MiLaysia Fulwiley Lives Up To The Hype In Gamecock Debut

South Carolina's women's basketball team felt they had something special in MiLaysia Fulwiley, and she validated the offseason hype on Monday.

When Dawn Staley met with the media at SEC Women's Basketball Media Days two and a half weeks ago, she said that the theme for this year's new look South Carolina squad was 'expect the unexpected.' Gamecock fans saw far more positives than negatives in that regard on Monday afternoon, as Carolina thoroughly dominated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 100-71 in Paris.

The game served as a coming out party for several players who were playing their first game in an expanded role like Kamilla Cardoso, and were playing their first collegiate game in general, like point gaurd MiLaysia Fulwiley. Coming in as part of the No. 2 recruiting class in the country according to ESPN's HoopGurlz team rankings, Fulwiley stole the show in the Halle Georges Carpentier, scoring seventeen points on 57 percent shooting from the floor, throwing in six assists and steals each to boot.

MiLaysia Fulwiley driving to the basket against multiple Notre Dame defenders (6th Nov., 2023) / Stephane Mantey | USA Today Network

Her performance including several highlight reel-worthy plays, one of which was so jaw-dropping that it garnered a reaction from Naismith Baskeball Hall Of Famer Ervin 'Magic' Johnson.

I’m watching the women’s basketball game between South Carolina and Notre Dame right now and I just saw the best move in all of basketball including the pros like LeBron, Steph, KD, Victor, and Jokic. Everyone must see the coast-to-coast, behind-the-back move by freshman guard…

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 6, 2023

This is the kind of attention that the South Carolina has gotten for years now. People who watched her during her freshman year at Keenan High School said that she would the next great basketball player to come out of the state. If that wasn't enough, multi-time NBA Champion, and a future first ballot hall of famer in his own right, Steph Curry, took her under his wing, as the two have each others phone numbers and consistently chat.

When you have that kind of name caché coming out of high school, it can serve as either a driving force to get better, or make you complacent and feel like you've arrived. If her Gamecock debut is any indication, MiLaysia's popularity has had the effect of the former on her, as she played complementary basketball and served as a jolt of energy for Carolina off the bench against a top 10 team that went all the way to the sweet sixteen in last season's NCAA Tournament.

Buckle up Gamecock nation, because the future has arrived.

Join the community:

• Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
• Follow Joseph Griffin on Twitter: @JosephGriffinJG
• Follow Fisher Brewer on Twitter: @USCTalk
• Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.