Perhaps no player better represents the absurd amount of depth the third-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team possesses than senior guard Olivia Gaines.
Prior to joining head coach Dawn Staley’s program in 2013, Gaines was a star at Louisburg College in North Carolina, leading her team to a NJCAA Division II National Championship while averaging over 18 points per game in her sophomore season.
Fast forward two years later and Gaines now spends most of her time on the South Carolina bench. That’s not to say she isn’t important to the Gamecocks, though. Gaines’ days of playing big minutes and earning All-America honors at the junior college level might be over, but she has developed a new role and identity at South Carolina as a defensive stopper.
When Gaines plays, it’s her skills on the defensive end of the court that stand out, despite her offensive-centric background. Staley has found a way to motivate Gaines and has transformed her from a scoring machine into a specialist on defense.
It’s particularly uncommon for a junior college transfer to take on a different style of play once moving to a new school, but Gaines has. That was a mandatory adjustment that the Chester, South Carolina native had to make in order to carve out a role on one of the country’s most talented teams.
“I think once you get your role and you’re on a good team, it really don’t matter what your role is because you embrace it so much,” Gaines said. “So, I just kind of took on my role and try to go hard every time I’m out there.”
Gaines certainly embraced her job as a defensive devil in the final minute one of South Carolina’s biggest wins of the year.
With the Gamecocks trailing late in a December matchup against Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Gaines came up with a steal that would help South Carolina earn a come-from-behind victory.
A spark of intensity when coming off the bench, Staley has also turned to Gaines to defend some of the top players from opposing teams.
“I’m not going to try to let anybody score on me,” Gaines said.
A homecoming
When starring at Louisburg, Gaines was one of the best players in the nation at the junior college level. She enjoyed personal success, while her team was also dominant. But something kept nagging at her. In addition to wanting to move up to the Division I level, Gaines had a burning desire to return to her home state.
Gaines considers herself to be very close with her parents, and the chance to come back to South Carolina and become a Gamecock was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
Originally planning to transfer to High Point University in a North Carolina, Gaines changed her mind once she had a chance to make Columbia her new home.
“I changed my decision, simply because it’s closer to home,” Gaines said. “I wanted to be closer to my family and I knew this was easier for them to come to the games.”
Gaines' connection with her family was clearly evident on senior night this season when she was recognized with her parents before the Gamecocks’ blowout win over Mississippi State, which she scored nine points in.
“Senior night meant a lot to me,” Gaines said. “I was waiting for it and the moment came and it was unbelievable.”
Increased playing time
Gaines’ performance against Mississippi State was arguably her most impressive in a South Carolina uniform. She shot the ball well and more importantly gave Mississippi State freshman forward Victoria Vivians fits.
After the win, Staley commended Gaines for her play and said she would have to consider giving the 5’7” guard more playing time.
As of late, she has. Gaines is averaging 12.16 minutes played per game over South Carolina’s last six contests, an uptick from her season average of 9.9 minutes.
Gaines was in for 16 minutes in Friday’s 81-48 win over Savannah State, and Staley said she’s been practicing extremely hard this past week.
“Olivia Gaines is one that probably has had some of her best practices leading up to this particular game,” Staley said on Friday.
Accepting a leadership role
Gaines is not too far removed from being a newcomer on South Carolina herself, but she’s now serving as a leader at times.
Freshman guard Bianca Cuevas is someone who Gaines considers herself to be really close to, and she said she’s always looking to help her out.
“I talk to her a lot because I think she gets frustrated a lot and I can tell her things that coach would want and she probably doesn’t know yet,” Gaines said.
As South Carolina attempts to reach its goal of winning a national championship, Gaines knows her days are numbered. The ending of her collegiate career is coming, but she’s just trying to enjoy the ride.
Another title wouldn’t hurt, either, she said.
“I want another championship under my belt.”