Why this season of South Carolina WBB is Dawn Staley’s best coaching job yet
Out of shape. Sleeping through breakfast. Not returning text messages.
This is the South Carolina women’s basketball team coach Dawn Staley started the summer with.
These Gamecocks lacked the discipline that defined “The Freshies” era, pioneered by Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, Laeticia Amihere and Olivia Thompson. The most highly touted class in the nation featured four five-star players who sacrificed individual stardom elsewhere to achieve history at USC. Their reign ended with a loss to Iowa in the 2023 Final Four.
“The Freshies hold a special place in my heart,” Staley said. “... They just did things the right way.”
The 2023-24 Gamecocks, though?
“This team is like a different level of childishness,” Bree Hall said, laughing. “It’s ridiculous.”
Only six Gamecocks remain from last year’s 36-1 squad, as The Freshies moved on to the WNBA and graduation. USC added freshmen MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson and transfers Te-Hina Paopao (Oregon) and Sakima Walker (JUCO) to a team with zero returning starters (and just one player with any starting experience at South Carolina).
It immediately became the youngest team Staley coached in years.
But it has since become her and South Carolina’s second ever undefeated Final Four team. They’re all in Cleveland this weekend looking to bring a third NCAA Championship back to Columbia.
Before this season, Staley had settled into the easy life, knowing whatever problems came up (not that any did), The Freshies would resolve them. They had a firm grasp on their business and how to handle it. They were “just upstanding,” Staley said.
Then came this team. And all its youth.
Staley just wasn’t ready.
At first, she tried to dig in. To mold this group like ones she’d coached before. But her initial approach wasn’t sustainable.
Who would move first? Staley, or these players?
She had to pivot.
“I really am drawn to challenges,” Staley said.
Ding
Staley, one of the most competitive people on the planet, found the perfect angle.
“Once I started to look at it as a challenge,” she said, “I wasn’t going to let them get the best of me, our staff or our program or what we’ve built.”
“That’s when it started clicking in, like, hmm, this must happen. We’ve got to get a hold of this very, very quickly or else it’s not going to work out for a part of us — them or our coaching staff.”
So she loosened up, learned what she could and could not let fly.
The near constant chatter? The goofing around? Fine.
The lack of discipline? Showing up late to basketball obligations? Absolutely not.
“She describes us as ‘daycare,’ ” Paopao said Thursday. “And I completely agree with that. They’re in nap time right now.”
As Staley has poured into this team, this team has poured into her. They’ve taught her that there’s a number of ways to be successful. They’ve taught her how to have fun.
Made official this week in Cleveland, Staley is a four-time national coach of the year (twice unanimous, in 2020 and 2024). But the 2023-24 season, which has challenged her fundamental approach to this job, is by far her best coaching performance yet.
“It’s a new normal,” Staley said, “but the standard is still the standard, which I really, really appreciate. And now that we are where we are, it’s really truly pleasant.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2024 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Why this season of South Carolina WBB is Dawn Staley’s best coaching job yet."
