Dawn Staley may call her the Gamecocks' "silent assassin," but Allisha Gray wasn't too quiet during the national championship Sunday night.
The junior transfer lived up to her reputation of hitting ridiculous shots, using her acrobatics to finish with 18 points and 10 rebounds while helping South Carolina win it all in her first year with the team. After transferring from North Carolina, Gray had to sit out the 2015-16 season, which ended with the Gamecocks' Sweet 16 loss to Syracuse.
"It was definitely hard sitting out and watching the team," Gray said Sunday. "You do all the conditioning, but you don't get to play in the games, and that's the reward."
Because of her sacrifice, Gray now gets to claim the biggest reward in women's college basketball and, as she and fellow transfer Kaela Davis pointed out all week, this is what they came to South Carolina for.
"Last year it was tough. It was tough sitting out and watching that result, getting out in the Sweet 16," Davis said. "We came with a lot of motivation, and we didn't want to end it where we did last year, so we use that as fuel."
With the first championship in program history within reach, Gray used that extra motivation to turn in one of her best performances of the season, and not just on the offensive end. Dubbed by Staley as South Carolina's most consistent player, Gray came up with three blocks and a steal while guarding one through four and giving Staley 36 minutes.
But her performance wasn't just about a block here or a steal there, and this game wasn't just about the play of one player. This game was about history, about finishing the mission, about heart.
This one was emotional, and it was for the players who helped Staley build the program. Gray and the Gamecocks weren't just playing for themselves. This was for Aleighsa Welch, Elen Ibiam, Tiffany Mitchell and even last year's Gamecocks Tina Roy and Khadijah Sessions, who were able to celebrate on the podium with the champions.
Even the quiet transfer who isn't known for her emotion let loose for a minute or two.
As it became clear in the final seconds that the Gamecocks were going to hoist the trophy, Gray was on the bench, while the backups took the floor for the last minute. While A'ja Wilson collapsed into tears, Gray could be found jumping up and down, wearing the biggest smile imaginable, yelling that the Gamecocks were national champions.
How's that for silent?