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South Carolina has thrived under coach Dawn Staley whether the team has a go-to star or not. Te-Hina Paopao's unassuming leadership style, therefore, has been a perfect fit in Columbia. 

Only five Gamecocks are averaging more than 20 minutes per game, and Paopao leads the way at 25 minutes per contest. She averages slightly over 11 points per game, which doesn't seem too eye-catching until considering Staley aims for a balanced effort, which is exemplified by seven active Gamecocks averaging over seven points per game. 

Paopao's biggest strength is something that doesn't show up on box scores or highlight reels: her "calming presence."

"I don't think you see a lot of players like me with such a high-caliber team that is able to present a calming presence for the whole team, especially offensively -- and defensively, sometimes, I'm still working on that," Paopao said.

Paopao transferred to South Carolina in 2023 after spending the first three years of her career at Oregon. With her on the roster, the Gamecocks accomplished a perfect season while winning the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Paopao was the Gamecocks' 3-point shooting specialist, as she led the nation by shooting 46.8% from beyond the arc. She ranked second in the SEC with 2.35 3-pointers per game and was also second in offensive rating (123.9). 

Paopao decided to return for a fifth year, and continues to show how reliable she is while shooting 49% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc. She is the team's third-leading scorer at 11.1 points per game and is tied for second on the team in assists (2.8). 

Paopao's teammates need her, but she emphasized she also needs them.

"I value their opinion, and they let me know what I need to do to be better, and I let them know what they need to do better as well," Paopao said. 

That type of attitude is needed on a team that relies on several players shining simultaneously. Paopao is one of the most experienced players on the roster, but the Gamecocks recently lost one of their vocal leaders in junior forward Ashlyn Watkins due to a torn ACL.

"This season is for her. She has been through so much," Paopao said. "We encourage her that we still need you. We need your voice, we need your passion, because she's a very passionate person. We need her to keep yelling at us because that's what we love about her. We love that her energy is contagious. We have the next man mentality up, and it's been doing a great job for us with how everyone is stepping up in replacing that type of adjustment that we needed."

Paopao's culture, family an inspiration

Paopao enjoys the simple things in life, such as having breakfast with her brother and her newly found hobby of word search puzzles. She comes from a Samoan football family that includes her uncle Joe Salave'a, who played defensive tackle in the NFL. 

At seven years old, Paopao's dad would wake her up to join her brother, Israel Paopao, in his 4 a.m. workouts. She hadn't exactly decided she would be a basketball star at that age, but her motivation to get after it early came from her family.

"Sports in Samoan culture is really popular with us," Paopao said. "It really brings families together. I think that's something that really inspired me, be like my brothers and be even better -- being the competitive sister that I am."

Paopao had around 20 family members from all over the country watch her lift the 2024 championship trophy. That was a special moment, but not completely uncommon for her.

Paopao typically has around 10 family members at every home and road game. There is not an official Paopao family section, but the support is there thanks to Israel Paopao helping with logistics. 

Israel Paopao moved to South Carolina when his sister committed so she could have support nearby. Te-Hina lives with her teammates, but Israel lives nearby and they meet up every day. Te-Hina said her team has embraced Israel and the rest of her family. 

"They call him Tofu, when his name is really Tofi," Paopao laughed. "They are really familiar with him, and I'm just really glad that the girls have a close relationship as well … (My family members) really mean a lot to me, and I'm just really happy that the girls accepted them. They probably see a few new family members at each game, so it's really nice for them to meet my people for sure."

Last year, Paopao gifted her teammates Kukui Nut necklaces, which are a sign of unity and family in her culture.

"I just felt like in my heart I would share that with them, especially since Samoan culture is not really popular in the South," Paopao said. "My culture really means a lot to me, and I'm really blessed and grateful to share that."