Mom of Gamecocks transfer target praises USC, Dawn Staley after recruiting process
South Carolina women’s basketball missed out on one of the transfer portal’s top prospects Friday. But that didn’t stop the recruit’s mother from praising coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks.
Virginia point guard Kymora Johnson, a three-time All-ACC player, was a target for South Carolina and reportedly took a visit with the Gamecocks last week. On Friday, though, announced she’d decided to withdraw her name from the transfer portal and finish her career with the Cavaliers, who had a coaching change.
Johnson’s mother, Jessica Thomas-Johnson, was quick to praise South Carolina in various posts on X (formerly Twitter) later that day, offering some behind-the-scenes details on her daughter’s portal process.
“SC is phenomenal - zero negative thoughts or feelings about them!” Thomas-Johnson wrote. “That program is blessed! Exceptional from top to bottom.”
South Carolina and Johnson seemed like a match made in haven on paper. Staley, a former UVA star herself, said she needed “lead guard play” from the portal and Johnson would’ve provided just that.
At the end of the day, the Charlottesville native opted to stay true to her hometown team. It’s rare for a recruit or parent to be so complimentary of a program they didn’t choose, but Thomas-Johnson raved about USC in various posts.
“SC WBB is elite, all the way around,” Thomas-Johnson posted. “If there was anyone who was going to make the home choice hard, it was going to be them!”
In another post, responding to one of various South Carolina fans who wished her family well, she wrote: “We’re always rooting for the Gamecocks!”
Johnson has averaged 17.6 points, 5.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals in her three seasons with the Cavaliers in the ACC. The junior averaged a career-high 19.6 points and led the ACC with 5.9 assists per game this season.
Virginia is coming off one of its best seasons in recent history. The Cavaliers went on a Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed thanks largely in part to Johnson’s play. She averaged 22.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals during March Madness.
After the season, UVA fired coach Amaka “Coach Mox” Agugua-Hamilton, who’d been its coach since 2022. According to reporting from JerryRatcliffe.com and USA Today Sports, Agugua-Hamilton had been the subject of an internal investigaton and faces allegations of staff mistreatment.
Johnson will team up with new Virginia coach Aaron Roussell next season and attempt to continue the program’s positive trajectory.
This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Mom of Gamecocks transfer target praises USC, Dawn Staley after recruiting process."
