Oregon WBB transfer Te-Hina Paopao commits to South Carolina, Dawn Staley

Coach Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team have landed their first transfer portal addition of the offseason.

Former Oregon guard Te-Hina Paopao has committed to the Gamecocks, she announced Monday night via social media. She visited the school earlier in April.

“Blessed & excited for the journey ahead!!” Paopao, the No. 7 transfer recruit in the country according to ESPN’s rankings, wrote on Twitter. “Go Gamecocks!”

Paopao, a rising senior, was an All-Pac 12 honorable mention after averaging 13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 2022-23. She also shot a career-high 42.4% on 3-pointers as a junior.

The 5-foot-9 guard from California had a distinguished three-year career with the Ducks. In 2020-21 she became the third true freshman in Oregon history to receive first-team all conference honors, and in 2021-22 she earned All-Pac 12 honors for a second-straight season.

For her Oregon career, Paopao averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 42.0% on field goals, 38.0% on 3-pointers and 86.8% on free throws.

The Ducks were a mainstay in the AP Top 25 poll during Paopao’s first two seasons there and reached consecutive NCAA Tournaments in 2021 and 2022. Oregon, the preseason No. 20 team, went 20-15 last season and reached the Women’s WNIT quarterfinal round.

Paopao has two years of eligibility remaining since she played her freshman year of basketball during the COVID-19-affected 2020-21 season. The NCAA extended an extra year of eligibility to every student-athlete competing that year.

Paopao’s public commitment came three days after former DePaul forward Aneesah Morrow, an All-American player who ranks as ESPN’s No. 1 transfer recruit, put South Carolina in her final three with LSU and Southern Cal. Morrow hasn’t announced a commitment date.

Given her extensive playing experience and Power Five résumé, Paopao (name pronounced Tuh-HEE-nuh Pow-Pow) should compete for starting minutes immediately at South Carolina. USC will likely start All-SEC Freshman honoree Raven Johnson at point guard, but Paopao could slot in beside Johnson in a smaller two-guard lineup.

Staley has been aggressive in the portal after losing seven scholarship players (including five WNBA Draft picks) from her 2022-23 South Carolina roster that went 36-1 and reached a third consecutive Final Four.

Outside of USC’s landing of Paopao and pursuit of Morrow, the program was linked to former Duke guards Celeste Taylor and Shayeann Day-Wilson earlier this month after USC added former Duke associate head coach Winston Gandy to its staff as an assistant last week. Taylor ultimately committed to Ohio State, while Day-Wilson chose Miami.

With Boston, forward Laeticia Amihere, guard Zia Cooke, guard Brea Beal and forward Victaria Saxton all getting drafted — and guards Kierra Fletcher and Olivia Thompson also moving on — South Carolina lost half of the 14-player roster it maintained last year.

With three freshmen (including local five-star guard Milaysia Fulwiley) and now Paopao enrolling this summer, South Carolina still only has 11 scholarships returners, barring any transfers out of the program. That gives USC up to four more scholarships to dole out, if it chooses. The maximum for a Division I women’s team is 15.

Paopao’s commitment also gives South Carolina a major 3-point shooting boost. She shot 81 of 191 on threes this season for Oregon, and that 42.4% clip ranked No. 14 nationally among Division I players.

During a record-setting season, a lack of shooting ended up being an Achilles heel for South Carolina. The Gamecocks ranked No. 170 nationally in team 3-point shooting (31.1%) and were just 4-of-20 on 3s in their season-ending Final Four loss to Iowa and star guard Caitlin Clark (who made five threes by herself in that game).

Under new NCAA rules instituted last summer, the spring transfer portal window for college women’s basketball opened Monday, March 13, the day after Selection Sunday. The window runs for 45 days through April 26.

Along with a Dec. 1-15 winter window, that’s the only time players can formally put their name in the online transfer portal database, though they’re free to commit to a school outside of that 45-day window once they’re formally in the portal. Players can also “declare their intent” to enter the portal and leave their teams at any time.