After South Carolina’s impressive NCAA tournament run ended in heartbreak, head coach Dawn Staley isn’t licking wounds—she’s plotting dominance.

South Carolina's Dawn Staley inks historic $25 million extension | Reuters

Multiple sources close to the program reveal Staley has already begun a calculated assault on the transfer portal, targeting elite scorers and game-changing playmakers to reload and return stronger than ever.

“She’s already met with three All-Conference guards and a top-10 power forward—one of whom could be a WNBA lottery pick in 2026,” an insider with direct knowledge of the talks told us. “This isn’t rebuilding. It’s reloading with rocket fuel.”

Though names are closely guarded, speculation is swirling that Louisville’s sharpshooter Hailey Van Lith and Ohio State’s dynamic guard Jacy Sheldon are both on her radar. Staley has reportedly leveraged former players now in the WNBA—like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston—to help recruit through personal endorsements.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) have dubbed it the “Staley Superteam,” with hashtags like #DawnDynasty trending for hours.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley says transgender athletes should be allowed to play | AP News

“I’m not gonna sit around and cry about what we lost,” Staley said cryptically in a recent press conference. “We’re going to go get what we need. That’s what champions do.”

With the transfer portal deadline looming and the nation watching, South Carolina could be on the brink of assembling the most stacked lineup in women’s college basketball history.