By: Katelyn Stevens
College Basketball made its debut Monday and in the midst of all the uproar from the outcome of the games, a rising freshman has caught the eyes of Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant.
Milaysia Fulwiley put on a show stopping performance during Carolina’s season opener against Notre Dame in Paris, France. Fulwiley led the Gamecocks to their first win of the season, 100-71.
Fulwiley stole the spotlight during her career opener. The McDonald’s All-American was one of the five Gamecocks to score double digits Monday and was the second-highest scorer after Kamilla Cardoso. She finished the game shooting 57% from the floor, scored 17 points, and had six steals and six assists.
“She’s a generational talent,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “There aren’t very many females or males that’s able to do what she does. She just has a really good knack for the game. It comes to her quite naturally, and we’re so happy that she’s a Gamecock, and she can give us some of those exciting moments.”
Fulwiley entered the game halfway through the first quarter and rocked out. She stole passes, dropped some 3-pointers and made sure to make crowd-standing plays.
All eyes were on Fulwiley during the second quarter. They threw the ball in and she took it coast-to-coast and wrapped it behind her back and finished at the rim for a highlight-worthy layup. This move isn’t foreign to the point guard, as she’s been doing it since she was in high school.
“I just felt like I was in high school, and that was my favorite move when I was in high school, so I just did it,” Fulwiley said after the game. Then I saw the defender coming up and so I had to fake like I was dishing it to Cardoso because she was being dominant and then I just laid it up.”
Staley recruited the 13th ranked best prospect in the 2023 class by ESPN from Keenan High School in Columbia. Fulwiley signed with the Gamecocks in November of last year. During high school she surpassed 2,000 career points just as a junior. She averaged 29.6 PPG, 6.8 assists and 4.6 steals last season for her alma mater.
Fulwiley has had traction since she was in middle school. During her 8th grade year she joined Keenan’s varsity team and led them to the state championship in 2018. Though they didn’t win, she secured three consecutive state championship rings before she graduated. While in high school she led the team with the most points for multiple seasons. She was also recruited for Curry’s Under Armour Camp.
Embed from Getty ImagesCurry has made sure to follow along with the young prodigy and gave her a shout out during Monday’s game saying ‘I see you’.
The Gamecocks struggled to find their rhythm in Paris, but as the season continues Fulwiley will be an asset to Carolina. She performs no matter which side of the ball she’s on.
If Milaysia carries her first-game performance through the rest of the season we’ll probably be hearing her name as much as Gamecock legends: A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston.
Staley and the Gamecocks will host No. 12 Maryland on Sunday at Colonial Life Arena at 1.
