After the transfer-that-wasn’t, Bianca Cuevas-Moore could be the leader South Carolina needs
Some of the loudest cheers in South Carolina’s blowout loss to visiting Baylor on Sunday night came when redshirt senior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore entered the game with seconds remaining in the first half. Cuevas-Moore played only 11 minutes and scored just five points, but Gamecocks fans were delighted to see her on the court as she works her way back from knee surgery that caused her to miss the entire 2017–18 season.
South Carolina is just two seasons removed from a national championship, but after the Baylor loss and a win over Appalachian State on Wednesday, the Gamecocks are only 5–4 this season, their worst start since 2010–11. Head coach Dawn Staley has faced several challenges, starting with developing chemistry between two transfers, three freshmen, and the returning players. She has also had to navigate injuries to players like Cuevas-Moore and starting center Alexis Jennings and ease those players into the rotation as they get healthier. And, perhaps most difficult, she needs to find a new leader on and off the court after the graduation of star forward A’ja Wilson.
A prime candidate to provide that leadership could be Cuevas-Moore, who started all six NCAA tournament games two years ago and collected an NCAA-record 12 steals in those games. On first glance, “potential team leader” may seem like an odd label to give her: Cuevas-Moore clashed with Staley in her first three seasons, even opting to transfer to West Virginia this spring before Staley convinced her to return. In announcing her return to South Carolina, Cuevas-Moore explained, “Coach Staley always says that I’m her kryptonite because whenever we bump heads, she always has a string on her heart bringing me back. … I was hard-headed, and it took me a long time to really embrace what Coach wanted. … the fact that Coach Staley had a lot more discipline and structure was hard for me.”
Still, Staley has publicly insisted that “[her] love for [Cuevas-Moore] has never wavered,” and after Cuevas-Moore admitted to being nervous about moving to Morgantown, West Virginia, Staley opened up discussions about a return to South Carolina. Cuevas-Moore says that in those talks, Staley made it clear that “she wants me to be a leader, to try to be a captain. I can do all of that.”
South Carolina’s ceiling this season may hinge on whether Cuevas-Moore delivers on that promise. She averaged 8.3 points and 1.6 steals per game in 2016–17 and shot 37.4 percent from 3-point range. This season, she started off cold, averaging under 4 points per game and shooting just 27.3 percent from deep in the team’s first eight games. However, in Wednesday’s win over Appalachian State, Cuevas-Moore shot 4–4 from 3-point range for 12 points in 12 minutes. If Cuevas-Moore can replicate her 2016–17 form, she could provide a big boost for a team that shot only 30 percent from behind the arc in its first eight games this season. Beyond the direct effect on the scoreboard, teams would have to guard Cuevas-Moore more closely, opening up the paint for Jennings and creating driving lanes for players like all-SEC guard Tyasha Harris.
If you’re still skeptical, it’s worth noting that a similar evolution from coach’s kryptonite to coach’s newest weapon is already playing out this season in men’s basketball. Kansas senior guard Lagerald Vick started 35 games for Kansas last season, scoring 12.1 points per game, but he was also one of the toughest players for head coach Bill Self to get through to. At one point, Self said he had “no idea” what was causing a shooting slump for Vick; at another, he benched Vick and told the media, “It’d be nice to have guys compete and play to their athletic ability.” After the season, Vick declared for the NBA Draft, and Self was “100 percent sure” Vick would either play professionally or transfer. But, after several heart-to-hearts and a discussion with the rest of the team, Self allowed Vick to return.
Self said before the season that he wanted Vick to “be a positive leader,” but the Jayhawks’ lone senior has been better than anyone could have expected. He is averaging nearly 18 points in over 35 minutes per game, is shooting over 57 percent from three-point range, and saved Kansas from an upset loss to Stanford last weekend with 27 points and the game-tying three-pointer. Following that game, at least one member of the media dubbed Vick “KU’s unquestioned go-to guy.” Self said, “his attitude and everything’s been terrific … the bottom line is, when the decision was to come back, forget about the past. It’s a new chapter.”
At South Carolina, it is a new chapter for Cuevas-Moore, too. Staley hopes to have her fully healthy and playing regular minutes by the start of conference play. As she gets her rhythm back, look for her to be a game-changer on both ends of the floor for the defending SEC Tournament champions. In a statement that applies equally to women’s basketball, Self said, “The best thing about most good teams is basically [accomplished] through their senior leadership.” Gamecocks fans hope that Cuevas-Moore can demonstrate some of that leadership and help keep South Carolina among the nation’s elite.
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