A Former ACC Scoring Champ Just Landed a New Deal in Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Aces are making a low-risk bet on a college star who once led the entire nation in scoring. On Wednesday, the team signed guard Ta’Niya Latson to a developmental player contract.

Latson isn’t a rookie in the traditional sense. The Los Angeles Sparks selected her with the 20th overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, but her stint out west was brief. She suited up for just 10 games with the Sparks, averaging 1.8 points and 1.0 rebound in limited minutes before getting waived on July 6. Now she’s getting a second chance to prove she belongs in the league.

Her collegiate résumé, though, is what makes this signing interesting. Latson spent three seasons at Florida State before transferring to South Carolina for her senior year. During the 2025 season with the Seminoles, she led the NCAA in scoring at 25.2 points per game and earned second-team All-America honors from both the AP and the USBWA.

The honors started piling up early. She was named the National Freshman of the Year in 2023 by both the USBWA and the WBCA, and she made first-team All-ACC three times. Across four college seasons, the 5-foot-8 guard averaged 20.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 32.6 percent from deep. That’s production you can’t ignore.

Her final season at South Carolina was a different kind of challenge. Playing for Dawn Staley, Latson started all 35 games and averaged 14.1 points and 3.6 assists. The Gamecocks went 36-4 overall and 15-1 in SEC play, making it all the way to the NCAA championship game before falling short as national runners-up. Not a bad year to spend as a grad transfer.

Before college, Latson was a McDonald’s All-American and won Florida Miss Basketball honors at American Heritage School in Plantation. She’s been scoring at an elite level for a long time.

The Aces’ developmental contract gives Latson a chance to work into the rotation without immediate pressure. She’s already shown she can fill it up against top competition. The question now is whether she can translate that college scoring into consistent WNBA minutes. Las Vegas is betting she can.