Gamecock WBB transfer Eniya Russell staying in the SEC
After entering the transfer portal last month, former South Carolina guard Eniya Russell has landed at a new school within the SEC.
Russell announced via Twitter on Monday she’ll be transferring to play for conference rival Kentucky under head coach Kyra Elzy. Russell, who announced her decision to enter the transfer portal after South Carolina’s national championship win over UConn, has two years of eligibility remaining. Kentucky confirmed her signing Monday evening.
The 6-foot-1 rising junior out of Baltimore was a five-star recruit in the class of 2020 and the No. 43 prospect according to espnW. She saw limited minutes at South Carolina, averaging 7.7 minutes across 23 games in the 2021-22 season. She scored 53 points with 30 rebounds on 42.2% shooting and went 5 of 12 from 3-point range as a sophomore.
“Eniya is a player that we absolutely loved when we recruited her in high school and we are excited that she has decided to join the Wildcat program this time around,” Elzy said in a school statement. “Eniya has great size on the perimeter, has elite athleticism and is very skilled offensively. She can score at all three levels and her ability to score out of the ball screen action will open up our offense. We have obviously followed her first two years collegiately at South Carolina and think her style of play is going to fit our program perfectly. We cannot wait to see what her future holds at Kentucky.”
Russell’s tweet indicated she would be reuniting with a familiar face from Baltimore, as Kentucky also announced a commitment from former LSU forward Ajae Petty. Russell’s tweet featured a photo of the two posing together with Wildcat jerseys as well as a photo of them when they were children.
Kentucky defeated South Carolina in last season’s SEC tournament championship game off a buzzer-beater but fell early in the NCAA tournament, losing in the first round to Princeton.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Gamecock WBB transfer Eniya Russell staying in the SEC."
