Dawn Staley praises sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley for slowing down her game ahead of 2024-25 season
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley hailed sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley for spending the offseason improving on her fundamental skills and slowing her game down to become a more effective player.
Fulwiley brought excitement to South Carolina's unbeaten 2023-24 season, impressing the crowd with her highlight-reel moves. She was the Gamecocks' second-leading scorer, averaging 11.7 points per game, despite starting in only three games last season.
"It's great. I praise her all the time because not a lot of young players can get there this young in their career, or are willing to stop and figure it out," she said (per CBS Sports).
Staley hopes Fulwiley's decision to tone down her playing style will add a new element to her game and help South Carolina win its second straight national title.
South Carolina to bank on returning stars in 2024-25 title defense
Aside from MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley will bank on returning stars Te-Hina Paopao, Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin in the Gamecocks' defense of their national women's basketball title.
Paopao was the team's third-leading scorer, averaging 11 points per game last season. But what sets the 5-foot-9 guard apart from her teammates is her accuracy from the 3-point line, shooting 46.7% from beyond the arc.
Staley looks forward to Paopao's leadership skills, as she is one of the senior players in the squad.
Just like Fulwiley, Kitts and Feagin also took the initiative to get better during the offseason and Staley believes that their hardwork will show on the court this coming season.
"They made a commitment to it and now you see their work, you see their development. That's all coaches really want to see, that they are putting in the work and they are listening. You see their improvement, and you only want to see that as a coach," Staley said of Kitts and Feagin.
South Carolina will open the season with two exhibition games against Memphis on Oct. 15 and Clayton State on Oct. 28 and kick off its regular season with a nonconference game against Michigan on Nov. 4.