South Carolina’s assistant coaches can’t participate in offseason training with the players until summer practices begin in mid/late June.
Sweat, a 2022 South Carolina graduate, has been doing 1-on-1 training sessions with Dauda since the season ended.She didn’t want to go home,” Sweat said, who worked previously with former players Te-Hina Paopao, Zia Cooke, LeLe Grissett, and Destiny Littleton. “She wanted to stay here, keep working and be ready, more prepared for the upcoming season.”
In her first season under Staley, Dauda’s minutes and impact varied. When she first arrived, the Gamecocks hadn’t lost a game since March 31, 2023 and were fresh off an undefeated season. Dauda along with two freshmen joined the program but only one left. The dynamic wasn’t necessarily easy to navigate.Dauda averaged 6.4 minutes and two points per game during the 2024-25 season. At Arkansas, she averaged 28.7 minutes and 10.1 points per game. She knew transferring meant sacrificing a starring role.
A key difference in her game is how she stretches the floor, something that Sweat recognized not many forwards can do. She can shoot 3-pointers, but only shot 25% last season.Before the Final Four against Texas, Dauda was drilling 3-pointers in practice when Staley asked her when she was going to do that in a game. The next day, she hit on with 24.8 seconds left to push South Carolina’s lead to 20. After the game, Dauda said a sense of relief and also confidence ran through her body.
Ensuring those moments are no longer few and far between is one of the many goals of the offseason.As a team, it gives them more assets to use,” Sweat said of her 3-point shooting.
In addition to sharpening her shooting, training sessions are about moving faster, being more physical, Sweat said. The duo wants to improve her confidence, dribbling, and foot speed.
“A lot of little things but they add up to big things,” Sweat said. “I think people will see, all the extra things … it’s about getting used to moving at a 110% but being able to slow down when playing at that speed.”South Carolina’s Maryam Dauda looks to improve her game for 2025-26
Dauda’s game made visible improvements from her first moments in a Gamecocks uniform in November to big time minutes in March and April. In the SEC tournament win against Oklahoma on March 8, Dauda had a team-high +18, with five points, three steals, three rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 12 minutes.
