South Carolina basketball player Laeticia Amihere picked in first round of WNBA Draft
The Atlanta Dream selected South Carolina forward Laeticia Amihere eighth overall in Monday’s WNBA Draft, seven picks after forward Aliyah Boston (another member of USC’s record-setting 2022-23 team) went first overall to the Indiana Fever.
“I’ve been in a background where winning has been my culture,” Amihere said. “I’ve been winning for most of my life. Obviously very successful at South Carolina. I want to bring that winning culture to Atlanta.
“I know that that is their plan. That is what they’re trying to do. They’re on the rise right now, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to bring a winning culture into the program.”
Amihere, the No. 10 overall recruit in her class, only started four of 127 career games but evolved into a steady bench contributor for the Gamecocks.
Her 7.1 points per game and 48.7% shooting as a senior in 2022-23 were both career highs. She was even better in three SEC Tournament games, averaging 12.3 points and 3.0 assists per game on 60% shooting.
Amihere, who was also among USC’s most versatile defenders, is widely regarded as a player with her best basketball in front of her.
Cheryl Reeve, the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Lynx, coached against Amihere in the World Cup semifinals as the Team USA head coach when Amihere was playing for Team Canada.
“I think she gets a lot of credit for being a very smart player who can play multiple positions,” Reeve told reporters ahead of the draft. “What the skill set actually is, I think, she’s still sort of defining who that’s going to be as a player. But at minimum, I’ve seen her change games with her ability to be aggressive. She has no fear. She’s ambitious in the way that she chooses to attack defenders and has a natural confidence there.”
Amihere was part of South Carolina’s decorated 2019 recruiting class that went 129-9 (93.5% winning percentage), appeared in three Final Fours and won the 2022 national championship under coach Dawn Staley.
The 6-foot-4 forward chose to enter the WNBA Draft instead of returning to USC for an extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Coach Staley is a phenomenal coach,” Amihere said. “I mean that wholeheartedly. Not just for her coaching style, but as a person she cares so deeply for us. When I came here I had a vision, but she also had a vision for me.
“She said, ‘L.A., don’t worry.’ That’s what she would always say, because obviously I’m not getting as many minutes as I would at a different program. She said, ‘L.A., don’t worry, I got you.’ She stood with that promise, and I’m here now because of her and because of the coaching staff that believed in me. I’m so thankful for who she is and what she has done for my journey.”
Amihere joins an Atlanta team that went 14-22 last season and is seeking its first WNBA playoff appearance since 2018. The Dream’s roster also includes former South Carolina guard and 2017 national champion Allisha Gray, the No. 4 pick of the 2017 WNBA Draft.
This story was originally published April 10, 2023 at 7:50 PM with the headline "South Carolina basketball player Laeticia Amihere picked in first round of WNBA Draft."
