Average finish in conference play by all DIII Men's Hoops teams from 2019-20 to 2023-24.
All teams: https://t.co/KxETHpY8tf
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It's hard to believe it's been over a decade since Dawn Staley took the reins at South Carolina, transforming the Gamecocks into a national powerhouse. And at the heart of that journey was point guard Tiffany Mitchell, a player who will forever be remembered as one of the greatest in program history.
Mitchell joined the Gamecocks during a tumultuous time, when they were just barely scraping together top 25 rankings. But under Staley's guidance, she quickly became the team's leading scorer and propelled them to four top 25 wins. Suddenly, South Carolina was one of the top 10 teams in the country, a feat that hadn't been achieved in 12 years.
With Mitchell and fellow star A'ja Wilson leading the way, the Gamecocks went on an unprecedented tear. They spent two consecutive seasons ranked in the top three, and their best start in program history saw them go undefeated for 22 games.
That same season, Mitchell led the team to its first SEC Championship title, capping off an impressive regular season with 17 points in a dominant win over Tennessee. And when March Madness rolled around, Mitchell was the hero the team needed. She scored 18 points against North Carolina to send her team to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2002, then followed it up with 21 points against Florida State to send them to the Final Four for the very first time.
That was just the beginning of an incredible run for South Carolina. Over the next nine seasons, they would make five more Final Four appearances and win three NCAA Championships. Mitchell may not have been part of that championship squad in 2017, but she laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most dominant programs in college hoops.✨