COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has landed one of the top players in the Pac-12 in guard Te-Hina Paopao.
A 5-9 guard, Paopao was quite the performer at Oregon where she was a three-time all-conference selection including a pair of First Team All-Pac 12 awards. She is on the verge of 1,000 career points after averaging 12.5 points in her three seasons in Eugene. Oregon. This past season, she was the team's third leading scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game as the Ducks went 20-15 and made the WNIT quarterfinals
“We are thrilled to welcome our newest team member to our Gamecock family – Te-Hina Paopao,” Staley said.
“T is a skilled proven point guard that can score and deliver the ball. She brings big game experience and is a great fit for the SEC.”
In her time at Oregon, the Ducks played in the 2021 NCAA Sweet 16, qualified for the 2022 NCAA Tournament and reached the 2023 WNIT Quarterfinals.
In high school, she was a McDonald's All-American and ranked as the nation's #11 recruit coming out of La Jolla Country Day School in California. The Oceanside, Calif., product was named California’s Gatorade State Player of the Year, Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Basketball, Coastal League player of the year and San Diego Section player of the year after leading her high school to a 32-1 record and the No. 1 national ranking as a senior.
