Tag: Dawn Staley

Breaking news from the NCAA Women’s Basketball scene: The defending national champion and No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks are set to return to the Final Four for the fourth consecutive season. This time, they’ll face off against No. 1 Texas in Tampa for a highly anticipated showdown.

Under the leadership of head coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks have become a powerhouse, claiming three NCAA titles in the last seven years. One of the key figures in this remarkable run is A’ja Wilson, whose legacy is firmly cemented as the star of South Carolina’s first national championship team in 2017. The Columbia native’s mark on the program remains untouchable.

However, fans were taken aback recently when they spotted Wilson interacting with the Longhorns ahead of the Final Four. In a move that raised eyebrows, the former Gamecocks star gifted Texas players her signature “A’One” Nike shoes in the debut “Pink A’ura” colorway—a move she did not extend to her own alma mater.

In a post Thursday morning, the Longhorns’ official social media account shared their gratitude: “The best night,” they wrote, adding, “Thank you, @aja22wilson.”

Wilson’s gesture has sparked a wave of reactions, especially among South Carolina fans. On social media, one fan exclaimed, “OH! I need Friday to be PERSONAL!” while another acknowledged the tough position Wilson was in, commenting, “I know it hurt A’ja to do this when SC in the Final 4 too.”

There was also some playful back-and-forth surrounding the situation, with one fan pointing out, “What’s wild is that South Carolina can’t do something like this because they aren’t a Nike school.” Another added, “Under Armour would have a fit!” And the frustration wasn’t lost on Gamecocks fans, as one pleaded directly to South Carolina Athletic Director JDonati_SC: “SC cannot wear our most famous women’s players shoe because we are with UA. Seeing Texas get that special treatment but not us burns a little.”

In an interesting twist, Texas is coached by Vic Schaefer, who was at the helm of Mississippi State when they lost to South Carolina and Wilson in the 2017 NCAA championship game.

Despite the playful banter and the occasional gripe from fans, many understood that this move was simply a matter of business and brand loyalty. But that didn’t stop the conversation from swirling around the intriguing connection between the Gamecocks legend and the Longhorns ahead of the all-SEC Final Four matchup set for Friday night at Amalie Arena.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley took a victory lap around the court, high-fiving fans and the Gamecocks’ band, even signing the back of a baby’s pants in a moment that had the crowd buzzing.

For Staley and her team, it was another trip to the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament, a place they’ve become all too familiar with. This time, however, they had to dig deep to earn the spot, edging out Duke 54-50 in a hard-fought battle on Sunday.

Chloe Kitts led the charge with 14 points, and with this victory, the defending champions are headed to their fifth consecutive Final Four. As Staley put it, “It’s not going to look pretty. It’s not. There’s stretches in each game that does not look pretty. Some of it’s not going to look as smoothly as us coaches and players envision. How we practice. But you certainly have to get down and play the kind of game that’s presented in front of you. We’ll do that. If we’re not scoring a lot of points, we’ll up our defense.”

South Carolina (34-3) did just that. With the win, they are now just two victories away from making history as the first team to repeat as NCAA champions since UConn’s four-peat from 2013 to 2016. They will face the winner of Monday night’s Texas-TCU game in Tampa on Friday.

Duke (29-8), the second seed, was aiming for its first national semifinal appearance since 2006, when they lost in overtime to Maryland in the championship game. They were also hoping to join their men’s program in the Final Four.

The Gamecocks, who typically average 80.5 points per game, struggled offensively throughout the contest against Duke’s stout defense. “I thought they forced us into taking some bad shots that almost ended our season, really, especially in the first half,” Staley reflected after the game.

With the score tied at 46, Sania Feagin (12 points) hit a clutch jumper to give South Carolina the lead with 4:21 left. Kitts, named the Most Outstanding Player of the region, followed with two free throws just 42 seconds later to make it 50-46.

Duke’s Toby Fournier, who finished with 18 points, kept the Blue Devils in it, scoring a layup with 3:21 left to narrow the deficit to two. With just under 30 seconds remaining, Duke trailed 52-50 and had a chance to tie or take the lead after a controversial offensive foul on South Carolina’s Bree Hall during an inbound play.

Duke worked the clock down before Ashlon Jackson missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left. Hall grabbed the rebound, and South Carolina called a timeout.

Duke head coach Kara Lawson explained, “Went with the ball in Ashlon’s hands as she had been making plays for us in the fourth quarter out of the ball screen. She tried to make a play and just missed it.”

Kitts was fouled with 5.7 seconds remaining and sealed the game with two calm free throws, sending the 11,252 fans in attendance into celebration. Duke turned the ball over on their final inbound play, and South Carolina ran out the clock.

“A lot of things we asked our players to do and they delivered in a big way,” said Lawson. “It wasn’t enough. Hold your head high, you competed. They competed as hard as you could. As a coach that’s all you can ask.”

