South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley once gave out a bold statement to set the record straight on her program’s mentality. Back in Feb. of 2022, writer Mike Jensen published a feature article on The Philadelphia Inquirer that talks all about Staley, her coaching ways, her off-court life and all about the program she’s been at the helm of since 2008 as at that time, the Gamecocks were taking on the Kentucky Wildcats in an SEC game.
During post-game interviews, through which Staley and the Gamecocks won against the Wildcats by nine points, 59-50, the-now 55-year-old was asked about her decision to put her starters back in despite holding the lead against Kentucky late already. Staley then shared the kind of mentality that she instils in both herself and her players, one that helped them end up with the 2022 national championship at the end of that year.
Also Read: “Im Up on the House”: Dawn Staley Expresses Excitement About New Gig With CBS on WNBA Saturday
“We wanted to win the game…I didn’t want to put them back in. But we had to do what we had to do to win the basketball game,” Staley was quoted as saying.
Staley was then asked if sees both herself and her program as villains in the SEC women’s basketball landscape.
“Yeah, we are the hunted. Me, I don’t know. I don’t care,” she answered.
In today’s time, Staley is coming off of the 2024-25 campaign in which the Gamecocks dominated the SEC once again by winning both of this year’s conference regular season championship and the conference tournament title. They were then defeated by the UConn Huskies in the 2025 national title game as the defending 2024 national champions en route to finishing with an overall record of 35-4 (15-1 SEC).
Dawn Staley Is Acknowledged Even By Fans Of Rival College Basketball Programs
In the same article on the Philadelphia Inquirer, a Kentucky Wildcats fan by the name of Derek Combs was asked about his thoughts on coach Dawn Staley. Despite being a long-time loyal fan of a rival program to the South Carolina Gamecocks, especially with the many SEC battles they have done, fans like Combs still acknowledge the greatness of Staley with the accolades she was won in her tenured career.
“As a Kentucky fan, I do have to boo her. I respect her. She represents the SEC well,” Combs shared.
Currently, Staley is pursuing retribution in the upcoming 2025-26 college basketball season with her Gamecocks as they lost out on potential back-to-back NCAA titles in the 2024-25 season. South Carolina has won two of the last five national championships, three overall, so they will gun for their fourth NCAA championship in its program’s history.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
