Laeticia Amihere
- position Forward
- height 6-4
- class Senior
- Hometown Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
- High school King's Christian Collegiate
- position Forward
- height 6-4
- class Senior
- Hometown Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
- High school King's Christian Collegiate
Laeticia Amihere Bio
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
- 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
Bio Information
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
- 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)
- 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
- 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