Why South Carolina women's basketball forward Maryam Dauda swapped time off for extra training

COLUMBIA — Before South Carolina women's basketball's 2024-25 season even ended, Maryam Dauda knew where she'd be in May.
Whether the Gamecocks and coach Dawn Staley finished with a title again, as they did in 2024 before Dauda transferred from Arkansas, the 6-foot-4 forward had plans no matter what.
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"I just feel like I have so much to learn," Dauda told The Greenville News. "Coming into a new system, learning this system, learning the pace of the game and I am very excited for the offseason because I am going to be in the gym," Dauda said with a smile.
And she kept that promise to herself.
After the Gamecocks lost to UConn in the championship on April 6, Dauda got back to work. Though she wasn't required to be in Columbia in May, she was. She worked with sports performance coach Molly Binetti and a local skills and development coach, Drevon Sweat.
South Carolina's Maryam Dauda's offseason work
South Carolina's assistant coaches can't participate in offseason training with the players until summer practices begin in mid/late June.
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Sweat, a 2022 South Carolina graduate, has been doing 1-on-1 training sessions with Dauda since the season ended.
"She didn't want to go home," Sweat said, who worked previously with former players Te-Hina Paopao, Zia Cooke, LeLe Grissett, and Destiny Littleton. "She wanted to stay here, keep working and be ready, more prepared for the upcoming season."
In her first season under Staley, Dauda's minutes and impact varied. When she first arrived, the Gamecocks hadn't lost a game since March 31, 2023 and were fresh off an undefeated season. Dauda along with two freshmen joined the program but only one left. The dynamic wasn't necessarily easy to navigate.
Dauda averaged 6.4 minutes and two points per game during the 2024-25 season. At Arkansas, she averaged 28.7 minutes and 10.1 points per game. She knew transferring meant sacrificing a starring role.
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A key difference in her game is how she stretches the floor, something that Sweat recognized not many forwards can do. She can shoot 3-pointers, but only shot 25% last season.
Before the Final Four against Texas, Dauda was drilling 3-pointers in practice when Staley asked her when she was going to do that in a game. The next day, she hit on with 24.8 seconds left to push South Carolina's lead to 20. After the game, Dauda said a sense of relief and also confidence ran through her body.
Ensuring those moments are no longer few and far between is one of the many goals of the offseason.
"As a team, it gives them more assets to use," Sweat said of her 3-point shooting.
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In addition to sharpening her shooting, training sessions are about moving faster, being more physical, Sweat said. The duo wants to improve her confidence, dribbling, and foot speed.
"A lot of little things but they add up to big things," Sweat said. "I think people will see, all the extra things ... it's about getting used to moving at a 110% but being able to slow down when playing at that speed."
South Carolina's Maryam Dauda looks to improve her game for 2025-26
Dauda's game made visible improvements from her first moments in a Gamecocks uniform in November to big time minutes in March and April. In the SEC tournament win against Oklahoma on March 8, Dauda had a team-high +18, with five points, three steals, three rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 12 minutes.
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"She's starting to put it all together," Staley said after the game.
Dauda isn't the first college athlete to opt out of summer relaxation and instead get extra work in to improve their game. However, Sweat still sees a uniqueness about her approach during the sessions, which are typically four days a week.
REQUIRED READING: Olivia Thompson's journey from South Carolina women's basketball reserve to podcast host
Throughout the last month, Sweat has seen improvement in her strength, ball control, and stamina. Her ability to go 110% for the entire workout wasn't something Dauda could necessarily do last offseason.
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"She's working hard and it's hard work," Sweat said. "She's not late, she's on time, she's working the whole time and not complaining. It's not easy work, she could be at the beach but it's impressive with what she's doing. Nowadays with the college landscape, there's a lot of other factors going on but the fact that she's here, working hard, focused, it's impressive."
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why South Carolina forward Maryam Dauda dedicated her offseason to training

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