a contract extension to remain with the program until 2030.

South Carolina confirmed that the deal is worth approximately $25 million, making Staley the highest-paid coach in women's college basketball.

"I'm proud to represent the University of South Carolina and of its investment in women's basketball," Staley said in the University's release. "What we've been able to accomplish on the court is a testament to what can happen when you bring together the right people from a team perspective but also have the right commitment from the University, the Athletics Department and the community to providing that team with everything it needs to be successful. I appreciate every person who has been part of our journey – player, staff member, University President and leadership, Board of Trustee member, athletics director, athletics department employee and fan. I look forward to continuing to be an example of how an investment in women's basketball is one that will pay off for everyone."

Staley's contract includes a $250,000 increase in each season and a $500,000 signing bonus, making the total contract value worth $25.2 million.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey was the previous highest-paid coach at $3.264 million per season. Staley's previous contract was worth $3.1 million per season and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma also makes $3.1 million per season.

Staley has been South Carolina's head coach since the 2008-09 season after beginning her coaching career at Temple. With the Gamecocks, Staley has compiled an overall record of 457-107 while leading the program to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Final Four appearances and three National Championships.

The Gamecocks are the current defending champions and have gotten off to a 17-1 start in the 2024-25 season. This contract will keep Staley in Columbia through 2029-30 and the Gamecocks will hope to continue their track record of excellence.

One of the biggest giants in all of sports took a tumble on Sunday, as the No. 1 South Carolina women's basketball team had its 43-game win streak snapped with a 77-62 upset loss to No. 5 UCLA.

The loss dropped the Gamecocks to 5-1 this season, while the Bruins remained undefeated at 5-0 and could rise up the Top 25 following Sunday's monumental victory.

The last time South Carolina lost was in the 2023 Final Four against an Iowa team led by Caitlin Clark. Per ESPN, this marks the Gamecocks' first road loss since December 2021 and the Bruins' first win over an AP No. 1 team in program history. UCLA was previously 0-20 in such games.

South Carolina was stifled by an aggressive and suffocating UCLA defense. The Gamecocks shot a minuscule 36.4 percent from the field and attempted just eight free throws, numbers that are foreign to a Dawn Staley-coached team. Te-Hina Paopao led the team with 18 points and Tessa Johnson added 14 points off the bench, but they were the only players on the team to score in double figures.

The Bruins had a more balanced attack with five players reaching double digits, led by Londynn Jones' 15 points on five three-pointers off the bench. Elina Aarnisalo had 13 points and Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts added 11 points apiece with the latter pulling down 14 rebounds.

South Carolina will have to recover quickly, as it will face No. 8 Iowa State in another top-10 matchup on Thanksgiving Day. UCLA will get to enjoy the victory for a bit longer before returning to action on Friday against UT Martin.

Bella Hines signed an NIL deal with Jordan Brand as she finishes up her high school basketball career.

"We're excited to have Bella Hines join the Jordan Brand Family. She's a remarkable young talent who is joining an athlete roster that represents greatness for the next generation," a Jordan Brand spokesperson said to Forbes' Mat Issa.

Hines told Issa she was drawn to the company due to its connection to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

The news comes on the same day LSU confirmed the 5'9" guard has signed on to suit up in 2025-26.

Hines is the No. 25 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings.

"Hines is demonstrating that she is a solid option on defense and a potential sniper on offense," 247Sports' Brandon Clay wrote in his scouting report. "She's a well-conditioned guard capable of logging major minutes all week as Cy-Fair played their way to the Nike National title. Hines' willingness to compete on both ends is a plus. Offensively, she is a true floor-spacing threat. Additionally, Hines' ability to guard the opposing team's top threats allowed her classmate Aaliyah Chavez to stay fresh and avoid foul trouble."

Hines joins a loaded class for head coach Kim Mulkey. LSU also landed shooting guard Divine Bourrage (No. 7), small forward ZaKiyah Johnson (No. 9) and power forward Grace Knox (No. 11).

