Exclusive: How Madina Okot has found a home with South Carolina

Madina Okot has been thriving this season at South Carolina, and has been an important player during the team’s March Madness run to the Final Four thus far. But it hasn’t always been easy. In some ways, her experience is still a little difficult.

Okot didn’t begin her college career in the United States like the rest of her teammates. A native of Kenya, she played two years at Zetech University while her she got her visa ironed out to be able to play in the U.S. Once she was able to come over to the states, she committed to Mississippi State.

After a solid season with the Bulldogs, she entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to South Carolina. While she’s still adjusting a basically a whole new life, she credits her Gamecocks teammates for helping to smooth out the transition a little bit.

“I’ve been able to show the extra work that I’ve been putting in,” Okot told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “My teammates and coaches have been there for me, to support me, to help me and encourage me. It hasn’t been easy at all, but they make it look easy.”

Madina Okot’s journey to South Carolina

Okot was a late bloomer when it came to basketball. Originally a volleyball player, she didn’t take up hoops until her early high school years. She quickly blossomed into a star, and become one of Kenya’s most distinguished basketball players in a short amount of time.

She was selected as part of the Kenyan national team’s U23 squad for FIBA 3×3 competition. In 2022, she was given the Most Promising Girl Award as part of the Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year Awards. She started playing with the Kenya Ports Authority in the FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball League. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the 3×3 Africa Cup pre-Olympics qualifiers. And she was the only African player that appeared in the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit.

It was not surprising that college teams came calling for her. An interior player with size who can score in the post and protect the paint defensively, don’t just grow on trees. And while she had a successful season at Mississippi State, the transition away from home involved a lot of sacrifice and isolation.

“Honestly I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person. I feel like something I learned was just being able to handle a very tough situation by myself, situations by myself,” Okot said. “I feel like it’s not going to be the same, and it’s never going to be the same. International students are never going to be the same as players that come from here.”

It wasn’t only adjusting to new teammates that Okot had to do. It’s adjusting to a whole new culture. Adjusting to a new country where things are very different. Basketball is only a part of the equation.

One of the major differences is not getting to see your family every day. Not having that support system in place to help ease the transition. And on top of it all, having to play basketball at a high level.

“They’re always around their parents, even if they’re not around their parents maybe they meet their parents every month or every weekend. It’s different for us,” Okot said. “You’re gonna go through stuff. Everything is different, the culture, the food, you’ve got to deal with that. But you still have to perform the same as people who come from here.”

That’s why it’s important for international students to pick the right program. A program where the coaching staff and teammates can help alleviate the various challenges that manifest themselves. And Okot believes she has found that place with South Carolina.

Head coach Dawn Staley has fostered that kind of welcoming environment with a family-type system where newcomers feel comfortable. Whenever a recruit commits to South Carolina, Staley takes to social media to post her famous line, ‘a birdie just flew into the nest.’

The way she runs the program is akin to a mother bird looking after her children, and Okot is blessed to have been welcomed into nest. That mindset trickles down to the rest of the team.

“She’s a coach, when it comes to business, it’s business. But outside of basketball, she’s very good. She gives motherly vibes,” Okot said. “I’m just appreciative to my coaching staff and teammates. Honestly they’ve been so available for me. Whenever I need anything, need a shoulder to lean on, they’ve been present for me. They’ve made South Carolina feel like my second home.”

And when it comes to the basketball side of things, Okot’s play is one of the reasons why South Carolina has a chance at a national championship. With the absence of Ashlyn Watkins and the season-ending injury to Chloe Kitts, the Gamecocks’ frontcourt depth took a major hit.

That’s where Okot has stepped up. She’s been the starting center for the majority of the season averaging 13.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocked shots. She’s shooting 58.4 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from 3-point range and 70.4 percent from the free-throw line.

But when it comes to the key reason why South Carolina can win the national championship, Okot believes it’s the chemistry the team has built throughout the season.

“The chemistry is good. I feel like everybody knows each other,” Okot said. “We all know each other well on and off the court.”

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