Dawn Staley Signs Four More Recruits Wednesday

COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) – South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley announced that Elisia Grissett (Durham, N.C./Hillside) and LaDazhia Williams (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch) have signed a National Letters of Intent to attend the University and play for the Gamecocks. Both will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2017-18 academic year.

“An athlete with speed, quickness and jumping ability, [Elisia] has the immediate versatility to play at forward and wing,” Staley said. “We anticipate moving her around to match her skill set and our needs. She’s one of the most unselfish players we’ve seen and can really pass the ball.”

A 6-foot-1 guard out of Hillside High School in Durham, N.C., Grissett is ranked the No. 24 prospect overall and the No. 4 wing in the 2017 Class on the espnW 100. Leading Hillside to a 28-2 record and a spot in the Class 4A state semifinals. The versatile guard posted 22.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 3.0 blockes per game as a junior. A late arrival on the basketball court, Grissett began playing in eighth grade and a year later averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds while starting on a Hillside team that went 26-3 and sent six players to NCAA Division I programs.

“LaDazhia is a skilled post player who can face up and also score at the rim,” Staley said. “We expect her to have an immediate impact within our post play. She is capable of dominating with her rebounding and demands to be guarded with her skill set. She’s a shot blocker, too.”

A top-50 recruit in the espnW 100, the 6-foot-2 Williams is the 12th-ranked forward in the 2017 Class. Before participating in the 2016 USA Basketball U18 National Team Trials, Williams was tabbed Florida Association of Basketball Coaches 7A Player of the Year. She posted 15.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game as a junior in leading Lakewood Ranch High to the state championship game. In 84 career high school games going into her senior season, Williams amassed 1,445 points, 764 rebounds and 146 blocked shots.

The pair marks the first signees for Staley’s 2017 class.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley announced that Bianca Jackson (Montgomery, Ala./Brewbaker Tech Magner) and Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden) have signed National Lettes of Intent to attend the University and play for the Gamecocks. Both will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2017-18 academic year.

“As the daughter of two basketball coaches, her knowledge of the game is apparent every time Bianca steps out on the court,” Staley said. “She is a natural leader, and her skill set makes her a dangerous weapon on both ends of the floor. Bianca has a great feel for the game and is a true student of the game.”

Jackson, a 5-foot-11 guard out of Montgomery, Ala., is the 11th-ranked guard in the Class of 2017. A three-time Alabama Sports Writers Association First-Team All-State selection, she averaged 22 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists last season. Her father, Lewis Jackson, and mother, Freda Freeman-Jackson, are the men’s and women’s basketball coaches, respectively, at Alabama State.

“Haley was our first commitment from Alabama who loves the game,” Staley said. “She is going to help us right away with her basketball IQ alone. She is an excellent shooter, but her best asset is her ability to see the floor and deliver the ball. Haley is a gutsy competitor who will rise to competition of the SEC.”

A 5-foot-9 guard, Troup was the Gadsden Messenger Co-Player of the Year and a finalist for Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) Class 7A Player of the Year in 2016. Already a 1,000-point scorer after her sophomore season, she reached the 1,000-rebound plateau last season as a junior. Averaging 17.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 2015-16, Troup played in the North/South All-Star game in July 2016.

Jackson and Troup join Elisia Grissett (Durham, N.C./Hillside) and LaDazhia Williams (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch), who signed earlier today, inStaley’s 2017 class.