South Carolina basketball player Laeticia Amihere picked in first round of WNBA Draft

A second Gamecock is off the board in the 2023 WNBA Draft.

The Atlanta Dream selected South Carolina forward Laeticia Amihere eighth overall Monday, seven picks after forward Aliyah Boston went first overall to the Indiana Fever.

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 60.0% shooting.

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. She is the 15th all-time South Carolina player drafted into the WNBA and 11th under coach Dawn Staley.