Dawn is a great recruiter

[GamecockJAC]

Not necessarily a great coach. She had the better players but was out coached. You can’t let the opposing teams best player score 40. That would never happen in a men’s Final Four in 2023.

This is the second or third time Dawn has had the best players in the tournament and didn’t win the Championship. She recruits athletes who play basketball. Iowa has shooters and high basketball IQ girls who are athletic.

I’m not complaining about Dawn as I don’t think we could do better. However, I had hoped for 6-7 Championships before she retired. Now, maybe 1 or 2 more is the max.

 

[Prestonyte]

Great recruiting will win lots of games - and most of the time - but not always.

 

[Cocky99]

The team just got out played on the court. At the end we looked rattled and sluggish. And Iowa looked like the more talented team, though half the size. The game reminded me of the Rocky lV movie where Rocky beat the much larger Russian off of heart alone.

 

[GwoodGamecock]

The team just got out played on the court. At the end we looked rattled and sluggish. And Iowa looked like the more talented team, though half the size. The game reminded me of the Rocky lV movie where Rocky beat the much larger Russian off of heart alone.

The game reminded me of one of the regular season games from Remember the Titans.

 

[athenscock3]

I'll take a great recruiter any day of the week. I'll take Dawn's record over the last 2 seasons any day of the week. We've never fielded any team team that could match our women's basketball record yet posters are throwing her under the bus every time they get a chance. I suspect that underneath some folks just don't like her.

 

[BetaLiberalCock1]

Not necessarily a great coach. She had the better players but was out coached. You can’t let the opposing teams best player score 40. That would never happen in a men’s Final Four in 2023.

This is the second or third time Dawn has had the best players in the tournament and didn’t win the Championship. She recruits athletes who play basketball. Iowa has shooters and high basketball IQ girls who are athletic.

I’m not complaining about Dawn as I don’t think we could do better. However, I had hoped for 6-7 Championships before she retired. Now, maybe 1 or 2 more is the max.

41
Box Score

Correct! A pattern is a pattern.

 

[GamecockJAC]

What upsets me is that everyone in the arena knew what Iowa was going to do coming into the game. Dawn did not adjust. She plays her game no matter what, even when AB was in foul trouble. This has cost her at least 2 National Championships.

 

[Whiterockcock69]

I have enjoyed reading all these posts. Don’t necessarily agree with all of them but that’s okay. Sharing another observation or two.

1. Watching the pre-game on television in the hall before the game. We don’t see that much if ever but the whole team looked up tight. There was not the usual smiling and cutting up they usually do. When they came out they looked up tight. No smiles. I thought it was just “a business trip”. An important one. But then seeing Dawn it was the same thing. IMOP I think there was a premonition by them collectively.

2. Clark is super good. She pretty much did what she does even against our “best in class” defense

3. Agree with discussion re: the bigs. Last night, as we tend to do by missing layups and bringing the ball down and slapped away usually being fouled with no calls.

4. Which brings me to my last point. Call me what you will but the officiating was biased. The calls on AB and the call on Cordoso were conspicuously bad.

5. We made a lot of people happy. No one outside the state of SC really wants to see Caroline do well. It’s obvious in the media coverage and even our own SEC family. Most have never accepted USC as a legitimate SEC member and it shows in our own SEC media. It’s always joy for many when the big winner goes down.

6. Dawn. She got out-coached last night but hopefully it will just make her better. I also wish you would have been more temperate and gracious in losing, like Aliyah certainly was. I just think it was a really tough moment on her. She wanted this so badly as we all did.

I am so thankful for these young ladies and feel bad that the ultimate and super historic goal was not achieved.

 

[DarkCock]

Not necessarily a great coach. She had the better players but was out coached. You can’t let the opposing teams best player score 40. That would never happen in a men’s Final Four in 2023.

This is the second or third time Dawn has had the best players in the tournament and didn’t win the Championship. She recruits athletes who play basketball. Iowa has shooters and high basketball IQ girls who are athletic.

I’m not complaining about Dawn as I don’t think we could do better. However, I had hoped for 6-7 Championships before she retired. Now, maybe 1 or 2 more is the max.

When were the other 2 or 3 times she had the most talent and didn't win?

Also, did she have the most talent in 2017 when she lost her starting center to an injury before the tournament and had almost no bench? Didn't UCONN enter the tournament undefeated that season?

 

[Sharris]

Not necessarily a great coach. She had the better players but was out coached. You can’t let the opposing teams best player score 40. That would never happen in a men’s Final Four in 2023.

This is the second or third time Dawn has had the best players in the tournament and didn’t win the Championship. She recruits athletes who play basketball. Iowa has shooters and high basketball IQ girls who are athletic.

I’m not complaining about Dawn as I don’t think we could do better. However, I had hoped for 6-7 Championships before she retired. Now, maybe 1 or 2 more is the max.

So in 2017, we did not have the best talent, and won with only 5 starters and one true sub. Cmon people. Also I guess Geno is not a good coach either since during that same year, he lost with 3 #1 players, a #2 and #4 on his squad that year to a team with not All Americans on their roster. The last four years, Geno has had no less than 8 McDonalds All Americans and even before the injuries of the past two years, he lost in 3 final fours with more talent than any team entering the final weekend. Lets apply your logic to all those who you feel are great coaches. Mulkey lost while undefeated and with Brittney Griner on her squad. Also Tara Vanderveer has tons of atheletes in the Wnba and has only 2 Championships. Therefore if you gonna throw shade after her first loss in 42 games, know your facts.

