Daughter of NBA All-Star puts South Carolina women’s basketball in her top 5

On the heels of one five-star commitment, the South Carolina women’s basketball team took a step forward with another top prospect this week.

MacKenly Randolph, a five-star 2024 forward from California, listed the Gamecocks as one of her top five schools in an Instagram post Monday.

Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville and Michigan State are also finalists for Randolph, who plays at Sierra Canyon School in greater Los Angeles and ranks as the No. 18 player nationally, according to espnW rankings.

As a junior in 2022-23, Randolph was an all-state selection and averaged a double-double as Sierra Canyon went 31-1 and just missed out on a second consecutive state championship. She was an all-state second-teamer as a sophomore in 2021-22.

Randolph, a 6-foot-1 rising senior, also has experience playing for USA Basketball as a member of the 2022 Women’s U17 National Team, which won a gold medal in Hungary.

She’s also the daughter of Zach Randolph, a 17-year NBA veteran who was a two-time All Star and All-NBA selection while starring for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Zach Randolph also helped Michigan State reach the Final Four in his lone season playing there in 2000-01, which is certainly helping the Spartans in MacKenly Randolph’s recruitment (MSU hasn’t advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2009).

The rest of Randolph’s finalists, including two-time national champion South Carolina, are more traditional college women’s basketball powers. And USC and coach Dawn Staley just landed their first commitment in the Class of 2024 over the weekend.

Five-star point guard Maddy McDaniel announced her commitment to South Carolina live on ESPNU on Saturday during a broadcast of the Next 24 Elite Game in Atlanta.

McDaniel, a 5-8 guard from Bishop McNamara (Md.) High School, ranks as the No. 3 point guard and No. 11 overall recruit in the class of 2024, per espnW. USC is actively pursuing a number of top-ranked recruits to join McDaniel in the 2024 class.

Outside of Randolph (No. 18 nationally), the Gamecocks are a top-seven school for five-star point guard Jaloni Cambridge; a top five school for five-star forward Justice Carlton; and one of the leaders for five-star forward Joyce Edwards, who plays locally at Camden High School.

Edwards (No. 1), Cambridge (No. 3) and Carlton (No. 6) all rank as national top 10 recruits in espnW’s rankings.

None of those three players — or Randolph — have set a formal date for a college announcement. The majority of top women’s basketball recruits choose schools on or before the early signing period, which runs Nov. 8-15 this year.

Last cycle, for example, USC had zero commitments for the Class of 2023 entering October before picking up pledges from Sahnya Jah, Tessa Johnson, Chloe Kitts and MiLaysia Fulwiley by Nov. 10. (Kitts chose to reclassify to the Class of 2022 and enroll early at USC last fall.)