Poaching Mulkey from Baylor was a major coup for the program and her arrival paid immediate dividends. LSU won 26 games in 2021-22 and then captured its first national title in 2023.

Beyond what the Tigers are doing on the court, they have fully embraced the advent of the NIL era. As much as the opportunity to contend for championships was a selling point for Hines, she also watched Angel Reese and Flau'Jae Johnson become major stars in Baton Rouge.

Her Jordan Brand deal is a sign of her popularity already and her commercial profile will only grow once she's donning an LSU uniform.

South Carolina announced Tuesday it's retiring the No. 22 jersey of legendary forward A'ja Wilson.

The school shared a video of head coach Dawn Staley making a call to Wilson with the news:

The Gamecocks will raise her jersey to the rafters of Colonial Life Arena before their home matchup with Auburn on Feb. 2.

Wilson already has a statue outside of the arena, which went up in 2021.

Her jersey would probably be retired by now were it not for the mandatory five-year waiting period. Four other players (Sheila Foster, Shannon Johnson, Tiffany Mitchell and Martha Parker) have their numbers retired.

Staley was in the process of turning South Carolina into a Final Four contender when Wilson signed in 2014. The 2013-14 squad reached the Sweet Sixteen and boasted Mitchell and Alaina Coates, both of whom went on to play in the WNBA.

But Wilson more than anybody else helped to usher in a new era for the Gamecocks. In four years, she averaged 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. She earned Associated Press All-American nods every season and was the national player of the year as a senior in 2017-18.

Wilson was also the Most Outstanding Player in the 2017 NCAA tournament as South Carolina lifted its first national title.

Her career was all the more special because she's a native of Columbia, South Carolina. The local star staying home and turning their school into a powerhouse is something ripped straight from a Hollywood film.

Wilson is the greatest player in program history, so having her number retired is an honor that's richly deserved.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese provided the backstory to her break from the LSU basketball team last season during Thursday's premiere episode of her Unapologetically Angel podcast.

Reese said that becoming a lightning rod on social media after winning the national championship the year prior was at times challenging to manage, and after LSU team lost its opening game of the 2023-24 season, the vibes on the practice court weren't quite right and she herself wasn't in the best mental space.

Reese said that she and LSU head coach Kim Mulkey then "got into it" during the team's matchup with Kent State, with Reese sitting out the second half. After that, the pair decided together that it would be best for her to take some time away from the team, with Reese skipping LSU's trip to the Cayman Islands for the Cayman Islands Classic.

"Knowing myself, I was just like, let me just take this break for myself, for the team, and just being able to have some peace of mind," she said (5:35 mark). "That was probably the hardest time of my life, just because I never took a break from basketball, and I didn't realize mental health was important. My mom came down for Thanksgiving, we made Thanksgiving dinner, and it was just a reset."

Reese denied the Internet rumors that swirled at the time, saying she didn't take a break from the team because she was suspended, pregnant, or because her GPA was too low. She also pushed back on those rumors in November:

She ultimately missed four games, and Mulkey didn't publicly disclose the reason for Reese's time away from the team beyond telling reporters that there were "locker-room issues."

"I can't sugarcoat things. I feel like people want the truth, but... I'm going to protect my players," she added. "There's a sacredness in that locker room and I'm from that school that what's in that locker room stays in that locker room."

Reese said that she respected Mulkey for protecting her at the time in "the best way she could."

"I had a lot going on, and it became contagious to other people," she added. "I was moody, I wasn't in a good place within myself. I didn't want that to become a cancer in the locker room."

Fresh off dropping her "Came Out A Beast" track with Lil Wayne, LSU women's basketball player Flau'jae Johnson has her eyes set on another star-studded collaboration.

Johnson told TMZ Sports she wants to work with Adele, who's her favorite recording artist, at some point. She listed off Alicia Keys and Atlanta-based rapper 6lack as ideal candidates for a partnership too.

Johnson released the music video for "Came Out Like A Beast" earlier this week, and it's emblematic of the new landscape for college athletes. It opens with LSU head coach Kim Mulkey talking to players during a timeout and prominently features Johnson in her Tigers uniform.

