South Carolina women's basketball: 2027 recruits to watch

With the book closed on the 2026 recruiting class, South Carolina is now focused on the 2027 class. Who are the players Gamecock fans should know?

Because it is so early in the process, I’ll grade South Carolina’s prospects of ultimately signing a player using one of three emojis.

🪹 – This birdie probably isn’t flying into the nest
🥚 – Don’t count this birdie before she hatches (too early to tell)
🪺 – This birdie could fly into the nest

(Heights and rankings used are from the Rivals/On3 Industry rankings.)

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1. Kaleena “KK” Smith, 5-5, Point Guard
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪺
The phrase “generational talent” gets overused these days (by definition, there can’t be more than one per year, or even one every year), but Smith is a true generational talent. She will command top dollar, and programs will have to decide how she fits into their budget. Smith, wisely, is keeping her options open.

2. Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka, 6-1, Wing
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪺
South Carolina is very interested in Wilson-Manyacka. She fits the mold of a Gamecock player: physical and defensive-minded. Wilson-Manyacka is still keeping things open.

3. Haylen Ayers, 6-0 Guard 
Offer/Interest: Yes/No
Outlook: 🪹
Ayers released her top five in October and did not include South Carolina.

4. Jezelle “GG” Banks, 5-9, Point Guard
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪺
Banks might be the beneficiary of all the attention heaped on Smith. Programs might decide that Smith isn’t worth the cost and turn their attention to Banks, who is an elite prospect in her own right. South Carolina has been interested in Banks for a long time, since before she became a top-five prospect, and the Gamecocks may like her as much or more than Smith.

5. Jordyn Palmer, 6-1, Wing
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪺
Palmer has been overshadowed positionally by Wilson-Manyacka, but has incredible upside. She is a little more offensively-focused than Wilson-Manyacka, but both are talented all-around players. Palmer plans to visit South Carolina this summer.

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6. Caroline Bradley, 6-5, Post
Offer/Interest: Yes/No
Outlook: 🪹
Bradley Committed to LSU in early April. That ended one of the least surprising recruitments in recent history.

7. Micah Ojo, 6-0, Wing
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪺
Ojo might be a little less polished than the wings above her in the rankings, but that just means she has more upside. Out of Wilson-Manyacka, Palmer, and Ojo, South Carolina probably only focuses on bringing in one player because the Gamecocks already have Jerzy Robinson and Agot Makeer from the last two classes. At the same time, you can never have too many talented, athletic wings.

8. Eve Long, 6-3, Forward
Offer/Interest: Yes/No
Outlook: 🪹
Long released a top five in December that did not include South Carolina. 

9. Ryan Carter, 6-0, Wing
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
To my knowledge, Carter does not have a Gamecock offer at this point.

10. Nation Williams, 6-2, Forward
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪹
Williams released a top 10 in February that omitted South Carolina.

11. Sydney Savoury, 5-11, Guard
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🥚
Savoury’s mother is an assistant athletics director at Michigan, and her brother plays football at Michigan State. Is she willing to leave home?

12 Jemini Mitchell, 6-1, Wing
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🪹 
Mitchell began her high school career at Cy-Springs, the same school as current Gamecock Ayla McDowell, but has transferred to Legion Prep, the top private basketball program in Texas. Mitchell does not appear to have a Gamecock offer. Given the familiarity, that suggests there is no interest.

13. Lauren Hassell, 6-3, Guard
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🪹 
It seems like Hassell will end up at UConn or Vanderbilt.

14. Miciah Fusilier, 6-4, Forward
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🪹 
Fusilier committed to Baylor in February.

15. Qandace Samuels, 6-2, Forward
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
Samuels plays for Bishop McNamara, which produced Maddy McDaniel, and her sister Qadence played for UConn and NC State. She has kept her recruitment pretty tight-lipped.

16. Sydney Mobley, 6-2, Forward
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪺
South Carolina was included in Mobley’s top 12 that she released in October. There hasn’t been a ton of action, though.

17. De’Andra Minor, 6-0, Guard
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
I’m not aware of an interest between Minor and South Carolina, but she’s been quiet enough that I’m not ruling anything out.

18. Jayla Forbes, 6-7, Post
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
So far, there isn’t much interest with Forbes. Her ranking has more to do with her height than her production at this point.

19. Avery Arije, 6-0, Guard
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
Arije is from Crestwood Prep in Canada, the same school Agot Makeer attended. So far, South Carolina does not appear to be interested in Arije, although it’s a little hard to keep track of things north of the border.

20. Cece Arico, 5-11, Guard
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🥚 
Arico is the daughter of Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. Does she want to play for her mother or strike out on her own? So far, she hasn’t said.

21. Taylor Brown, 5-7, Point Guard
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
South Carolina seems to be focused on Smith and Banks. Brown could become a consolation prize if the Gamecocks strike out on the first two.

22. Madi Mignery, 6-0, Wing
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🪹 
Like Brown, South Carolina appears to be focused on higher-ranked players at the position. 

23. Ashley MacCalla, 6-0, Wing
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🪹 
Again, South Carolina appears to be focused on higher-ranked players.

24. Saniyah Murray, 6-4, Post
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
South Carolina appears to be interested in other post prospects.

25. Khalia Hartwell, 6-4, Post
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
Hartwell is the top 2027 prospect in South Carolina, but opinions on her potential are all over the place. Neither side seems to have much interest, and normally, the Gamecocks would have extended an offer if they had any interest at all.

26. Kie’Aundria Acree, 6-1, Wing
Offer/Interest: Yes/Yes
Outlook: 🪺
South Carolina first offered Acree in middle school. There is still interest, but again, the focus is on other players.

27. Harper Dunn, 6-6, Post
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🥚 
Dunn does not appear to have a Gamecock offer, but she has had a convoluted high school career (too much to go into here). Like most of the other posts, she is more potential than production right now.

28. Jessie Moses, 5-9, Guard
Offer/Interest: Yes/No
Outlook: 🪹
Moses used to play for the same team as Jordyn Palmer, and South Carolina was interested in her then (I’m not sure there was ever a scholarship offer, but there was definitely interest). Both sides appear to have moved on since then, however.

29. Jordan Speller, 5-6, Point Guard
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🪹 
There does not appear to be any interest from either side at this point.

30. Destiny Manyawu, 6-3, Forward
Offer/Interest: No/No
Outlook: 🪹
There does not appear to be any interest from either side at this point.

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