Dawn Staley has been a top coach for over 26 years now. She took over South Carolina in 2008 and has coached some great players so far. However, one of the greatest players to come out of Dawn Staley’s program is A’ja Wilson. The South Carolina legend was probably the first wave of change in women’s basketball.
After icons like Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and others, Wilson continued the legacy and elevated the standard of women’s basketball. She became the most decorated player in South Carolina history, ending her college career with 2,389 points and 363 blocks, holding school records in both stats. She was also the leader of the Gamecocks when they won their first national championship in 2017. Wilson won SEC Player of the Year three times, Consensus All-American three times, and 2018 National Player of the Year.
Her greatness leaped when she started her WNBA career. She is now a four-time MVP, the most in WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA finals MVP, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson averages 21.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in her career. She ranks first in PPG and fourth in RPG among all-time leaders. So when a legend like her returns to her alma mater to talk to the student athletes, everybody stands and listens closely.
“You can’t just be great when it’s big games, and the lights are bright. You’ve got to be great when it’s the mud. And never losing that belief in one another. I think that’s what changed us, like we really had to come together, like, ‘Okay girl, I believe in you.’ But I am believing that you’re gonna show up because that’s what I need you to be,” she said.
“You do that, you are putting yourself in a great situation. But the biggest thing is like we had this momentum, we had this joy. And we were like, alright, no one can break this bubble. We always used to say, stay poised to the noise. It’s gonna be a lot of noise, now. It’s gonna be a lot of noise, April. It’s gonna be a lot of noise, March. You just gotta play through it. Because everyone wants what you got,” she added.
“Whether it’s the sweat, whether it’s the spear, the talent, like they want it. But you can’t let them have it. You’ve got to hold on to everything you’ve got. It’s gonna take 1 to 12 [players] every single day. Every day matters. What you do off the court matters on the court,” A’ja Wilson dropped some motivational words for the Gamecocks.
Fans React to A’ja Wilson’s Speech to Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Ahead of March Madness
Fans online absolutely loved A’ja’s energy and resonated with what she said.
“Class is in session,” Gatorade’s official account commented.
“I want that on a T-shirt! GOAT,” one fan demanded.
“Needed talk. She’s beautiful and talented,” another fan admired.
“The GOAT talking to the greats,” another said.
“That last sentence tho,” one fan appreciated.
“No mud, no lotus,” one fan said.
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