South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley checks in with nation's No. 2 prospect

South Carolina women’s basketball FAMs have had their eyes on the transfer portal, but Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley has been multi-tasking with her recruiting efforts. Over the weekend, she was at the Under Armour Next/Spooky Nook event to check out some of the top high school talents in the country.

Of particular note, Staley saw five-star Potomac (MD) The Bullis School standout Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka play multiple times. South Carolina offered back in August of 2024, when she had just started her sophomore year of high school. Since then, her offer list has grown to include over 30 power conference programs.

Wilson-Manyacka has been reported as one of the top performers of the weekend.

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As a player, Wilson-Manyacka is a wing prospect who can operate on the perimeter or, in certain matchups, down low. Listed at 6-1, the recruiting industry considers her a small forward.

She can do a little bit of everything on the floor. Wilson-Manyacka can score from all three levels, is a quick and strong athlete, plays hard defense, and can handle the ball, both while looking to score and while looking to facilitate. She uses her athleticism to attack the basket off the bounce and impact the game as a rebounder.

Wilson-Manyacka has played with various iterations of Team USA’s junior squads and took part in the Nike Hoops Summit. She was also a Naismith High School All-American as a junior.

According to the Rivals Industry Ranking—a composite average of the rankings from Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN—Wilson-Manyacka is the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2027. She is also No. 1 small forward nationally. Wilson-Manyacka is the No. player in the state of Maryland, regardless of position. She is a unanimous five-star prospect; in fact, all three major recruiting outlets call her the No. 2 player in the ’27 cycle.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!