Atlanta Dream rookie Te-Hina Paopao has been quietly honing to become a seasoned professional in the WNBA. Drafted as the 18th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, Paopao has appeared in five games so far for the Dream and is averaging 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. But before stepping into the world of professional basketball, she learned the key lessons preparing her for this big new step from South Carolina Gamecocks’ head coach, Dawn Staley.
Paopao transferred to South Carolina in 2023, where she won a national championship in 2024. She was Staley’s starting guard and was one of the primary options for the Gamecocks, mainly for her 3-point shooting skills and leadership attributes.
In a recent appearance on ‘In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams,’ Te-Hina Paopao revealed the three lessons from Dawn Staley that still guides her to this day – inculcating pro habits, being disciplined, and adjusting well to circumstances.
“She [Dawn Staley] taught me a lot about pro habits and being disciplined and being consistent with pro habits, because those are what you’re going to have to fall on. We don’t you know when things aren’t going your way. And so that’s what I learned a lot from her, and just being with a adjust as well, to your circumstances,” Paopao said (3:29).
Under Dawn Staley’s mentorship, Te-Hina Paopao became the leading three-point scorer in the nation, shooting 48.6% from the deep. She finished her college career with 11.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists alongside laurels such as being selected to Second-team All-American and Second-team All-SEC in 2024.
Te-Hina Paopao speaks about her viral moment with Aliyah Boston
In the WNBA preseason this year, Te-Hina Paopao found herself in a weird situation. In a game against the Indiana Fever, the cameras caught Paopao clapping right after Aliyah Boston bucketed a free-throw. This was quite an unusual sight given the two are from opposing teams. But Te-Hina cleared it up with a laugh and explained why she did so.
Speaking to Khristina Williams, she said:
““I thought we were shooting the free throw, but I was talking to my teammate, and I just saw a shot going, and then I just started clapping, and it happened to be Aliyah. And so I was like, you know what, that’s cool. I mean, you know, Gamecock alumni, why not?”
Though teams apart in the league, guess the Gamecock bond still stays strong. However, it’s interesting to note Boston and Paopao never shared the floor together in South Carolina.
When Te-Hina Paopao transferred to South Carolina in 2023, Boston had already wrapped up her college career.
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