Why South Carolina center’s shot was more than just a dagger to Texas

COLUMBIA, SC — It seemed like miles separated Madina Okot and the nearest Texas defender.

South Carolina was up by a single point when Raven Johnson flipped the ball over to Okot, who was standing on the left wing with 3:36 to play Thursday night. Points had been hard to come by in this matchup between the defensive-minded Gamecocks and Longhorns. As each team committed season-highs in turnovers, possessions became precious. Making shots was crucial.

A full second passed between the time Okot caught the ball and when she began her motion to shoot an improbable 3-pointer. All five Texas defenders glanced at Okot, but none made their way to defend.

Why would they? The 6-foot-6 Okot typically plays like a traditional center. She scores her points in the paint, not behind the arc. She was 2-of-6 from 3-point range on the season. Surely, in this pivotal moment of the game, she wouldn’t dare attempt a deep shot.

If the Longhorns thought that, they were wrong.

Okot aimed and fired, and the ball fell softly through the hoop.

“I’ve been practicing for it,” Okot said through a smile. “In today’s game, I was like, ‘Wait, I’m open, let me try it.’ And it went in.”

The sold-out crowd inside Colonial Life Arena erupted. South Carolina had a four-point advantage in a grind-it-out game where two-possession lead felt like a 20-point margin. Okot’s unlikely 3-pointer was a dagger to Texas, which lost back-to-back games for the first time since November 2022.

“Probably the play of the game is Okot’s 3,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “Other than that, it was just a heavyweight title fight.”

Okot finished with 10 points and five rebounds in South Carolina’s 68-65 victory over the Longhorns. She was a difference-maker, and her signature moment pointed to something larger: Okot is playing with confidence, she’s struggled through her ups and downs since transferring in from Mississippi State, and she’s emerging as an important contributor for the Gamecocks in their quest to go to the Final Four for the sixth consecutive season.

“She couldn’t have hit it at a more important time, for her and for us,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said of Okot’s 3-pointer. “She’s got to take something from this game that she’s got to feel good about. She’s working through some things. And sometimes, when players are working through things, they just got to get to the other side.”

This is Okot’s second season of college basketball. A native of Mumias, Kenya who has featured for her country’s national team, she didn’t start playing the sport until six years ago. 

After spending some time at a university in Kenya, she arrived at Mississippi State last season where she quickly established herself as a player who could battle with some of the best bigs in the country, averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game. She ranked fourth nationally last season in field goal percentage with a 64.9% clip and was third in rebounds-per-40-minutes with 16.9.

So, when Okot went into the transfer portal last spring, she was highly sought after as a mobile big with room to sharpen her skills. She wound up at one of the most successful programs in the country, one with a knack for developing post players into WNBA prospects.

Staley’s best teams at South Carolina, the ones who have won national championships, have played through a dominant center, from A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston, to more recently Kamilla Cardoso. Even Sania Feagin became a WNBA draft pick last season. Okot seemed poised to be next in line.

But this group of Gamecocks are different.

On each of Staley’s last five South Carolina teams, no more than three players averaged double figures in scoring. This year, all five starters are scoring in double digits.

And Okot is one of them at 15.1 points per game, but the scoring is more spread out. Guards, like Johnson, a fifth-year senior — who is averaging a career-high 10.2 points per game — are being asked to put the ball in the basket more often.

So the Gamecocks aren’t leaning on Okot the same way they did with Boston or Cardoso. Part of that is seemingly by design as Staley and her staff get Okot up to speed and more comfortable with all that comes with being a Gamecock.

“They’re all just growing pains,” Staley said of what Okot has experienced. “She hasn’t been in this situation. It’s unfamiliar territory for her regarding big stakes, big games, everybody is watching. It takes some time to get used to it… I hope she can see we’re still winning with her not even at her best.”

The hurdles Staley has eluded to are hard to find on stat sheets. She’s tallied double-doubles in 13 of 18 games this season and she’s still shooting north of 60% from the floor. Okot is also third nationally in defensive rating with a 63.5 mark, according to Her Hoop Stats.

For a lot of players, the numbers Okot is posting would be the ceiling. Staley and the Gamecocks seem to think the sky is the limit in this case.

That includes Okot’s roommate, the most veteran player on the roster, Johnson. She’s constantly in Okot’s ear about how she can get better.

“I get on her about little things. I was telling Madina about a play she messed up last game, and I was on her butt. I’m trying to hold her accountable,” Johnson said. “She’s very hard on herself. She wants to be great. She wants to be one of the best post players to come out of here. So, I’m trying to be a really good point guard to her.”

South Carolina is hoping they’ll have more time to help Okot realize her potential. While this is only her second season of college basketball, the NCAA has deemed her a senior because of the time she spent at a Kenyan university and in the FIBA Africa League. Staley said earlier this season the Gamecocks are fighting “like heck” to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility.

Okot has proven she’s capable of making game-winning plays under the bright lights against elite opponents. Even if South Carolina isn’t successful with its appeal to the NCAA, she might be good enough to help the Gamecocks reach their lofty goals for this season.