Over the weekend, top-5 national prospect Olivia “Big O” Vukosa announced her top-16 schools, and South Carolina Gamecocks made the cut along with the UConn Huskies, Tennessee Volunteers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, UCLA Bruins, North Carolina Tar Heels, Miami Hurricanes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Kentucky Wildcats, Baylor Bears, Louisville Cardinals, Maryland Terrapins, LSU Tigers, and Virginia Tech Hokies.
16 teams is a lot, but it is still a good thing for Dawn Staley’s program to be included. Vukosa is one of the very best post players in the high school game right now, and with USC’s track record of developing bigs, Vukosa likely will continue to give the Gamecocks a look. As a member of the class of 2026, she just started her junior year of high school, so she has two more years to develop before stepping onto a college campus.
As a player, Vukosa has elite size for the women’s game (listed at 6’5″) and has the skill versatility to play either power forward or center. Vukosa has a solid post-up game, and her spin move on the block is deadly. She also has a quick and confident jump shot release, giving her the ability to knock down open shots in the midrange and, on occasion, from the perimeter.
Big O has decent handles, and thanks to that ballhandling ability, her footwork, and her ability to finish with either hand, the big post player could be one of the top paint scorers in college basketball in a few years.
As a member of several Croatian national teams at the youth levels and a star player for Christ the King High School in New York City, Vukosa has played against elite competition and has dominated against them all. Landing a player of her caliber would be a huge get for Dawn Staley’s South Carolina basketball program.
You can watch some of her film here.
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