Laeticia Amihere

Awards

At South Carolina
NCAA Hemisfair Region All-Tournament Team (2021)
3x SEC Academic Honor Roll (2020, 2021, 2022)
3x SEC Women’s Basketball Community Service Team (2020, 2021, 2022)
SEC Women’s Basketball Leadership Council Chair (2021-22)

High School
WBCA All-America, Honorable Mention (2019)

International (Team Canada)
2022 FIBA World Cup
2020 Tokyo Olympic Games
2021 FIBA AmeriCup
2020 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tourn. (Belgium)
2017 FIBA U19 World Cup, bronze medal
2017 FIBA U19 World Cup, All-Tournament Team
2016 FIBA U17 World Cup
2015 FIBA U16 Americas Cup, gold medal

South Carolina Record Book

Game
Most blocked shots in an NCAA Tournament game (9 vs. Texas, 3/30/21)

Career Summary

• Steady contributor all four years of her career, helping team to three SEC Regular-Season championships, three SEC Tournament titles and three NCAA Final Four showings, including the 2022 National Championship … team record of 129-9 during her career, including a 45-7 mark against nationally ranked opponents … ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for 38 straight weeks, the second-longest streak in the history of that poll … lost just three SEC regular-season games in four seasons
• In 2021-22 season, part of first team in program history to be ranked No 1 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Polls every week of the season … group went on to become just third program to hold No. 1 spot in the AP Poll every week in back-to-back seasons
• Closed out career with best offensive season, averaging 7.1 points on 48.7 percent shooting as a senior … ranked among SEC’s top 15 in blocks per game
• Over career, posted three double-doubles, 28 double-figure scoring games and led the team in assists eight times
• Was first Gamecock women’s basketball player to compete in an Olympics during her college career
• Dominated in 2023 SEC Tournament, averaging 12.3 points on 60.0 percent shooting and handed out 3.0 assists per game to help lead Gamecocks to the title
• No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, taken by the Atlanta Dream in the first round

The moment every athlete dreams about … no one has persevered more than @_Theblackqueen_ for this moment! ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/yVywqrdhSE

— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 11, 2023

Bio Information

Senior Year (2022-23)

• Helped team to program-record 36 wins, including perfect 16-0 slate in SEC action, seven wins over ranked opponents, an SEC Tournament title and a spot in the NCAA Final Four for the third-straight season
• Part of team that set program records for points scored, rebounds and rebounding margin in addition to an NCAA record for blocked shots per game
• Finished the season ranked 15th in the SEC in blocks per game (1.06)
• Fueled a second-quarter comeback in NCAA Final Four against No. 3 Iowa (Mar. 31), scoring all eight of her points in the period to help turn a seven-point deficit to start the quarter into a one-point game at halftime
• Averaged 12.3 points at SEC Tournament on 60.0 percent shooting and handed out 3.0 assists per game
• Scored season-high 17 points in SEC Tournament semifinals against Ole Miss (Mar. 4), including five of team’s 15 second-quarter points to take 15-point halftime lead … dished out four of her seven assists in the fourth quarter
• Huge offensive presence against Arkansas (Mar. 3), putting up a season high 16 points, contributing half of them in the fourth quarter alone in a 13-3 run by the Gamecocks
• Added six of her eight points against Georgia (Feb. 26) in an 8-2 run to close the first quarter with a lead
• Had a career day at the free throw line at Vanderbilt (Jan. 19), making 7-of-10, and adding on a team-high three blocks
• Had her fifth double-figure scoring game of the season at Kentucky (Jan. 12), posting nine of her 11 points in the final quarter, including seven in a 18-2 run that sealed the victory
• Went on a personal 6-0 run in the second quarter against Memphis (Dec. 3), notching three consecutive layups on two steals and a block to give the Gamecocks a 15-point spread over the Tigers
• Ran the point most of the fourth quarter against #15/17 UCLA (Nov. 29) and hit 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the final 1:11 to help seal the victory
• Efficient offensively at Cal Poly (Nov. 22) with a team-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting
• Delivered a clutch offensive rebound on missed free throws with a two-point lead and 27 seconds left overtime at #2/2 Stanford (Nov. 20)  … finished with six boards to go with nine points and a pair of blocks
• Grabbed five of her eight rebounds at #17/18 Maryland (Nov. 11) in the second quarter to help hold off the Terps
• Missed much of the offseason and preseason with the team due to Team Canada commitments

