{"id":763371,"date":"2026-06-17T13:51:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/763371\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T13:51:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:51:18","slug":"south-carolina-womens-basketball-offseason-outlooks-for-the-freshmen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/763371\/","title":{"rendered":"South Carolina women’s basketball: Offseason outlooks for the freshmen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each offseason, GamecockCentral looks at the strengths, weaknesses, and offseason outlook for each player.<\/p>\n

This week, we look at South Carolina\u2019s incoming players. Previously, we covered the forwards and guards.<\/p>\n

Oliviyah Edwards (Freshman, Forward, 6-3)<\/p>\n

Strengths: Edwards is incredibly athletic and dunks with ease. She has guard skills and forward size, and might have the highest upside of any player in the class.<\/p>\n

Questions about this story? Chris Wellbaum is discussing it with subscribers on the Women\u2019s Basketball forum.<\/a><\/p>\n

Weaknesses: Edwards is very raw. She does things on the court that leave you awestruck, but sometimes you wish she\u2019d take care of the basics first. Edwards settles for jump shots too often for someone with her incredible skill level.<\/p>\n

Offseason focus: Edwards\u2019s weaknesses are typical for a young player who is much more talented than the players she faces. She needs to embrace strong coaching, and the indications are that she is willing to do so.<\/p>\n

Projection: Edwards was the 3rd-ranked recruit based on potential. She probably isn\u2019t as ready to make an immediate impact as her classmate Jerzy Robinson, and given how deep South Carolina is, Edwards is likely looking at a developmental season.<\/p>\n

Jerzy Robinson (Freshman, Guard, 6-1)<\/p>\n

Strengths: Robinson has a mature offensive game and can score from all three levels. She is also a good defender and rebounder who is unusually strong for her position. Robinson has an NBA-style offensive game.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses: It\u2019s tough to find one. Robinson probably needs to get more efficient from the longer college three-point line, but that\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n

Offseason focus: Robinson is used to being bigger and stronger than her opponents, but she needs to prepare for that to not always be true in college. She needs to get a crash course in South Carolina\u2019s playbook.<\/p>\n

Projection: Of South Carolina\u2019s five freshmen, Robinson is the most ready to contribute immediately. She has the size and skill to play the two or three, and the experience to play the point in a crunch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kaeli Wynn (Freshman, Wing, 6-2)<\/p>\n

Strengths: Scouts rave about Wynn\u2019s basketball IQ. She is a 3-and-D wing at worst, but can rebound and score at a high level.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses: Wynn is coming off a series of injuries that she tried to play through before finally conceding to surgery in December 2025. No one is sure exactly how healthy she will be going into next season or when she will be 100%.<\/p>\n

Offseason focus: First \u2013 get healthy. South Carolina has enough depth on the roster that Wynn doesn\u2019t need to rush back. Second \u2013 learn the game. Wynn should have a good idea what she is getting into, but stay patient and play the long game.<\/p>\n

Projection: Wynn doesn\u2019t have to contribute right away. She projects as a Brea Beal-type player, but South Carolina doesn\u2019t need that next season. Wynn\u2019s focus should be on developing toward a major role in the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n

What does this mean for the Gamecocks? Chris Wellbaum and fellow subscribers are discussing it now on the Women\u2019s Basketball forum.<\/a><\/p>\n

Kelsi Andrews (Freshman, Forward, 6-3)<\/p>\n

Strengths: Andrews is both a traditional low-post player and a modern forward with three-point range. She is a good rebounder and shot-blocker who also passes and shoots the ball well for her size.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses: Andrews has dealt with injuries throughout her high school career. She missed all but the last game of her senior season. While she was productive at the 2026 U18 AmeriCup, her conditioning was an issue.<\/p>\n

Offseason focus: Andrews needs to get fully healthy and then get into game shape. The two-step process isn\u2019t one that can necessarily be accomplished in one summer, so Andrews needs to remain patient.<\/p>\n

Projection: South Carolina probably won\u2019t be counting on Andrews to be a rotation player next season. She has time to get healthy and get into game shape, and the Gamecocks are optimistic that Andrews will be ready to make an impact as a sophomore.<\/p>\n

Justine Loubens (Freshman, Wing, 6-1)<\/p>\n

Strengths: Loubens is a good shooter who moves well without the ball and is good at scoring around the rim. She has good size for her position.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses: Loubens\u2019 three-point shot isn\u2019t as consistent as the Gamecocks would like. She gets to the rim effectively, but it remains to be seen how that translates to college basketball.<\/p>\n

Offseason focus: Adapt. Loubens has to adapt to a new country and a new team. She has a top-notch shooting ability, but if she is going to get playing time, Loubens has to be an effective defender and playmaker.<\/p>\n

Projection: South Carolina doesn\u2019t have to rush Loubens onto the floor next season, which gives her time to get comfortable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Each offseason, GamecockCentral looks at the strengths, weaknesses, and offseason outlook for each player. This week, we look…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":763372,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3724],"tags":[7,465],"class_list":["post-763371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-basketball","tag-womens-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116765778586615905","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/763371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=763371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/763371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/763372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=763371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=763371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=763371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}