How MiLaysia Fulwiley’s NCAA Tournament debut signaled her ‘hometown hero’ status

Anytime MiLaysia Fulwiley catches a pass in a game at Colonial Life Arena, everyone in garnet and black holds their breath.

What is she going to do this time?

The anticipation is in part because of Fulwiley’s Columbia roots (a trait that solicits an even more fervent devotion from the South Carolina faithful) and in part because she’s one of the most electric basketball players in the country. Her collegiate debut in Paris against Notre Dame solicited recognition from some of the game’s greatest stars: Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. And she was, quite literally, just getting started.

She has since solidified herself as the Gamecocks’ second-leading scorer behind Naismith Player of the Year Finalist Kamilla Cardoso. Fulwiley’s on-court heroics helped South Carolina capture its eighth SEC Tournament title earlier this month and earned her the event’s MVP Award — making her the first freshman to do so since Candace Parker in 2006.

Fulwiley made her NCAA Tournament debut Friday against No. 16 seed Presbyterian. She came off the bench in the first quarter and quickly hit two 3-pointers. The Gamecock-heavy crowd greeted each shot with cheers and raucous applause. The next time she pulled up behind the arc, fans audibly anticipated another make.

“Ahhh,” they buzzed around her.

Clank

“Aww,” they relented.

She made it up to them later on, finishing the game with a career-high five 3s, contributing 17 points to her team’s 91-39 victory. Every make emboldened USC fans to beg for more. “Shoot it, 12!” they shouted. This is what they came for.

And Fulwiley hears them. The people and community that have watched her ball her whole life. This is what she came here for.

“It’s amazing,” Fulwiley said of the environment. “Just looking in the stands, and I see my cousins, my aunties, my uncles, my mom, my stepdad, my sisters. It’s just amazing just knowing that I have that support right here at home. And I’m just excited that I stayed home because it wouldn’t feel like this nowhere else. I’m just blessed and excited.”

Coach Dawn Staley knows Fulwiley is a generational talent. That’s why Staley recruited her. But knowing what she does, Staley expects more.

“She’s been good offensively,” Staley said of Fulwiley after the game. “She’s got a lot of work to do defensively, and she knows it. I think sometimes as a young player, the amount of points camouflages what’s really happening out there, especially on the defensive side of the basketball.”

Staley continued with a laugh: “I told her she scored 17, but she gave up 19. That’s bad math. I hope she hears it, too. So she could challenge herself to get some stops.”

An apt challenge for Fulwiley heading into a postseason rematch with North Carolina.

When USC and UNC met on Nov. 30, Fulwiley played just three minutes (after averaging 23.5 minutes per game at that point) because she kept losing her man on defense. But ask Fulwiley about that game now, and she’ll tell you she was “young” (like that game was four years ago instead of four months ago) and just starting out at this whole college basketball thing.

But she’s right. She is a different player now. More mature and composed. Still a human highlight reel, but with less throwaway tape. Take her stat line Friday, for example. Seventeen points to go along with zero turnovers and three assists. Yes, there’s Staley’s math, but it’s a stat line she’s probably more comfortable with than Fulwiley’s 12.1 points and two turnovers per game during USC’s non-conference slate to start the season.

Fulwiley isn’t the only one who’s grown since then. The whole team has. And they’re ready for Sunday’s rematch.