According to ESPN, over 1,200 college athletes have entered the transfer portal since its opening on March 24. MiLaysia Fulwiley’s decision to enter the transfer portal came as a shock to many basketball fans. It has been a week since the 5’10 guard was in the NCAA championship game against UConn, who won 82-59.
MiLaysia Fulwiley
Fulwiley received a letter from the South Carolina Gamecocks while she was in seventh grade. As a high school sophomore, she was ranked as a 5-star prospect and the third-best point guard in the country. In her final year of high school, she averaged 29.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 4.6 steals per game. Besides South Carolina, Top Division I programs like Florida, Louisville, and Ole Miss offered her letters.
Two Seasons at South Carolina
In her freshman year, Fulwiley remained determined to establish her presence in the basketball world. During her debut game in a Gamecock jersey, she scored 17 points and recorded six assists and six steals. She contributed to the Gamecocks team, which made history by completing the season with a perfect 38-0 record, securing the program’s third championship. Fulwiley was honored as the SEC Tournament MVP (2024) and selected for the SEC All-Freshman Team. She averaged 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals during the 2023-2024 season. Entering her sophomore year, her highest-scoring game was against Vanderbilt, where she netted 24 points and grabbed four rebounds. She averaged 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.7 steals for the whole season.
Speculations
With the two parties involved, Fulwiley and her former head coach, Dawn Staley, remaining silent about the matter, fans have taken it into their own hands and engaged in various speculations regarding her decision. The most prominent speculation concerns her playing time. The 5-star recruit averaged 18.9 minutes during the 2024-2025 season, a slight increase of 5 seconds from the previous season’s average of 18.4 minutes. In this year’s postseason games, she averaged 16.8 minutes, playing only 11 minutes against Duke in the Final Four and 10 minutes against Indiana in the Sweet 16. In the 2023-2024 season, she started in only three of the 38 games she played. In the 2024-2025 season, she did not start in any games.
She is likely searching for a program that will make her a valuable starting player with more time on the court.
