South Carolina’s Point Guard Experiment Is Already Changing the Game — Here’s What Dawn Staley Is Trying

South Carolina opened its 2026-27 exhibition schedule with a 91-60 win over College of Charleston on Sept. 27 at Credit One Stadium.

The final score was impressive.

But the bigger story may have been what Dawn Staley is doing at point guard.

With Raven Johnson gone and Maddy McDaniel no longer with the team, South Carolina entered the season without an obvious replacement at the position.

Staley has already made it clear that she doesn’t intend to solve the problem with one player.

Instead, the Gamecocks are going with a point guard by committee approach.

And the first exhibition offered a pretty clear look at how that system could work.

Tessa Johnson Isn’t Just Playing Point Guard

Tessa Johnson started at point guard and looked comfortable handling the responsibility.

She finished with 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, showing that she can still be aggressive offensively while taking on more responsibility as a ball-handler.

Agot Makeer also shared the ball-handling duties.

She finished with 12 points and three assists.

Jordan Lee, meanwhile, gave South Carolina another major offensive weapon.

The Texas transfer scored 15 points while making all four of her 3-point attempts, and she also recorded three assists.

That gives Staley several guards who can bring the ball up the floor without necessarily remaining at point guard for the entire possession.

That’s the important part.

Staley wants her guards to initiate the offense, get the ball moving early, and then return to what they naturally do best.

As she explained, the player bringing the ball up can give it up early and then become a shooter, scorer or aggressive perimeter player.

Joyce Edwards Could Be the Real Key

The most interesting wrinkle was what happened after the guards crossed half court.

South Carolina frequently got the ball to Joyce Edwards near the top of the key and allowed her to initiate the offense.

That could become one of the defining features of this year’s team.

Edwards didn’t need to be a traditional point guard.

Instead, she can function as a point forward, using her size and scoring ability to force defenses to react.

Against Charleston, she showed exactly why that option is so dangerous.

Edwards finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

She wasn’t simply waiting around for someone else to create a shot.

She was one of the players helping create the offense.

Staley indicated that this could happen more frequently this season because of the players South Carolina has at point guard.

The Numbers Show There Is Still Work to Do

The 91-point performance makes it easy to focus on the positives.

But the exhibition also exposed some issues.

South Carolina finished with just 12 assists on 33 made baskets.

Last season, the Gamecocks averaged 18 assists on 32.5 made baskets.

They also committed 15 turnovers.

The rebounding numbers were another concern.

South Carolina won the overall rebounding battle 41-35, but College of Charleston grabbed 25 offensive rebounds.

Staley specifically pointed toward the guards when discussing the team’s boxing-out problems.

So while the point-guard experiment produced plenty of individual scoring, the next step is getting everyone connected within the offense.

Chloe Kitts Could Add Another Playmaking Layer

One major piece was missing.

Chloe Kitts did not play in the exhibition.

That’s significant because Kitts has already shown that she can handle the ball and create for teammates.

Her return gives Staley another versatile forward who can potentially initiate offense.

That could make South Carolina even less dependent on having one traditional point guard.

Instead, the Gamecocks could have multiple players capable of starting the offense depending on the matchup.

The Biggest Takeaway

South Carolina may not actually be searching for a new Raven Johnson.

It may be building something completely different.

Tessa Johnson can bring the ball up.

Agot Makeer can handle it.

Brooke Quarles-Daniels can run the second unit.

Joyce Edwards can initiate from the frontcourt.

And Kitts could add another playmaking option when she returns.

Freshman Jerzy Robinson, who is expected to be part of the point-guard conversation, did not play against Charleston.

That makes the upcoming exhibitions particularly important.

The Gamecocks still have plenty to clean up.

But the first look suggests Staley isn’t trying to replace one point guard with another.

She’s trying to make the entire offense capable of initiating.

South Carolina’s next exhibition is Oct. 23 against Benedict at Colonial Life Arena.

The question now is whether this committee approach can produce the same level of ball movement and control once the regular season begins.