University of South Carolina Aiken Athletics

The University of South Carolina Aiken women’s basketball coach Mike Brandt has been very successful in guiding the program to historic heights over the years. He has always had a high retention rate, typically bringing in high school standouts and building them up over a four or five year period. However, Brandt knows talent when he sees it – and he managed to have a few transfers on his squad over the past couple of seasons as they took the road less traveled to get to the destination they desired.

Those transfers have grown up in the program and have quietly been part of a solid core of the team since their arrival. With the quartets maturation, the Pacers have improved in each season. This year, the four look to lead USC Aiken back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season, which was a year before any of them arrived on campus.

Prior to the 2013-14 season, Brandt brought in a pair of transfers in Tiffany Addison and Mariah Durian. Addison, a point guard, had previously played for Arkansas-Fort Smith, while Durian had played her rookie campaign at Western Oregon.

The two came to USC Aiken for different reasons, but their decisions to come to Aiken, S.C., helped shape the team this season.

“I transferred to get closer to home,” Addison stated. “I’m now 2.5 hours away from my hometown of Summerville, S.C., as opposed to 16 hours away.”

“Being from California, I wanted to have a new experience,” Durian stated. “I found out that I didn’t click with the team at Western Oregon like I had hoped, so I wanted a new start so I thought I would come here.”

That first season, both had a profound impact on the team that was one of the youngest in Division II. On a squad that had just one senior, the dyad was solid contributors. Addison saw time in 25 games, earning five starts. She was solid defensively and helped set the tone on offense. Durian played in all 29 games, garnering 26 starts. She scorched the nets with 10.6 points per game during a season that saw the Pacers earn a berth in the PBC Tournament after winning five of their final eight regular-season games.

“My sophomore year was considered a rebuilding year,” Durian said. “Our team held our own against other schools and I have so many good memories during that year.”

With a year of play in the Peach Belt Conference under their belt, the Pacers were still considered young, but experienced. That changed with the signing of junior college transfer Stephanie Ball from Sante Fe C.C. and junior transfer Katelyn Grisillo, who arrived after a two-year stint at Presbyterian College.

“The basketball program brought me to USC Aiken,” Ball said. “It was very welcoming and I had really good chemistry on the court with the girls and could see myself being a part of the team. I had a good connection and enjoyed the coaching staff.”

“Getting an opportunity to play is what brought me here because I wanted to be more than a practice player, even though I’m thankful for my time at PC,” Grisillo mentioned. “I thought I’d get a chance to contribute a little more at USC Aiken. Coach Brandt was very laid back, which is definitely appealing to a point guard.”

The team still had an abundance of sophomores on it while only having a pair of seniors, but the junior class now had five student-athletes on it. Despite being predominantly young, the injection of a pair of newcomers that were upperclassmen gave the team even more experience and allowed it to become more versatile.

The Pacers were on the verge of making the NCAA Tournament despite Durian and Grisillo suffering season-ending injuries. Durian saw time in 14 games before going down after averaging 11 points per contest. Grisillo had seen time in 17 games, playing over 18 minutes a night. A solid distributor of the ball, she was averaging 2.1 assists a game while hitting 79.2 percent of her free throws.

With the injuries, Ball ended up playing extended minutes later in the season. She accounted for 5.4 points a game and added a pair of assists each contest. Addison saw her minutes decrease some, but she was still an instrumental part of the team. Her leadership and defensive prowess were needed throughout the year. She maintained a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

The quartet has grown up together and each knows that this is their last year to leave a legacy at USC Aiken.

“Individually, I’ve become a better teammate and a better player by coming here,” Addison said.

“I’ve learned how to accept criticism, be a better teammate and leader and how to overcome challenges,” Durian stated. “I have learned that everyone is capable of so much more than they can imagine when they have their teammates backing them and coaches pushing them.”

“I’ve learned to be a better student-athlete and a more well-rounded person,” Ball said.

“My injury put things into perspective for me and has helped me learn to enjoy the game more than sweating the small stuff,” Grisillo stated.

The squad worked relentlessly in the off-season, including the rehab accomplished by Durian and Grisillo as each managed to be back for the season-opening game this year. As much as the four have grown up off the court, their games and expectations are also heightened this year.


“We have a great group of girls and we have so much depth and potential on our team this year,” Ball said. “I am extremely excited as for what we are capable of doing this year and I have high expectations for us.”

Addison echoes Ball’s remarks.

“I believe we can be well over .500 and in the NCAA Tournament this season,” Addison stated.

“Anybody on our team could be in the starting five on any given day, which is a great thing for us and it means we have a lot of depth,” Durian said.

“I’d like to see us get farther than last season and be a contender for the PBC title,” Grisillo stated. “Aside from wins, I truly want our team to grow closer on and off the court and really enjoy each other and our time together. It goes so quickly and nothing is promised, so I’d really like to enjoy the moment and trust the process.”

The four transfers who left previous institutions to come to USC Aiken took the road less traveled. Each has not only helped build the program, but each has been a vital part of the program’s success – on and off the court. They trusted the process and although they came from different paths, are now on the same path on an outstanding journey that is their senior season.