Duke started the second half with a 16-6 run, taking their first lead since the opening minutes. Fournier’s layup with 2:27 left made it 38-32, and Duke held a 42-38 advantage heading into the final quarter.

This was the first postseason meeting between the two teams.

Key Takeaways:

• Duke’s young team, led by sophomores, will look to build on this Elite Eight run.
• South Carolina is now just two wins away from cementing their legacy in women’s college basketball history.

Key Moment:

Despite trailing 42-38 at the start of the fourth, South Carolina opened the period with an 8-0 run, never looking back.

Key Stat:

Duke’s bench outscored South Carolina’s reserves 24-9, despite the Gamecocks’ depth being a key strength all season.

A New Experience:

In a lighthearted moment after the game, Staley, while celebrating with her team, was handed a baby by a fan, who asked her to sign the child’s pants. “That was a first. My hand was shaking,” Staley laughed.

BIRMINGHAM — While back in Birmingham for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley looked back on a time nearly 20 years ago when she was close to taking the Alabama coaching job.

In 2005, Staley was a candidate to replace Rick Moody, who was retiring after 16 years with Alabama. At the time, Staley was coaching Temple and had a strong 103-41 record with the Owls. According to Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News, Staley interviewed for the position. However, three years later, in 2008, she would take the job at South Carolina, where she has since won three state titles, including the 2024 championship.

“I do remember Mal Moore, a great man. He gave me a great interview, brought me to Alabama and showed me around,” Staley said. “I like to feel the place and see myself there, but once I got to Alabama, no offense, I just didn’t feel like myself. I was so young, from Philly, and I didn’t have an appreciation for the South at that time. I was just too young and naïve to realize it. But I enjoyed the people. When you can’t see yourself in a place, it’s the people that make the difference. I think that was a non-negotiable, and I would probably have to rethink that now because of the people.”

At the time, Staley was still playing in the WNBA for the Charlotte Sting, in the midst of a career that included three Olympic Gold Medals and two All-American honors with Virginia.

Instead, Alabama hired Stephany Smith, who struggled with two last-place SEC finishes during her tenure. Wendell Hudson succeeded her before Kristy Curry took over in 2013, leading Alabama to four NCAA Tournament appearances in the last five seasons.

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‘Zyon Guiles’ Chooses South Carolina, Boosting Gamecocks’ 2026 Recruiting Class

Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks have just landed a key commitment for their 2026 recruiting class with the addition of Zyon Guiles, a four-star offensive lineman. Guiles made his decision official last Tuesday, pledging his future to the Gamecocks.

Ranked as the 157th best player in the nation, the 14th best offensive tackle, and the third best player in South Carolina, Guiles is a significant pickup for the program. His commitment comes after heavy interest from top programs like Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and Georgia. However, with his official pledge now in place, it’s possible that his previously scheduled official visits to those schools will be called off.

Guiles becomes the second offensive lineman to commit to South Carolina for the 2026 class, bolstering the Gamecocks’ depth at a crucial position. With Guiles on board, Coach Beamer will now turn his attention to further enhancing the offensive line through this recruiting cycle.

As South Carolina continues to add high-caliber talent, the future of the program at Williams-Brice Stadium is looking more promising with each passing day.

In a live broadcast of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament selection, South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley made her frustrations known after the NCAA Selection Committee awarded the No. 1 overall seed to UCLA instead of her team. Her comments have quickly ignited debate among college basketball analysts.

Following the seeding announcement, Staley didn’t hold back, stating:

“I will say this. We’re gonna make adjustments to our schedule in the future if the standard is the standard. If that’s the standard, then we can play any schedule and get a No. 1 seed.”

Staley’s remarks triggered a response from sports analyst Steve Kim, who voiced his perspective during Monday’s episode of “Fearless with Jason Whitlock.” Kim questioned the validity of Staley’s complaint, especially since UCLA had held the No. 1 spot for much of the season.

“Wasn’t UCLA the No. 1-rated team for a good portion of this past season?” Kim asked. “What’s the complaint here? You lose head-to-head, they are a good team. But Dawn Staley has a perpetual sense of entitlement and absolutely participates in the ‘victimhood Olympics’ even when she’s on top and she has a monster of a program that is a dynasty.”

Despite Staley’s concerns, analysts believe the Gamecocks still have a solid chance to reach the Final Four. With their path to the tournament’s later stages appearing favorable, South Carolina won’t face UCLA unless both teams make it to the national championship game.

In their previous meeting on February 16, UCLA defeated the Gamecocks in a dominant 29-point victory. However, it’s worth noting that South Carolina is the reigning national champion, having triumphed over Iowa in last year’s title game, marking their third national championship and second in the past three years.

