South Carolina Women’s Basketball Player Selected as Finalist for Dawn Staley Award

In a major achievement for South Carolina women’s basketball, MiLaysia Fulwiley has been named a finalist for the prestigious Dawn Staley Award. The announcement was made on Friday, and Fulwiley now finds herself in elite company, alongside Paige Bueckers of UConn, Juju Watkins from Southern Cal, and Hannah Hidalgo from Notre Dame.

Named after the Gamecocks’ head coach, Dawn Staley, the award honors the top NCAA Division I women’s basketball player who best exemplifies Staley’s signature qualities on the court: exceptional ball-handling, scoring, passing, and competitiveness. Previous winners of the award from South Carolina include Tiffany Mitchell and Ty Harris.

This season, Fulwiley has been instrumental to the Gamecocks’ success, averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. Her growth as a defender has been notable, making her one of the top contributors for South Carolina.

From the South Carolina Athletics release:

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley is officially one of four finalists for the Dawn Staley Award, as announced by the Phoenix Club of Philadelphia. This honor is awarded annually to the NCAA Division I women’s basketball player who embodies the qualities Staley displayed throughout her legendary career – a combination of ball-handling, scoring, distributing the ball, and a relentless will to win.

Earlier this month, Fulwiley was recognized as the SEC Sixth Woman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team, as voted by the league’s coaches. Her strong performance continued as she was named to the SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team, helping lead the Gamecocks to their third consecutive SEC title. The Columbia, S.C., native is currently second on the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game, including an impressive 13.4 points per game in SEC regular-season play. She has reached double figures in 11 of her last 13 games, with a career-high 24 points scored against Vanderbilt. Fulwiley has been the leading scorer for the Gamecocks in seven games this season.

Fulwiley’s influence grew significantly during SEC play, where she embraced a strong defensive role. She ranks 10th in the league in blocks per conference game, making her the top shot-blocking guard in the SEC, and she also stands 9th in steals per game. She has posted eight games with at least three steals, including a standout performance with five steals against a top-15 opponent.

The No. 2-ranked South Carolina team is awaiting the announcement of their seeding and first-round opponent for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which will be revealed on Selection Sunday, March 16th, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Fans can follow GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the latest updates.

The Dawn Staley Award Finalists:

• Paige Bueckers, UConn
• MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina
• Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
• Juju Watkins, Southern Cal