Grissett and Williams Sign with Gamecocks
Nov. 9, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley announced that Elisia Grissett (Durham, N.C./Hillside) and LaDazhia Williams (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch) have signed a National Letters of Intent to attend the University and play for the Gamecocks. Both will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2017-18 academic year.
“An athlete with speed, quickness and jumping ability, [Elisia] has the immediate versatility to play at forward and wing,” Staley said. “We anticipate moving her around to match her skill set and our needs. She’s one of the most unselfish players we’ve seen and can really pass the ball.”
A 6-foot-1 small forward out of Hillside High School in Durham, N.C., Grissett is ranked the No. 24 prospect overall and the No. 4 wing in the 2017 Class on the espnW 100. Leading Hillside to a 28-2 record and a spot in the Class 4A state semifinals. The versatile Grissett posted 22.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 3.0 blockes per game as a junior. A late arrival on the basketball court, she began playing in eighth grade and a year later averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds while starting on a Hillside team that went 26-3 and sent six players to NCAA Division I programs.
“LaDazhia is a skilled post player who can face up and also score at the rim,” Staley said. “We expect her to have an immediate impact within our post play. She is capable of dominating with her rebounding and demands to be guarded with her skill set. She’s a shot blocker, too.”
A top-50 recruit in the espnW 100, the 6-foot-2 Williams is the 12th-ranked forward in the 2017 Class. Before participating in the 2016 USA Basketball U18 National Team Trials, Williams was tabbed Florida Association of Basketball Coaches 7A Player of the Year. She posted 15.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game as a junior in leading Lakewood Ranch High to the state championship game. In 84 career high school games going into her senior season, Williams amassed 1,445 points, 764 rebounds and 146 blocked shots.
The pair marks the first signees for Staley’s 2017 class.
