South Carolina filing waiver for Cooper; star PG possibly redshirting

The South Carolina Gamecocks could potentially play out the remainder of the season without one of their key guards from their 2016-17 championship run.

According to an earlier article from The State, South Carolina senior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore has missed the first 10 games of this season with a sprained knee. Head coach Dawn Staley told reporters that she is considering a medical redshirt for Cuevas-Moore, but doesn't want to throw out the possibility of playing this year.

“That’s a possibility, but we just want to make sure that we give our medical staff the best amount of time to see if she can get her knee going,” Staley said.

On potentially the brighter side, the Gamecocks are one step closer to seeing Te'a Cooper making her debut — maybe. Cooper, a junior transfer from Tennessee, has yet to suit up for South Carolina. According to Staley, the program will put in a waiver for her to play once the fall semester ends, which won't be until Monday, Dec. 18.

“Once that takes place, (the waiver is) going to go in, hopefully this week,” Staley said.

Staley expects that the decision could take up to a week, which means Cooper could make her debut as early as Dec. 31 against Texas A&M — if the waiver is approved.

Staley is hoping Cooper will not have to sit out the entire season considering last year she was unable to play for the Lady Vols after sustaining a season-ending knee injury (torn ACL) which left her sidelined.