Junior Year (2021-22)

• Part of first team in program history to be ranked No 1 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Polls every week of the season and program’s second National Championship
• Team posted program-record 14 wins over ranked opponents and claimed the SEC Regular-Season title
• Missed six games on the season, including two while helping Canada qualify for the 2022 FIBA World Cup (Feb. 10-13)
• Scored in double figures five times during the season and was the top scorer off the bench for the season with 6.3 points per game
• Powered home six points in 19-2 second-quarter run that broke open NCAA Elite Eight win over Creighton (Mar. 27)
• Team’s second-leading scorer in SEC Tournament with 10.0 ppg to go with 5.3 rpg at the event
• Led the reserves with nine points – seven coming in the fourth quarter – in the win over #12/8 Tennessee (Feb. 20)
• Finished with her third game in a row without a missed shot, hitting all four attempts in the fourth quarter of the win vs. #24/rv Ole Miss (Jan. 27)
• Thrived in the point guard position against Kansas St. (Dec. 3), controlling pace and putting all her skills on display with a six-point, six-rebound, three-block first half then adding six of her career-high seven assists in the second half
• Scored a career-high 18 points in the blowout of #9/9 Oregon (Nov. 21), including four straight free throws that started an 8-2 run to close the first quarter and establish a 13-point lead the Gamecocks would not relinquish
• Strong season debut off the bench at #5/4 NC State (Nov. 9) recording all six of her points during the game’s pivotal 10-3 run that closed the third quarter, scoring on a drive, a putback and a move in the paint

Sophomore Year (2020-21)

• Part of team that claimed its second-straight SEC Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 2017
• Ranked ninth in the SEC in blocked shots (1.2) … finished at 11th in conference play (1.1)
• Was outstanding in the NCAA Tournament with 10.0 points per game on 51.2 percent shooting to go with 7.6 rebounds per game (second on the team), earning NCAA Hemisfair Region All-Tournament Team recognition
• Battled through early foul trouble in the NCAA Elite 8 against Texas (Mar. 30) to flirt with a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and nine blocks, a program record for blocks in an NCAA Tournament game
• Caught fire in the fourth quarter against #17/17 Kentucky (Feb. 21), scoring six of her 12 points and pulling down five of her 13 rebounds in the final frame to notch her third double-double of the year, and first against SEC competition
• Opened the season with her first career double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 11 rebounds against the College of Charleston (Nov. 25)
• Added 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason and improved vertical jump from 22 to 28 inches, long jump from 7-8 to 8-4 and 3/4-court speed from 3.27 seconds to 2.96 seconds

Redshirt-freshman Year (2019-20)

• Part of the first team in program history to end the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, claiming that spot in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll
• Helped team to SEC Regular-Season and Tournament crowns before seeing the COVID-19 pandemic cancel the NCAA Tournament … won all 16 SEC regular-season games
• Came off knee injury to play entire season, missing just four games due to Team Canada commitments, including helping her home country qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium (Feb. 7-9)
• Ranked 12th in the SEC in blocked shots per game (1.1), 13th in conference games (1.2)
• Turned in four double-digit scoring games, including three in SEC action, and led the team in rebounding twice (Purdue, at Florida)
• Great SEC debut with aggressive offensive mentality for season-high 14 points against #13/13 Kentucky (Jan. 2)

Freshman Year (2018-19)

• Joined the team in January 2019 to receive treatment for a season-ending injury suffered early in her senior season of high school

High School

• Ranked the No. 10 overall recruit and the No. 2 forward in the 2019 class
• Saw her high school career shortened by season-ending injuries in her junior and senior seasons, the latter of which allowed her to graduate early and enroll at South Carolina in January 2019
• Earned honorable mention All-America honors from the WBCA (2019) and was selected for the 2019 Biosteel All-Canadian Basketball Game
• Has won two medals in two international competitions with Team Canada – bronze at the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup (All-Tournament Team) and gold at the 2015 FIBA U16 Americas Cup
• Played five exhibition games with the Canada Senior Women’s National Team in 2017
• Became first Canadian woman to dunk in a game when she threw one down at the age of 15

Personal

• Daughter of Georgette and Anthony Amihere … has two brothers, Benson and Kofi
• Completed her bachelor’s in sport and entertainment management in May 2022 and is pursuing a master’s degree in the field