NCAA Committee Clarifies Decision Between South Carolina and UCLA

While Staley voiced her disagreement, the NCAA provided clarity regarding their decision. Committee chair Derita Dawkins spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe during the selection show, explaining that two factors ultimately separated UCLA from South Carolina: head-to-head performance and competitiveness in losses.

“Two key factors between UCLA and South Carolina. One was the head-to-head matchup, the other was one of our criteria, which is competitiveness in losses. South Carolina suffered a 29-point loss to UConn,” Dawkins said. “Those were the two key differences in those résumés.”

Despite the seeding controversy, the Gamecocks are now focusing on their ultimate goal: to become the first team to win consecutive NCAA women’s basketball titles since UConn achieved a four-year streak from 2013 to 2016.

The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team has secured a spot in the SEC Conference Tournament championship game after a commanding 93-75 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. The Gamecocks will face the winner of the highly anticipated matchup between No. 9 ranked LSU and No. 1 ranked Texas, who they edged out for the SEC Tournament’s top seed after a coin toss. The final will take place on Sunday.

Head coach Dawn Staley and her team have established themselves as one of the premier squads in the country. However, with three regular-season losses—the most by any of Staley’s teams since the 2020-21 season—their No. 1 seed status in the NCAA Tournament still appears to be uncertain, especially if they fall short in the SEC Tournament.

Nonetheless, Staley made a strong case for why the Gamecocks deserve a No. 1 seed during a post-game interview on ESPN.

“It’s not us. It’s the NCAA Selection Committee that has to decide,” Staley said, according to an X post from Chaz R. Frazier of ABC Columbia. “We play the best schedule in the country, we had the toughest schedule. Did we have a bad game against Connecticut? Sure. But don’t discount what we did all season long. Don’t do that. It ain’t that time to do that.”

Staley continued, emphasizing the strength of the Gamecocks’ schedule: “We go out and we play the toughest schedule, manufactured so we can get a No. 1 seed, if not the overall No. 1 seed. So we put ourselves in a position by getting to the [SEC Tournament] finals, and hopefully whatever team ends up winning [the Texas vs. LSU] game, we can solidify our No. 1 seed.”

Shortly after, ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme weighed in, reassuring Staley, saying, “Coach, your 1 seed is solidified. Don’t worry about it. Get a good night’s sleep, try to win tomorrow’s game, but it won’t matter whether you win tomorrow’s game as far as the No. 1 seed thing goes.”

Staley delivered a final message to the NCAA Selection Committee, stating, “Did we have a bad game vs. Connecticut? Sure. But don’t discount what we did all season long.”

 

the team showcased their dominance with an 84-63 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on March 7.

The standout performer for South Carolina was junior forward Chloe Kitts, who had an extraordinary outing, scoring a game-high 25 points. Kitts was highly efficient, shooting 12 of 14 from the field, and also contributed 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in just 29 minutes of play.

While the Gamecocks are known for their balanced offensive approach, where it’s hard to predict who will lead the charge each game, they always seem to thrive when Kitts is at her best. Head coach Dawn Staley touched on this during her postgame remarks.

“This is really who Chloe is,” Staley said, according to an X post by Chaz R. Frazier of ABC Columbia.

“[She’s] starting to play very consistent basketball. She wants the ball in her hands, she wants to be a playmaker, she wants to be the one that can score it or dish it to a teammate. I thought her teammates did a really good job at finding her, I thought she did a really good job of just making a play,” Staley explained.

Staley went on to emphasize Kitts’ mental and physical strength, pointing out that the forward had delivered when her team needed her most. “We called her number, and she delivered for us. I would imagine that this is kind of how she envisioned her entire season going, but it didn’t go that way. I mean, it was a little bit up and down, inconsistent. But Chloe is strong enough mentally, physically, to be able to handle the rigors of this league.”

In closing, Staley reflected on the challenges of maintaining consistency in such a demanding season. “No one’s going to just kill it every single night. But if you don’t have the mental fortitude to stay with it through the ups and the downs, you won’t see consistent play like this at any point of the season.”

As the Gamecocks continue their postseason journey, Staley and fans alike will be hoping for more of the same from Kitts as she looks to keep her game on track.

In the final stretch of the regular season and just days away from the start of conference tournaments, the South Carolina women’s basketball team is poised to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Currently ranked No. 6 with a 27-3 record (15-1 in the SEC), the Gamecocks are projected to host the opening round of the tournament before moving on to play in the Birmingham Region. Interestingly, just two weeks ago, after their loss to UConn, projections had the Gamecocks heading to Spokane, Washington.

South Carolina enters the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, with its first game slated for Friday at noon ET at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.

Here’s the latest update on where South Carolina stands in NCAA Tournament projections:

South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament Outlook

According to ESPN’s Charlie Creme, the Gamecocks are still projected as a No. 1 seed, with the first-round games to be played in Columbia within the Birmingham 4 Region. The current bracket features Illinois (No. 8), Richmond (No. 9), and the winner of a First Four matchup between UNCG and High Point (No. 16). If the Gamecocks’ projections hold, they would face either UNCG or High Point, and the winner of that game would then meet Illinois or Richmond.

