Olivia Thompson uses interpersonal skills to be a key contributor for South Carolina

South Carolina basketball senior guard Olivia Thompson tucked in her jersey as she stepped onto the court in Bon Secours Wellness Arena, with thousands of Gamecock fans giving her a roaring ovation.

USC had put away Arkansas in an SEC Tournament quarterfinal game, and coach Dawn Staley subbed in the four-year veteran from Lexington, South Carolina to help protect the lead and give the starters a rest until the final buzzer.

Each time she touched the ball in the last two minutes and 48 seconds of the game, the crowd got increasingly loud, hoping to see Thompson — known for her shooting ability — rise up and knock down a late 3-pointer to punctuate the victory.

She found herself wide open near the 3-point line, and after a quick moment of thought and a couple of dribbles, she passed the ball back out to the perimeter. Though many wanted to see her get a shot up, the game plan was her priority.

“I don’t really want to just jack up a shot as soon as I can,” Thompson said. “I still want to keep the motion of the game going on. So that’s really just what I’m thinking. I like it when everyone’s involved. I like it when people want me involved and to shoot it, but I also like having people involved, too.”

Thompson joined the team in 2019 alongside Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal and Laeticia Amihere. All four of Thompson’s classmates were ranked in the top 11 nationally coming out of high school, and she joined the team as a walk-on.

But Thompson still carved out her own role on the national championship-winning USC roster.

“She’s always encouraging,” Beal said. “Every single practice, every single game. And the biggest thing for me with her, she’s always ready when her name is called. When we have her in ... for a play for her, she knows what it’s about, and she’s ready to shoot the ball.”

Thompson is a psychology major at South Carolina and enjoys learning about the personality types of different people, saying it helps her as a teammate in basketball.

“Just trying to be supportive to people and let them know that I’m in their corner,” Thompson said. “I think those are small things, but they also mean a lot.”

Thompson came to the program with a mindset to win games, and she quickly got a taste of that life as a freshman.

She remembered traveling to St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam tournament in 2019. After losing the first game to Indiana, the Gamecocks defeated Washington State and Baylor — the No. 2 team in the country and defending champions at the time — to win the tournament title.

“That was huge for us,” Thompson said. “And that kind of gave us our first little taste of winning something big. And then we just want to keep that going. Throughout that whole season, that success that we felt and the happiness and just how invested each person on the team was in each other.”

Thompson’s veteran leadership is evident on the court. She’s the first to run out of the tunnel when the Gamecocks begin their pregame layup lines. She’s seen on the sideline communicating with teammates during the games.

The team recently posted to social media a video of her mic’d up in practice, where she instructs players on where to be and also helps them through drills.

“She’s seriously our biggest supporter,” Boston said. “And when it’s her time to shine, we’re always right there to support her. Off the court, she’s really just the sweetest.”

When she’s not wearing a Gamecock jersey, Thompson enjoys drawing, spending time in nature and cooking.

While she’s never cooked for the whole women’s basketball team, she has made such dishes as pasta, burgers and turkey meatloaf for friends on other teams at USC.

“I really value my time that I get away from basketball,” Thompson said. “Not to say that I don’t love it, but I think having those moments to yourself and having things that you like to do are very special and actually help your game, and helps you prioritize and compartmentalize things because you don’t want to be thinking about it all the time.”

Thompson has certainly had her moments on the floor. She scored 10 points in her first college game, knocking down two 3-pointers. In total, she’s made 24 career triples for South Carolina.

In the team’s exhibition game this season against Benedict, she scored 14 points with three 3-pointers in the second quarter, elevating the crowd noise in Colonial Life Arena with each one.

She made a rare first-half appearance in the team’s game against Stanford on the road in November, knocking down a crucial 3-pointer for the then-struggling Gamecocks to cut into the Cardinal lead. USC went on to win the game in overtime.

In South Carolina’s most recent NCAA Tournament game against South Florida, Thompson drained the victory-sealing 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

“The crowd loves her,” Staley said. “She’s done a tremendous job for our team being a great teammate, a voice in our locker room.”

When Thompson received her scholarship in 2020, it was a reflection of her commitment to the team and her ability to ingrain herself in it. Her teammates waited outside the door of her room, and Amihere, her roommate, handed her a card to read that congratulated her on the accomplishment.

She described that moment as one that can’t be re-created, and one she didn’t expect.

Even while playing for a nationally prominent program, Thompson has made many of her contributions away from the spotlight. And for her, that was the mission from the start.

“I was really just focused on the team, doing what I had to do, working hard,” Thompson said. “Doing the little things that coach would appreciate someone doing. I wanted to earn (the scholarship), and I didn’t expect it to come that early. But I was so thankful that it did.”