Posted on 03/01/2026 11:45:03 AM PST by nickcarraway
Three former South Carolina women's basketball players have been competing in Israel, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said on social media Saturday, and an effort is being made to get them home in the wake of the United States-Israel military strikes against Iran.
Staley wrote that Tiffany Mitchell, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Destiny Littleton were "in a war zone in Israel."
"We are working a plan to get home," Staley wrote on X. "Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance."
A spokeswoman for South Carolina athletics told ESPN on Saturday night she had no additional information on the situation beyond what Staley had posted on social media.
Littleton made several videos from Jerusalem that she posted on X, saying she was safe, had packed up her belongings and was heading to the home of a teammate who had a shelter. Sirens were going off in the background of some of her videos.
"I'm just trying to stay calm," Littleton said. "I really don't want to even be out here on the streets. I'll keep you updated."
Later Sunday, she told ESPN, "I am doing all right -- shaken up but blessed to be safe. There are current options being looked at and [we'll] know more information once we have executed those options to safely get out."
Littleton played at Texas, South Carolina and USC in her college career from 2017 to 2023.
Mitchell played for the Gamecocks from 2012 to 2016 and was a starter on the program's first Final Four team in 2015. She was the ninth pick in the 2016 WNBA draft, and she has spent 10 seasons in the league, finishing last year with the Seattle Storm.
Herbert Harrigan was a freshman on South Carolina's first national championship team in 2017 and finished her college career in 2020. She was the No. 6 pick in the WNBA draft that year. She has played two full seasons in the WNBA, most recently with the Phoenix Mercury in 2024.
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Huh? They are perfectly safe in Israel and why is this Staley’s business?!
Shouldn’t they be Gamehens?
Shouldn’t they be Gamehens?
They are a lot safer in Israel than they would be in South Carolina.
They are a lot safer in Israel than they would be in South Carolina.
These women are professional basketball players.
Are they not capable of purchasing an airplane ticket and flying home if they so desire??
What am I missing?
Dark days, black nights in Israel.
Six years?
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