Ta'Niya Latson gave Florida State all she had to give.

The guard scored 30 points with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in the second round Women's NCAA Tournament loss to LSU in 2025.

Then three days later as South Carolina women's basketball was preparing for its Sweet 16 matchup, news broke that Latson, the nation's leading scorer at 25.2 points per game, would enter the transfer portal.

The senior will play in her first career Sweet 16 on March 28 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) but this time she isn't averaging over 20 points a game. At South Carolina, she's averaging just 14.3, but her team is a No. 1 seed.

That's exactly how Latson wanted it to be.

"I know a lot of people don't understand my why," Latson said. "I know a lot of people are like, 'She was just the leading scorer in the nation. Why the hell would she go to South Carolina to give the ball up?' But I want to win. The purpose is bigger than scoring points. I want to be a complete player when I get to the league (WNBA)."

Why Ta'Niya Latson picked Dawn Staley, South Carolina

Coach Dawn Staley's system of success doesn't hinge on one star. Her track record of three national championships, 10 SEC regular-season titles, seven Final Four appearances and 18 WNBA draft picks supports her philosophy.

At Florida State, Latson carried a heavy load. She averaged 21 or more points and 15.9 or more field goal attempts a game each season.

She knew the WNBA would not mirror the type of play she displayed in the ACC. So to improve her passing, defense and other weaker elements to her game that scoring hid, she came to South Carolina.

Heading into the rematch with No. 4 seed Oklahoma, Latson is averaging career-highs in field goal percentage (49.5%), effective field goal percentage (55.9%), points per play (1.01) and points per scoring attempt (1.15) despite taking less shots each game.

"I'm playing around a lot of other talented players and this is what I came to South Carolina to do," Latson said. "A lot of people don't understand that and that's fine, because I do."

How Ta'Niya Latson made difficult adjustments at South Carolina

It wasn't always easy. It's been a battle of "giving herself grace" while transforming into the new role. She's used hobbies like building Legos to take her mind off basketball, but most of all, experience and repetition with the Gamecocks (33-3) allowed her to see value in herself beyond scoring.

"Shoot, it was hard," Latson said, but play-making and sharing the ball with other dominant scorers was all part of her transfer plan.

Latson averaged 17.4 points across her first 13 games, shooting 51% from the floor, but against Providence on Dec. 28, she sprained her ankle. She returned Jan. 11 but then hurt her knee Jan. 29, missing the next two games and halting the rhythm that she worked hard to build in a new system.

Whenever she has an off night, there is social media criticism about her decision, including that she made the wrong choice coming to South Carolina.

"Nobody ruined me," Latson said. "I made a decision and I would 100% do it again. Injuries, probably pressure has gotten to me a little bit, not the coaching. I feel like Dawn has always given me the freedom to be myself."

Ahead of her first NCAA Tournament game at South Carolina, Latson's phone lit up. It was Staley reminding her of something simple.

"She can turn on a light bulb in just a few words," Latson said when asked about Staley's impact mentally. "She texted me before the tournament, just told me she believed in me and that just went a long way for me ... having my coach text me that, means a lot."

Latson's scored 29 points in her first two March Madness games for South Carolina, with seven rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals. She shot 54% then 50% from the floor, the best she's shot in a March Madness game.

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: Ta'Niya Latson trades scoring for Dawn Staley, South Carolina Sweet 16