Saniya Rivers won a title at South Carolina and wants another, this time with NC State

CLEVELAND — When they saw each other Wednesday for the first time in nearly two years, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and NC State guard Saniya Rivers embraced. 

But for the following 48 hours, they probably won’t be too friendly with each other. 

It’s a weird matchup for Rivers, the 6-foot-1 junior guard who averages 12.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and a team-high 3.8 assists per game for the Wolfpack, and Staley, the 16-year head coach for the undefeated Gamecocks. Rivers started her career in Columbia, going in as the No. 3 player in the 2021 class, according to ESPN HoopGurlz. 

But then she hit the transfer portal. Rivers wouldn’t say Thursday why she decided to leave South Carolina – she said previously she didn’t think she was a good fit with the program, calling herself "not the piece of the puzzle they were looking for," and on Thursday wanted to focus only on the upcoming game – but assured everyone she is still on good terms with Staley. 

"She’s a great person," Rivers said of Staley. "We still talk to this day, she congratulates me on accomplishments. I do the same thing. If it’s her birthday, I wish her a happy birthday. We saw each other (Wednesday), hugged it out."

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Rivers was on the 2022 national championship roster at South Carolina, when the Gamecocks beat UConn 64-59 for their second title under Staley. She played just five minutes in the game, taking one shot (she missed). In almost 13 minutes of action per game that season, she averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 assists. 

NC State coach Wes Moore has known Rivers, a Wilmington, North Carolina, native, for years and watched her plenty in high school. When she re-opened her recruitment, he wanted to get in the mix immediately. 

"I knew how special she was," he said. "A year ago, Saniya came in and we had a lot of veteran players. She was probably hesitant to try to take on a leadership role … but now I think she realizes she’s a leader for us, and we’re counting on her. It’s really what coaching is all about. You see them come in as high school girls and then all of the sudden, at some point, they become confident women. It’s neat to see that process."

Rivers was an important contributor last season, winning ACC sixth player of the year honors. She did a little bit of everything, and her impact was especially felt on the defensive end, where she averaged 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. 

Staley has watched from afar, and said earlier this week that she still talks to Rivers and her parents. She's proud of everything the former Gamecock has accomplished in Raleigh. 

"I often text with her and her parents. I texted them when they won and they found themselves in the Final Four," Staley said. "I say this often: Once you're a part of our family, whether you stay or whether you transfer, you're always going to have me as a resource. You're always going to have me as someone that wants you to do extremely well.

"I’m proud of Rivers. I really am. Obviously we knew she was a tremendous player."

Still, Staley would love for Rivers to still be at South Carolina.

"It’s unfortunate that her talents aren't on display in a Gamecock uniform, but the most important thing, her talents will be on display at a Final Four," Staley said. "I do think her experience with us will help her navigate through that space, because she's the only one on the team that's played at this level and really understands what it takes to win."

Rivers credited Moore with helping her improve her 3-point shot over the past two seasons, joking that her freshman year at South Carolina, "I was like one- or two-for-God knows how many." (It was actually 1-of-31.)

She said Moore "lets me have a pretty free game. That’s another reason I came here; he just lets us play, and he’s developed my game."

That development is part of why she’s back at the Final Four chasing another title, and the jewelry that comes with it. 

"I would love to have two rings on my hand," she said. "That would be really nice. My mom keeps (mine) in the case, and she wants me to get another one. I might have to bring them both out if that happens."

Then Rivers smiled and corrected herself: "When it happens."

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com or follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell