Laeticia Amihere could have been a starter on practically any other team in the country, and coming off of the bench wasn't what she imagined when she signed with South Carolina women's basketball in 2019.

The 6-foot-4 forward started just four games in her collegiate career and logged zero starts in her senior season. She was also the second of five South Carolina players selected in the 2023 WNBA Draft when the Atlanta Dream picked her at No. 8 overall. Amihere is the first non-starter selected in the first round since UConn's Azura Stevens in 2018.

Hearing WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert call her name in New York on Monday night was proof for Amihere that Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley knew exactly what she was doing.

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"When I came here I had a vision, but she also had a vision for me," Amihere said of Staley. "She said, 'L.A., don't worry.' That's what she would always say, because obviously I'm not getting as many minutes as I would at a different program. She said, 'L.A., don't worry, I got you.' She stood with that promise, and I'm here now because of her and because of the coaching staff that believed in me. I'm so thankful for who she is and what she has done for my journey."

Three South Carolina seniors were selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, the first time a single team has done so since Notre Dame in 2019. Amihere was preceded by Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, and followed by Zia Cooke at No. 10 to the Los Angeles Sparks. The Gamecocks are one of seven programs ever to land three players in the first round and one of four to have five players selected over the three rounds.

"This group of girls have been through life together," Amihere said. "These four years haven't been only about basketball, but it's about growing as women together. Being able to be with them on one of our biggest nights has just been an amazing experience."

After the going through pageantry of her selection, Cooke found Staley standing in the back of the draft room and wrapped her in a tight hug. Like Amihere, the senior guard attributed the success of this South Carolina class to Staley and said she expects her coach will remain an influence at the professional level.

"It's huge testament to Coach for being able to bring all these great girls together and make history, and now we're all living our dream," Cooke said. "I know she's a call away, so if I'm feeling anything, I know I can call her and cry ... I know she's going to always be here for me. I'm definitely excited to know that I was coached by somebody that will be here for the rest of my life, and I love her for that for sure."

For Brea Beal, the fourth Gamecock chosen at No. 24 by the Minnesota Lynx, it all comes back to the trust that the 2019 recruiting class put in Staley from the very beginning. That faith led them to historic college careers: a 129-9 career record, a single home loss in four years, three consecutive Final Fours and the 2022 NCAA Championship.

"She's somebody we trusted. She's been through it all, many years of basketball," Beal said. "Her knowledge is through the roof, so we trust everything she says. For her to have four of us here, it shows that we trust her, we believed in her and she believed in us throughout the whole entire way."

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How trust in Dawn Staley led South Carolina seniors to 2023 WNBA Draft