South Carolina Gamecocks Women’s Basketball Practice Squad Rewarded With NIL Deals

A lot of work has been done by Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team over the last few years to cement themselves as one of the premier programs in the nation.

Staley has compiled an impressive 461-107 record with the Gamecocks and a laundry list of accolades and awards to match. 

They have won the NCAA Tournament three times, been to six Final Fours, been the SEC regular season champions eight times and won their conference tournament on eight occasions as well.

A lot of credit should be given to Staley and her players who wore tirelessly to be able to perform at the highest level on the court.

However, there are a lot of people who help them get to that point and recently, the head coach wanted to reward them.

The South Carolina women’s basketball practice squad, known as the Highlighters, are made up exclusively of male players who help the team prepare at practice.

Their achievements on the court are made possible by the work that the practice squad puts in and Staley wanted to make sure they knew their dedication doesn’t go unnoticed, so earlier this week she revealed that an NIL deal had been secured for all of them.

"They sacrifice so much and they work so hard," Staley said of her practice squad recently, via Lulu Kesin of Greenville News. "Part of it is they love basketball, the other part of it is they know they're helping us," Staley said. "I try to come up with innovative gifts."

In a video that was shared to social media, the Highlighters were given an NIL deal with Oofos sandals. A recovery shoe brand, Staley has been working with the company since 2022 and wanted to show appreciation for the guys without interfering with the massive Under Armour deal that the school has.