Top Texas recruit names South Carolina women’s basketball as a finalist

One of the country’s top post players has named the South Carolina women’s basketball team one of four finalists in her ongoing recruitment.

Four-star South Grand Prairie (Tex.) High School forward Adhel Tac has the Gamecocks as one of her top schools, she announced Tuesday via social media.

Georgia, Louisville and North Carolina are also finalists for Tac, a Class of 2024 recruit who ranks as the No. 2 true post player and No. 33 overall recruit in the espnW rankings. She’s yet to set a formal timeline for her college decision.

“Beyond blessed!!” Tac said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey!”

Tac, a 6-foot-5 senior, has ranked as high as No. 12 nationally in the espnW rankings but dropped down 21 spots after suffering a season-ending injury in January 2023 and missing the back half of her junior season — a critical one for basketball recruits, evaluation-wise.

She’d fill a big need for coach Dawn Staley and company. As noted by GamecockCentral, USC didn’t sign a traditional post player in its 2023 class and missed on two other top 2024 posts, five-star recruit Blanca Thomas and four-star recruit Kennedy Ume, earlier this cycle.

Thomas, a 6-5 forward who plays regionally at Charlotte Catholic and ranks No. 29 nationally, committed to UNC in May. Ume (No. 40) committed to Stanford earlier this month.

Tac is widely considered the top girls basketball recruit in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. According to the Dallas Morning News, she averaged 14.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a sophomore in her first year on varsity at South Grand Prairie.

The Warriors compete in Texas’ largest high school classification and were the 6A state championship runner-up during Tac’s sophomore season.

After missing most of her junior season with an undisclosed injury, Tac has fully recovered and played AAU basketball this summer, per GamecockCentral. Last summer, she participated in the Under Armour Next girls basketball showcase game.

South Carolina WBB recruiting update

South Carolina — coming off a 36-1 season, a sweep of the SEC regular season and tournament titles and a third straight Final Four — landed its first Class of 2024 recruit earlier this month.

Five-star point guard Maddy McDaniel announced her commitment to South Carolina live on ESPNU during a broadcast of the Aug. 12 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 Tac (No. 33 nationally), the Gamecocks are a top-seven school for five-star point guard Jaloni Cambridge (No. 3); a top five school for five-star forward Justice Carlton (No. 7); a top-five school for five-star forward MacKenly Randolph (No. 21); and one of the leaders for five-star forward Joyce Edwards, who plays locally at Camden High School (No. 2).

None of those recruits have set formal commitments dates yet. The majority of top recruits choose schools on or before the early signing period, which runs Nov. 8-15 this year for men’s and women’s college basketball.

South Carolina — which ranked No. 8 in ESPN’s way-too-early preseason top 25 — will tip off Staley’s 16th season as coach on Nov. 6 in a historic matchup. The Gamecocks will open the season against Notre Dame in Halle Georges Carpentier Arena in Paris, marking the first time an NCAA regular-season basketball game has been played there.