“Super unselfish, almost to a fault”: Dawn Staley heaps praise for South Carolina Gamecocks’ camaraderie
Dawn Staley is confident in her 2024-25 Gamecocks squad. The program is coming off an undefeated championship season, recording an average winning margin of more than 20 points in the NCAA tourney. The program only lost Kamilla Cardoso from last season's roster, as the star center transitioned to the WNBA this summer.
It means that much of the camaraderie and chemistry within the lineup stays intact. Staley touched on the subject on Monday as the Gamecocks prepared for their Tuesday exhibition matchup against the Memphis Tigers.
"I mean, this team is pretty tight," Staley said (Timestamp0:32). "They really, really, really, want the best for each other. Super unselfish, almost to a fault. Just really picked up where they left off. And, hopefully, that magic carries us throughout another great season."
Apart from running it back with last year's roster, Dawn Staley has put her group through game-time simulations throughout the summer. She believes that by doing so, she's building her players to think that they only have one chance at every possession, just like in games.
Nevertheless, when asked about the exhibition game against the Tigers, Staley pointed at the potential unreadiness of her roster. However, she added that it's a great opportunity for her to experiment and figure out the Gamecocks' starting lineup.
Dawn Staley and Memphis Tigers have only faced once
Overall, the Tigers and Gamecocks have battled out 21 times since 1981. The two programs met 20 times from 1981 to 1994, but the Tigers have met Dawn Staley's roster only once since then.
That game occurred on Dec. 3, 2023, in South Carolina, ending in a 79-54 USC win. It was supposed to be the first leg of a nonconference home-and-home series between the two programs.
At first, the second leg was assumed to come during the Gamecocks’ undefeated season. However, the two schools postponed it, which turned out to be the Oct. 15 fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The Tigers will face USC under a different coach this time. Alex Simmons was with the program last year, mounting a 13-17 season run and a 9-9 conference record.