South Carolina Basketball: Former Gamecock gets new pro contract

South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley has her Gamecocks positioned as the top programs in college basketball. With three national titles since 2016-2017 (plus being ranked #1 when the 2019-2020 season was cut short), the last seven years have belonged to USC. Because of that, Staley's team has the second-most players in the WNBA right now among all college basketball programs.

Trailing only the UConn Huskies, the Gamecocks have 13 players currently in the W (some are training camp deals) as A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray, Kamilla Cardoso, Zia Cooke, Laeticia Amihere, Kaela Davis, Alaina Coates, Tiffany Mitchell, Ty Harris, Brea Beal, Victaria Saxton, and Kiki Herbert-Harrigan are all on rosters.

That number actually should no longer read 13 as it grew to 14 over the weekend.

According to a press release from the team, the Atlanta Dream signed South Carolina basketball alum Destanni Henderson to a training camp contract.

Henderson was a part of the 2021-2022 National Champion Gamecock squad. Aliyah Boston, Kamilla Cardoso, Brea Beal, Laeticia Amihere, Victaria Saxton, and Zia Cooke were on that team, as well. With the Dream, she will be reunited with Amihere. Fellow Gamecock great Allisha Gray is the team's best player.

Henderson has played with the Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, and Phoenix Mercury so far during her WNBA career but will look to catch on with the Dream this summer. Last season, she played with both the Sparks and the Mercury but had her best success in Los Angeles where she was a teammate again of Zia Cooke's.

During her time with the South Carolina basketball program, Henderson was an All-Freshman team honoree, an All-SEC selection, and an All-American. During the National Championship run, Henderson was chosen as an All-NCAA Tournament and All-Final Four performer. She led the Gamecocks in scoring (with 26 of their 64 points) in the championship game before being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2022 WNBA Draft.