The guard's exploits on the court would garner plenty of attention on their own. Though two seasons, she's averaging 13.0 points and 5.7 rebounds, and she was a key part in LSU's 2023 national championship run.

Johnson's emergence in the music business has turned her into a crossover star, one with a seven-figure NIL valuation. She performed "Came Out A Beast" at the ESPYs in July, which further underlined her growing stature.

Whether or not a collab with Adele ever comes to fruition, Johnson is clearly earning the respect of her peers within the rap game.

LSU junior guard Flau'jae Johnson dropped the music video to her new single "Came Out A Beast" featuring New Orleans native Lil Wayne, and it featured more than a few references to the Purple & Gold.

Johnson and Wayne made multiple references to LSU legends Shaquille O'Neal (10:50 mark), Angel Reese (11:09) and Joe Burrow (11:42, 12:41) on the track. The video also featured appearances from Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey and the women's basketball team, with the 2023 NCAA championship trophy frequently displayed throughout:

Johnson and the Tigers famously defeated an Iowa team led by star guard Caitlin Clark to win the 2023 NCAA title. The Savannah, Georgia, native averaged 11.0 points that year as a freshman and improved to 14.9 points per game this past season.

Johnson is expected to assume a bigger role on the team following Reese's transition to the WNBA, and now she gave the Tigers an anthem to take pride in throughout the upcoming season.

The South Carolina women's basketball team apparently gained a notable fan this season.

Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley shared Wednesday that Beyoncé sent her a bouquet of flowers and a letter of congratulations in the wake of the team's national championship victory. The famed singer wrote to Staley to say she and her family followed South Carolina throughout the year.

The Gamecocks became the first team since UConn in 2015-16 to have a perfect season in women's basketball. They overwhelmed Iowa and star guard Caitlin Clark in the title game, pulling away in the second half and winning 87-75.

It was South Carolina's third title since Staley's arrival in 2008. Beyond the success she has delivered on the court, the legendary former point guard is building a legacy and forging an identity in Columbia that has set the program apart.

Getting a shout-out from Beyoncé is a symbol of the Gamecocks' rise in the national consciousness.

Hailey Van Lith may be transferring from LSU, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's leaving the SEC.

Van Lith is visiting Mississippi State on Saturday, just over one week after entering the transfer portal for a second consecutive season, per Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.

The incoming fifth-year guard averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals for the Tigers in 33 games, all starts, last season.

That marked a drop in production from her third season with Louisville in 2022-23, when she averaged 19.7 points per game while helping the Cardinals reach the Elite Eight.

Van Lith was eligible for the WNBA draft but decided to enter the portal instead, where she could reconsider schools she looked at transferring to last season, including Stanford and South Carolina.

Van Lith won't be the only starter leaving LSU next season. Forward Angel Reese, who helped lead the Tigers to the 2023 NCAA title, declared for the WNBA draft earlier this month.

After back-to-back Elite Eight bids with Louisville, including a trip to the Final Four in 2022, Van Lith may have been hoping for a deeper NCAA tournament run when she transferred to join the defending national champions.

Instead, LSU's repeat hopes were stymied in the Elite Eight with a defeat at the hands of Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

Van Lith finished her senior season having made a career-low 37.8 percent of shots from the field, including 33.9 percent from deep.

Her next team will hope to see her rebound to the shooting she displayed at Louisville, where she shot over 41 percent for three consecutive seasons.

Mississippi State and head coach Sam Purcell could be hoping they will be that next team as the Bulldogs look to return to the Round of 64 after a tournament miss this spring.

MSU is looking to replenish a roster depleted by the departures of starting forwards Jessika Carter and Erynn Barnum as well as starting guard Lauren Park-Lane.

All-SEC guard Jerkaila Jordan, on the other hand, announced last month that she would be returning for a fourth season at Mississippi State. She paced the team with 16.2 points per game in 35 starts last season.

If Purcell can encourage Van Lith to come to Starkville, she and Jordan could combine in the backcourt to help MSU return to NCAA tournament contention.