Dawn Staley Articles - Page 2

The women’s 2025 NCAA Tournament has arrived at the Sweet 16 following two thrilling rounds of play. After witnessing some incredible games and record-setting March Madness moments, it feels like the real competition is finally underway. Every contest will feature a top-five-and-above matchup from here on out, meaning the battle for the national championship remains […]

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo are among those lamenting the absence of USC women’s basketball JuJu Watkins from the NCAA Tournament after her season-ending knee injury earlier this week. The sophomore guard, who averaged 27.1 points per game, will miss the remainder of March Madness, leaving a noticeable void in […]

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley gave her candid perspective this week on the challenges of repeating as national champions, describing the difficulty her team has faced in staying grounded after last year’s undefeated title run in the NCAA Tournament. Speaking ahead of the Gamecocks’ Sweet 16 matchup against Maryland, Staley said her team […]

South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley made an eye-opening admission after her team’s victory over Indiana. The Gamecocks were in a back-and-forth affair in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Coming off a ninth straight SEC Championship, Dawn Staley’s team is trying to repeat as national champions for the first time in […]

Head coach Dawn Staley isn’t worried about the South Carolina Gamecocks having a chip on their shoulder. The Gamecocks are preparing for the 2025 NCAA Women’s Tournament, coming off their championship win in the SEC Tournament. Staley discussed why the Gamecocks still didn’t get the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket despite their competitive […]

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley expressed pride in her team after the Gamecocks defeated Texas 64-45 on Sunday to capture another SEC Tournament title, their ninth in the last 11 years. Fifth-ranked South Carolina never trailed, using a dominant 19-2 run in the second-quarter to take control and secure their third straight conference […]

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley said her team is playing its best basketball of the season ahead of Sunday’s SEC Tournament title game against No. 1 Texas. The fifth-ranked Gamecocks (29-3) are seeking their third straight conference tournament championship and fifth in six seasons. “I think we’re playing our best basketball, individually and […]

Chloe Kitts came through with a strong performance for the South Carolina Gamecocks in their quarterfinal matchup with the Vanderbilt Commodores. This drew high praise from head coach Dawn Staley. In 29 minutes of action, Kitts finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. She shot 12-of-14 from the field, leading one-seed […]

The South Carolina Gamecocks will earn the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament over Texas due to a coin flip. A coin flip was necessary to determine the top seed in the SEC Tournament due to both South Carolina and Texas finishing with identical 15-1 records in the SEC play. The head-to-head record between […]

Dawn Staley and the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 82-54 on Sunday night. However, Staley had high remarks for the opposing team’s star Mikayla Blakes. In 31 minutes of action, Blakes finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists for Vanderbilt. She shot 5-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-5 from […]

South Carolina women’s basketball star Te-Hina Paopao called out the Gamecocks’ performance in their embarrassing 87-58 loss to the UConn Huskies. The clash of these titans got out of hand in the first half as the No. 7 team in the country broke South Carolina’s 71-game home-winning. Now, head coach Dawn Staley’s squad will have […]

South Carolina and UConn came together to play one of the biggest women’s basketball non-conference matchups of the season, and it looked like only one team showed up. South Carolina took an 87-58 loss, as they only led one time during the game and had their 71-game home win streak snapped. After the game, head […]

No. 4 South Carolina women’s basketball, led by head coach Dawn Staley, bounced back in dominant fashion Thursday night with a 101-63 victory over Florida at Colonial Life Arena. The team improved to 23-2 overall and 11-1 in SEC play, extending their home winning streak to 71 games after the Gamecocks’ tough loss to Texas […]

Despite suffering a 66-62 loss to the No. 4 Texas Longhorns on Sunday, South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley had immense praise for the state of women’s basketball. Staley gave her thoughts on the sport’s growth in the postgame press conference. She views women’s basketball to be getting more respect from viewers as they […]

The South Carolina women’s basketball team continued its dominance in the SEC with a hard-fought 70-63 win over No. 18 Tennessee on Monday night, marking their 15th consecutive win. The No. 2-ranked Gamecocks improved to 20-1 overall and 8-0 in conference play, solidifying their place atop the league standings. Head coach Dawn Staley credited the […]

One of the biggest games on the calendar this women’s basketball season lived up to the hype on Friday as South Carolina knocked off LSU 66-56 in front of a sold out home crowd in Columbia. After LSU’s offense performed well in the first quarter, Dawn Staley’s squad suffocated the Tigers on the defensive end […]

Dawn Staley is not only one of the best coaches right now, but she is the highest-paid in women’s sports after the Board of Trustees approved a contract extension for the South Carolina women’s basketball head coach. “Dawn Staley has signed a contract extension keeping her with South Carolina until 2030, the school announced,” ESPN […]

Years ago, Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud began to hear about rumblings of a basketball league. That league would become Unrivaled. The 3×3 league, put together by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart has been the talk of the WNBA offseason. The 36-player league will feature an eight-week season that runs from January 17 to March […]

It’s been a bad week for pretty much everyone in the Southern California region with the raging wildfires prompting hundreds of thousands to evacuate, LA celebrities and A-listers included. But one SoCal famous name is having the week of his life, with Liangelo Ball’s viral song Tweaker the talk of the music and sports world […]