South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament Résumé and NET Ranking

In terms of rankings, the Gamecocks fell to No. 2 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, with UConn overtaking them for the top spot last week. South Carolina’s impressive performance this season includes a strong 8-2 record on the road, 5-0 on neutral courts, and 14-1 at home. The Gamecocks are also dominant in Quadrant 1 matchups, boasting a 14-3 record. In addition, they are 3-0 in Quad 2, 3-0 in Quad 3, and 7-0 in Quad 4 games. Notably, South Carolina leads the nation with the most Quad 1 wins this season, having secured 11 victories over ranked opponents.

South Carolina’s Rich NCAA Tournament History

South Carolina’s legacy in NCAA basketball under head coach Dawn Staley is undeniable. The Gamecocks have captured three national championships since 2017, including a perfect 38-0 season in 2023-24. In addition, they have made six Final Four appearances, seven Elite Eight runs, and 14 Sweet 16 appearances. On the conference level, South Carolina has claimed the SEC tournament title eight times and has been crowned SEC regular-season champion eight times as well.

Stay tuned as the Gamecocks look to add another chapter to their storied program in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

In a dominant performance on Sunday, Dawn Staley’s No. 6 South Carolina extended their winning streak to four games by defeating No. 15 Kentucky in their final regular-season matchup. The Gamecocks’ impressive victory was celebrated by Staley on Instagram, where she posted a fun video for her 562k followers.

Staley, whose net worth is estimated at $12 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, shared a playful clip singing the McDonald’s jingle, saying, “Hey Mickie, you so fine, you so fine, you blow my mind… hey Mickie!” The post showcased her usual lighthearted and personable side, which fans have come to love.

Sunday’s triumph not only secured a share of the SEC regular-season title for South Carolina but also clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks and Texas both finished 15-1 in conference play, but a coin flip ultimately determined South Carolina’s top spot.

In their regular-season finale, the Gamecocks hosted Kentucky, who despite being ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll, has faced challenges in the tough SEC. With this latest defeat, Kentucky now sits at 11-5 in the conference, placing them fifth in the standings.

Dawn Staley’s celebration comes after South Carolina’s strong performance against Kentucky.

The Gamecocks led 41-33 at halftime, but Kentucky mounted a comeback in the third quarter, outscoring South Carolina 20-17. With just 7:00 remaining, Staley’s squad was holding on to a slim one-point lead. However, South Carolina closed the game with a commanding 13-2 run in the final six minutes.

Sophomore Tessa Johnson led the Gamecocks’ offense, finishing with 16 points. Close behind were Te-Hina Paopao with 13 points and Chloe Kitts with 12 points. South Carolina dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Kentucky 44-28, and shot 49.2% from the field compared to Kentucky’s 42.9%.

With the regular season now behind them, the Gamecocks are poised to carry their momentum into the postseason and continue their quest for glory.

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NFL Combine Performance – South Carolina Linebacker Bam Martin-Scott

South Carolina’s Bam Martin-Scott Hits the NFL Combine

As the NFL Combine kicks off this week, the South Carolina Gamecocks are well represented, with several players gearing up to showcase their talents. On Thursday, it’s the defensive linemen and linebackers’ turn to take center stage, and Bam Martin-Scott is already making his mark.

The linebacker, who wrapped up his college career with an impressive 76 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, is out on the field this Thursday, hoping to impress scouts. Martin-Scott began his journey at Dodge City Community College before transferring to South Carolina in 2022. His standout play earned him honorable mention All-SEC honors from College Football Nation.

Currently projected as a late-round draft pick in many mock drafts, Martin-Scott has a golden opportunity this weekend to boost his stock with a strong performance at the combine.

NFL Combine Results – Bam Martin-Scott:

• Height: 6’2 1/8”
• Weight: 231 lbs
• Arm: 32”
• Hand: 8 ¾”
• Vertical: [Results Pending]
• Bench Press: [Results Pending]
• 40-yard Dash: [Results Pending]
• 3-Cone Drill: [Results Pending]

Additionally, here are the other South Carolina Gamecocks invited to this year’s NFL Combine:

• Raheim Sanders, RB
• Joshua Simon, TE
• Torricelli Simpkins III, OL
• Tonka Hemingway, DL
• DeAndre Jules, DL
• Kyle Kennard, DL
• TJ Sanders, DL
• Demetrius Knight Jr., LB
• Bam Martin-Scott, LB
• Nick Emmanwori, DB
• O’Donnell Fortune, DB

Stay tuned for more updates as the weekend unfolds and these athletes continue their journey to the NFL!