South Carolina women’s basketball has received crucial production from freshman Victaria Saxton over the last several games. The Gamecock forward is growing in confidence and playing a key role for Dawn Staley.
It seems strange to describe a five-star recruit as underrated.
But in South Carolina’s 2018 class, Victaria Saxton was certainly far from the most heralded prospect Dawn Staley’s staff pursued. Ranked No. 47 in the class by ESPN, Saxton wasn’t even the most coveted forward in her home state of Georgia — UConn commit Olivia Nelson-Ododa grabbed the headlines with a dunk at McDonald’s All-American weekend .
By comparison, Saxton was under-the-radar, not heavily wooed by some traditional powers or highly rated by recruiting services. Her commitment to USC generated a fraction of the attention that Carolina got with her classmate Destanni Henderson, or the four stars it reeled in this most recent class. Fans hoped she would be the precursor to other, bigger signings.
Flash forward a year and a half, and Saxton is blossoming into a solid contributor and future star for Staley. After posting a career-high 19 points and nine rebounds against Arkansas, Saxton was named SEC Freshman of the Week — the program’s first player to do that since A’ja Wilson.
“I was really surprised, honestly. I wasn’t expecting it. I felt blessed,” Saxton said.
Honors like that will continue to come throughout Saxton’s career, both Staley and Wilson said.
“For her to peak around this time, close to tournament time, it’s definitely a good thing, and I’m glad I got to watch her grow this season so far and come into her own,” Wilson said.
