Maryam Dauda is finally in a place where she feels truly happy. The South Carolina women’s basketball player has found her joy in Columbia, embracing her role on the team and cherishing the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. After spending three years at Arkansas, her home-state program, Dauda made the decision to transfer. While she had success with the Razorbacks—leading the SEC in blocks and earning a starting role—something still felt off.
Her time at Arkansas wasn’t bad, and she has no ill will toward the program, but she sensed she belonged somewhere else. At South Carolina, she has found a team where every player shares a collective desire to win. Unlike some teams where individual goals can sometimes overshadow the group effort, she feels the Gamecocks are fully committed to a common mission.
“I’m a lot more happier,” Dauda said. “I feel like I’m on a team where everybody just wants to win. You don’t have a person that’s like, oh, I wanna win or whatever. Collectively everybody’s wanting to win and just get to the next game.”
For many players, transitioning from being a starter who played nearly 30 minutes per game to a reserve averaging just six minutes—often in garbage time—would be frustrating. But Dauda sees things differently. She values the camaraderie and support from her coaches and teammates just as much as playing time.
“It’s been everything I hoped it would be and more,” she said. “I’m just taking one game at a time and just being in the present, taking everything in and learning as I’m going. I’m learning from my teammates and learning from my coaches and just taking everything in.”
Dauda had prior experience in the NCAA Tournament with Arkansas when they made the field in her redshirt freshman year. However, that appearance ended in a first-round loss to Utah. This time, stepping onto the court for her first tournament game with South Carolina felt entirely different.
When she checked into the game on Friday, she felt not just excitement but also a sense of relief. “I just feel free, just going out there and playing,” she said. “I’m just moving on to the next round.”
During the fourth quarter of South Carolina’s game against Tennessee Tech, every other Gamecock had already put points on the board—except Dauda. Head coach Dawn Staley subbed her in, and her teammates were determined to get her a bucket.
Dauda didn’t want to force a shot, but her teammates were persistent. “I think it happened because we were kind of talking about it on the bench,” she recalled. “I was like, let it just flow and I don’t want anybody to force it. Then (MiLaysia Fulwiley) just kind of saw the opportunity to pass me the ball and it just happened.”
Beyond basketball, Dauda is set to graduate with a degree in economics this spring. She has options—she could enter the WNBA Draft or even transfer again—but she already knows what she wants to do.
“I’m definitely coming back for sure,” she said. “I’m coming back for sure.”
Her long-term goals extend beyond the basketball court. She dreams of starting an international fashion line, and she believes earning a master’s degree in economics will help her achieve that vision.
“Yes, that’s the goal,” she said. “That’s still the goal. But wherever that takes me, it takes me.”
For now, that journey has taken her to Birmingham, where she and the Gamecocks are preparing for the Sweet 16.
