"The least of their worries is scoring": Dawn Staley warns WNBA-eligible South Carolina players amid slow start to NCAA season
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks secured their 60th straight home win after defeating Coppin State 92-60 Thursday night. However, some WNBA-eligible players on the Gamecocks underperformed relative to expectations.
Three South Carolina starters struggled to score and made some uncharacteristically poor plays. This forced Staley to limit their minutes in the win.
When asked about the struggles of Sania Feagin, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson, Staley chalked the performances up to players potentially looking ahead.
"Sometimes it happens. I do know that this is a real thing. When we have our WNBA-eligible players, sometimes it happens, during the season at some point, it hasn't happened this early. And maybe it's not what they're thinking about but I'm sure they're thinking about it. It makes you press, it gets you out of your normal routine of focusing on the game, your focus becomes something else and the things that you do well aren't up the par.They understand it but you really can't control it. So we just have to try our best to get them back to their habits, and show'em the film and let them know that again, the least of their worries is scoring."
Staley also offered some advice for her players.
"Don't try to force the issue, let me just pass it off, let me stand over here. Shot comes, let me shoot my normal, routine and technique, hit it and you look good."
Examining the stats behind Staley's comments
The three players who have had a noticeably slow start to the season for South Carolina are Feagin, Hall, and Johnson. Feagin, who averaged 15.1 minutes per game last season only played seven minutes against Coppin State, finishing with four points and three rebounds.
Despite playing 28 minutes, Hall only had eight points and six rebounds. Over the first three games of the season, she has averaged only 6.1 points per game. While her rebounding average has doubled in this short span, her shooting percentages have fallen.
Johnson, who averaged 8.1 pts per game in 37 games played last season, finished the game without scoring. All 3 of these players are seniors and have been on the team for four years now.
What does this mean for South Carolina?
Staley seems to speak from a place of concern, but she admits she's not worried about her players. While the players may not have declared for the draft yet, Staley knows the pressure that decision itself can bring on a player.
South Carolina retained its No. 1 ranking with the win over Coppin State. While stars like Fulwiley and Kitts can carry the team to wins in regular season games, the Gamecocks need to come together and perform like a unit to achieve back-to-back national titles.