South Carolina women’s basketball junior Ashlyn Watkins has a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season, the team announced on Tuesday. Watkins will have surgery in the next few weeks. “Not often that we’ve had injuries like this one. Unfortunately Ashlyn’s out for the rest of the season,” head coach Dawn […]

South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley reached another major milestone Thursday night, securing her 200th career SEC victory with an 83-52 win over Missouri. The Gamecocks remain undefeated in conference play this season and extended their SEC-record conference winning streak to 48 games. Staley’s SEC record now stands at 200-55, making her the […]

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley gave an honest take on TCU women’s basketball guard Hailey Van Lith. The Horned Frogs’ senior is having the best year of her decorated career, averaging 19.4 points per game on career highs in efficiency, assists, and rebounds. This stellar start comes after a challenging season for Van Lith […]

South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley described UCLA as a “buzz saw” after her No. 1-ranked Gamecocks suffered a decisive 77-62 defeat Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, ending the team’s program-record 43-game winning streak. The loss marked South Carolina’s first since the 2023 Final Four and its largest margin of defeat since 2019. “It […]

One of the most decorated players in South Carolina women’s basketball history, A’ja Wilson, will have her No. 22 jersey retired by the Gamecocks next year. The ceremony will take place before the team’s game on Feb. 2, 2025, against Auburn at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. The announcement was made Tuesday, marking […]

The Minnesota Lynx fueled a historic 18-point comeback against the New York Liberty that had the whole sports world buzzing, including South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. Staley is a huge ambassador for women’s basketball who has put several star players in the league such as 2024 WNBA unanimous MVP A’ja Wilson. Per Staley, […]

South Carolina women’s basketball team began fall practice this week, but the Gamecocks were without junior forward Ashlyn Watkins, who remains suspended following her arrest on Aug. 31. Head coach Dawn Staley confirmed on Tuesday that Watkins’ status has not changed, and the team is waiting for further developments before any decisions are made regarding […]

The undefeated national champion South Carolina women’s basketball program has released its schedule for the upcoming season, which includes a matchup against an HBCU program. Coppin State, an HBCU based in Baltimore, Maryland, will visit South Carolina to face the Gamecocks on Nov. 14 at Colonial Life Arena. Coached by Dawn Staley, the Lady Gamecocks […]

The South Carolina women’s basketball team celebrated its 2023-24 national championship with a visit to the White House on Tuesday, marking the program’s first trip to Washington, D.C., for such an honor. Coach Dawn Staley, who led the Gamecocks to an undefeated season, expressed her gratitude and used the moment to highlight the significance of […]

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley described the experience as “surreal” after the state unveiled new highway signs celebrating the Gamecocks’ national championships. The signs, which honor the team’s victories in 2017, 2022 and 2024, will be placed at 15 locations across South Carolina, including key highway exits and welcome centers. During a ceremony […]

The clutch heroics of A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray will always be etched in the minds of WNBA fans. With the clock winding down, both of them were able to execute flawlessly for Becky Hammon’s Las Vegas Aces for their 18th win of the season. While the Chicago Sky just got beat in the clutch, […]

The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Chicago Sky after a last-second buzzer-beater layup from A’ja Wilson. It was the players that executed the play, but it was the coach that had to put it in motion for the players to run it. As a coach herself, Dawn Staley understood that, and she gave Aces head […]

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is in talks to schedule an HBCU opponent for a final out-of-conference game for her defending Lady Gamecocks. Staley hinted at this potential matchup on her social media account, sparking excitement among fans and fellow coaches. “When going to the peeps here on this app allows you to converse […]

Kevin Durant and LeBron James have gotten most of the adulation following Team USA’s 110-84 demolition of Nikola Jokic and Serbia during Sunday’s opener for the Americans in the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball tournament. However, Durant and James were not the only ones who went down to work and got the job done on […]

South Carolina women’s basketball coach and Team USA women’s basketball selection committee member Dawn Staley acknowledged that  Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark would have been given strong consideration for the 2024 Paris Olympics roster if selections were made today. Staley’s comments came on the eve of Team USA’s first game against Japan on Monday adding […]

The Las Vegas Aces may have suffered a 93-85 loss to the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night, but let that not distract anyone from the continued greatness of A’ja Wilson. Wilson, in a losing effort, put up 28 points and 14 rebounds as she continues the hot streak that has been bolstering her claim as […]

We’re nearing the halfway point of the 2024 WNBA season and two rookies have stolen the headlines so far — Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. In the latest rookie rankings from ESPN, the Chicago Sky star is actually the top dog, while Clark is sitting at No. 2. Yes, there’s still lots of time left […]

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley delivered a moving speech at the ESPYs on Thursday night, where she was honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Staley used the platform to advocate for pay equity and address other social justice issues. “How do I not fight injustice when I ask them to do […]

If you missed the Las Vegas Aces’ 95-81 win over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, you missed a historic night. A’ja Wilson has once again proved she is the real MVP.  Wilson scored a season-high 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, making her the second player in WNBA history to record multiple games of at […]

South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley was ecstatic to see her former player Kamilla Cardoso make her WNBA debut with the Chicago Sky on Saturday. However, she might have been too happy that she overlooked an important aspect of the game: the result. Cardoso, who was sidelined to start the 2024 season due […]