South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley cheered on two of her former players now playing in the WNBA. On Saturday, the Indiana Fever faced the Atlanta Dream at the State Farm Arena.
Raven Johnson, who was drafted by Indiana, faced her former teammate Te-Hina Paopao during this showdown. Dawn Staley took to social media with a message for both of them, cheering them on as they pursue their WNBA dreams.
“When championship teammates become opponents= must be @GamecockWBB I love it here,” Staley wrote while tagging both Johnson and Paopao.
Atlanta ended up securing a 113-96 victory at home. Te-Hina Paopao scored 16 points with two assists. Raven Johnson, on the other hand, scored 21 points with six rebounds and two assists.
Coming out of high school, Johnson joined Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. However, she suffered a season-ending injury during her freshman year after appearing in just two games. However, the Gamecocks ended up emerging as national champions.
Johnson won her second championship during the 2023-24 season. In five seasons, she averaged 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The Fever drafted her with the No. 10 pick this year.
On the other hand, Te-Hina Paopao began her collegiate career with Oregon in 2020. In 2023, she transferred to join Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. She was a part of the South Carolina team that won the 2023-24 championship.
In two years under Staley’s guidance, Paopao averaged 10.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 3.3 apg in 76 games. The Atlanta Dream drafted her with the No. 18 pick during the 2025 WNBA draft.
Taking a look at Dawn Staley’s most recent campaign with South Carolina
Dawn Staley took over as the coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks back in 2008. So far, she has won three national championships with the program while making the NCAA Tournament consecutively since 2011-12.
Last season, Staley helped the Gamecocks emerge as the SEC regular-season champions. However, they lost to the Texas Longhorns in the conference championship game. Despite this, they managed to qualify for March Madness.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Gamecocks made it all the way to the national championship game for the third-straight season. However, they failed to lift the trophy as UCLA emerged as champions following a 79-51 victory in the season finale.
Dawn Staley has put up a 511-113 overall record with South Carolina.
Read More: WATCH: Dawn Staley Enjoys Special Moments as Several Former Gamecocks Feature in WNBA Game
Also Read: “I’ve Gotten Smarter”: Dawn Staley Responds After A’ja Wilson Claims She’s “Gotten Soft”
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