“You came through”: Dawn Staley thanks South Carolina fans for kind donations to St Jude’s Children Research Hospital
Before they continue to build on their undefeated 2023-24 season, Dawn Staley's South Carolina will take on the Memphis Tigers on Tuesday. It is an exhibition showdown, the inaugural contest of the "Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic." All the proceedings from the Elma Roane Fieldhouse game will be donated to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Now, hours before the tip-off, Staley shared the immense success the preseason charity campaign has achieved. She posted a screenshot of the fundraiser page, highlighting that the fans' contributions have already doubled the goal of $1000.
"Good am every1! Just wanted to share when I asked you to bless us by allowing us to bless the families at @StJude you came thru and thru-as you always do. Thx to our @GamecockWBB FAMs near & far. And to all who just donated out of the kindness of your hearts and bags & wallets🙏🏾," Staley wrote.
Even before the game was announced, Dawn Staley had been connected with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She is a regular contributor to the research center and has also planned to visit St. Jude’s with the Gamecocks roster.
Apart from the Gamecocks and Tigers, North Carolina's men's basketball roster will take on Penny Hardaway's Tigers.
Memphis Tigers’ history against Dawn Staley
Tigers and Gamecocks have faced off 21 times since 1981. The two programs met 20 times in the next 13 years. With that, the Tigers have played only one contest against Staley’s roster.
The game was held in South Carolina on Dec. 3, 2023, where the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers 79-54. The nonconference game was part of a home-and-home series between the two programs. Initially, the second leg of the series was slated for the 2023-24 season. However, the schools postponed it for the next season, which has now transformed into a fundraising contest.
Dawn Staley's crew enters the matchup on the back of an undefeated championship run. The program returns all players except Kamilla Cardoso and has also added significant role players from the portal and recruiting cycle. Meanwhile, the Tigers are coming off their first year under coach Alex Simmons. The program mounted a 13-17 tun last year, with a 9-9 record in the conference.