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COLUMBIA — Jordan Lee is coming to South Carolina women's basketball with a lot of tools necessary to thrive in Dawn Staley's system.
After two years with Texas, the 6-foot guard is staying in the SEC but will be on the Gamecocks roster for the 2026-27 season.
Historically, Staley has added players from the portal to fill a void from the previous season like getting a true center Madina Okot last cycle or 3-point star Te-Hina Paopao in 2023.
Staley is without Ta'Niya Latson (14.1 points) and Raven Johnson (9.9), but she still has four guards returning plus two incoming freshmen.
Lee gives the Gamecocks guard depth but isn't necessarily here to bring them something they lacked. Instead, she's expected to enhance what the roster already has.
Since its arrival in the SEC in 2024, Texas has knocked South Carolina off its spot as the top defensive team, a spot the Gamecocks held down for five straight seasons.
This past season the Longhorns allowed an SEC-best 55.8 points per game, ahead of the Gamecocks' 57.8.
Lee played a large part in why Texas' defense was stellar. As Staley said when Lee signed with the team, "She has a good defensive mindset and can guard multiple positions."
That's a non-negotiable when it comes to minutes for Staley.
Lee can play with a dominant forward, proven by her two seasons alongside Madison Booker, who averaged a team high 18.9 points, with Lee second with 13.2.
Joyce Edwards has led the Gamecocks in scoring the last two years, including 19.2 this past season.
Booker has arguably one of the best mid-range jumpers in women's college basketball, and even though Edwards plays closer to the low block than Booker, Lee understands how to play with a primary scorer.
In the Sweet 16 vs Oklahoma, Edwards was nearly triple-teamed so Latson, Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson took care of scoring in the same way that Lee has when defensive attention goes to Booker.
Texas doesn't play a lot of one-on-one basketball and gets Booker going with ball movement. Lee should know the importance of sharing the ball, but beyond creating halfcourt offense, South Carolina loves to sprint in transition and Lee does too.
She doesn't necessarily avoid rebounding, averaging 2.5, but she sees the importance of beating the defense so she can create on the other end quickly. Most of the time when her teammates rebounded, Lee was halfway down the court already with her hand up.
Lee's point guard has always been Rori Harmon, who had the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 3.8. Maddy McDaniel will likely take the over for Raven Johnson as the point and like Harmon, she takes care of the ball without sacrificing speed.
Lee isn't afraid of contact and displayed some particularly crafty inside moves, so if McDaniel works to draw in defenders by driving, Lee is comfortable converting those dump-off looks. She also understands the importance of moving without the ball because she played with a point guard who had a pass-first mentality.
On the flip side if players like Edwards are swarmed by defenders inside, Lee can also hit outside shots.
In the last two seasons, South Carolina has lost eight games but three of those were to Lee and Texas. The Longhorns won twice this past season and she was a central part of the offense.
Lee is used to the physicality of the SEC, she's played in tough non-conference games and she played under a tough coach in Vic Schaefer. That should help her since Staley demands excellence and South Carolina likes a difficult schedule.
With Staley's six straight Final Fours and three straight title game appearances, there's normally a bit of a learning curve when it comes to transferring to South Carolina.
For Lee it might come down to things like chemistry and learning the plays and system that decide how she does for the Gamecocks because she brings quite a bit already.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why Jordan Lee is set to thrive with South Carolina, Dawn Staley
Continue reading...
After two years with Texas, the 6-foot guard is staying in the SEC but will be on the Gamecocks roster for the 2026-27 season.
Historically, Staley has added players from the portal to fill a void from the previous season like getting a true center Madina Okot last cycle or 3-point star Te-Hina Paopao in 2023.
Staley is without Ta'Niya Latson (14.1 points) and Raven Johnson (9.9), but she still has four guards returning plus two incoming freshmen.
Lee gives the Gamecocks guard depth but isn't necessarily here to bring them something they lacked. Instead, she's expected to enhance what the roster already has.
Jordan Lee comes to Gamecock with stellar defense
Since its arrival in the SEC in 2024, Texas has knocked South Carolina off its spot as the top defensive team, a spot the Gamecocks held down for five straight seasons.
This past season the Longhorns allowed an SEC-best 55.8 points per game, ahead of the Gamecocks' 57.8.
Lee played a large part in why Texas' defense was stellar. As Staley said when Lee signed with the team, "She has a good defensive mindset and can guard multiple positions."
That's a non-negotiable when it comes to minutes for Staley.
Jordan Lee's time with Texas similar to South Carolina
Lee can play with a dominant forward, proven by her two seasons alongside Madison Booker, who averaged a team high 18.9 points, with Lee second with 13.2.
Joyce Edwards has led the Gamecocks in scoring the last two years, including 19.2 this past season.
Booker has arguably one of the best mid-range jumpers in women's college basketball, and even though Edwards plays closer to the low block than Booker, Lee understands how to play with a primary scorer.
In the Sweet 16 vs Oklahoma, Edwards was nearly triple-teamed so Latson, Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson took care of scoring in the same way that Lee has when defensive attention goes to Booker.
Texas doesn't play a lot of one-on-one basketball and gets Booker going with ball movement. Lee should know the importance of sharing the ball, but beyond creating halfcourt offense, South Carolina loves to sprint in transition and Lee does too.
She doesn't necessarily avoid rebounding, averaging 2.5, but she sees the importance of beating the defense so she can create on the other end quickly. Most of the time when her teammates rebounded, Lee was halfway down the court already with her hand up.
Lee's point guard has always been Rori Harmon, who had the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 3.8. Maddy McDaniel will likely take the over for Raven Johnson as the point and like Harmon, she takes care of the ball without sacrificing speed.
Lee isn't afraid of contact and displayed some particularly crafty inside moves, so if McDaniel works to draw in defenders by driving, Lee is comfortable converting those dump-off looks. She also understands the importance of moving without the ball because she played with a point guard who had a pass-first mentality.
On the flip side if players like Edwards are swarmed by defenders inside, Lee can also hit outside shots.
Will Jordan Lee succeed for Dawn Staley, South Carolina?
In the last two seasons, South Carolina has lost eight games but three of those were to Lee and Texas. The Longhorns won twice this past season and she was a central part of the offense.
Lee is used to the physicality of the SEC, she's played in tough non-conference games and she played under a tough coach in Vic Schaefer. That should help her since Staley demands excellence and South Carolina likes a difficult schedule.
With Staley's six straight Final Fours and three straight title game appearances, there's normally a bit of a learning curve when it comes to transferring to South Carolina.
For Lee it might come down to things like chemistry and learning the plays and system that decide how she does for the Gamecocks because she brings quite a bit already.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why Jordan Lee is set to thrive with South Carolina, Dawn Staley
Continue reading...