 

[KingWard]

...Also Tara Vanderveer has tons of atheletes (sic) in the Wnba and has only 2 Championships. Therefore if you gonna throw shade after her first loss in 42 games, know your facts.

THREE championships: 1990, 1992, 2021.

 

[KingWard]

When were the other 2 or 3 times she had the most talent and didn't win?

Also, did she have the most talent in 2017 when she lost her starting center to an injury before the tournament and had almost no bench? Didn't UCONN enter the tournament undefeated that season?

It's been averred that playing fewer people in 2017 actually helped her. I'm not the only one who thinks that. In support of that philosophy, John Wooden's said in his book, "They Call Me Coach", that two or three substitutes were sufficient to back up your starting five. I can tell you from my memories of those years he practiced what he preached.

 

[SC95]

Teams have off nights and upsets happen. Iowa played well, and Clark had a great game. February 12, SC beat LSU 88 to 64, and LSU may win the national championship today. Still, I'll stick with Coach Staley. Some SC "fans" are quick to turn on our coaches and players. Many of these "fans" have never embraced women's basketball or our women's team.

 

[Forkcock]

Teams have off nights and upsets happen. Iowa played well, and Clark had a great game. February 12, SC beat LSU 88 to 64, and LSU may win the national championship today. Still, I'll stick with Coach Staley. Some SC "fans" are quick to turn on our coaches and players. Many of these "fans" have never embraced women's basketball or our women's team.

Dawn brings some of this on herself. She needs to stop with some of her racial comments.

 

[Gamekem]

This is such a bad take. The woman literally won 42 games in a row and that included wins over teams with similar talent such as Stanford and UConn. The halftime adjustments she's made alone this season has put her in elite company. One bad game doesn't make her a bad coach. Even in this most recent loss despite everything we still only barely loss the game and that's with our best player getting in foul trouble with calls she hasn't received all year . Also I would argue this was the only time we had the clear cut best talent of team going into a tournament.

 

[GamecockJAC]

My only point was that Dawn didn’t adjust to Iowa. She played her game no matter what. So, we lost.

Having said that, I want to keep Dawn. She has been good for the University. Hate her politics.

 

[KingWard]

So this afternoon, the nightmare scenario has been completed by the Dime Store Queen. She has, in two years, achieved SEC primacy.

 

[Prestonyte]

So this afternoon, the nightmare scenario has been completed by the Dime Store Queen. She has, in two years, achieved SEC primacy.

What happened to "Pistol Pete" Clark? Was not able to watch but bits and pieces.

 

[KingWard]

What happened to "Pistol Pete" Clark? Was not able to watch but bits and pieces.

She's a major talent, but we made her look better than she is. LSU normed her. LSU! Let that sink in.

 

[Prestonyte]

She's a major talent, but we made her look better than she is. LSU normed her. LSU! Let that sink in.

Hope Dawn learned something from this whole experience over the past few days!

 

[KingWard]

Hope Dawn learned something from this whole experience over the past few days!

She's going to learn what it's like to no longer be the most respected coach in the SEC until she does something about it.

 

[Uscg1984]

What happened to "Pistol Pete" Clark? Was not able to watch but bits and pieces.

Well, she hit 8 of 19 3-pointers today while only hitting 5 of 17 against us the other night.

 

[KingWard]

Well, she hit 8 of 19 3-pointers today while only hitting 5 of 17 against us the other night.

Well, she wore herself out running through our porous defense for layups the other night - 41 points is 41 points. Pistol Pete used to get some layups as well, if I remember correctly.

 

[Prestonyte]

Well, she wore herself out running through our porous defense for layups the other night - 41 points is 41 points. Pistol Pete used to get some layups as well, if I remember correctly.

Plenty, which is why I made that reference as her game mimics Pistol Pete's

 

[ScWildthing61]

I have enjoyed reading all these posts. Don’t necessarily agree with all of them but that’s okay. Sharing another observation or two.

1. Watching the pre-game on television in the hall before the game. We don’t see that much if ever but the whole team looked up tight. There was not the usual smiling and cutting up they usually do. When they came out they looked up tight. No smiles. I thought it was just “a business trip”. An important one. But then seeing Dawn it was the same thing. IMOP I think there was a premonition by them collectively.

2. Clark is super good. She pretty much did what she does even against our “best in class” defense

3. Agree with discussion re: the bigs. Last night, as we tend to do by missing layups and bringing the ball down and slapped away usually being fouled with no calls.

4. Which brings me to my last point. Call me what you will but the officiating was biased. The calls on AB and the call on Cordoso were conspicuously bad.

5. We made a lot of people happy. No one outside the state of SC really wants to see Caroline do well. It’s obvious in the media coverage and even our own SEC family. Most have never accepted USC as a legitimate SEC member and it shows in our own SEC media. It’s always joy for many when the big winner goes down.

7. Dawn. She got out-coached last night but hopefully it will just make her better. I also wish you would have been more temperate and gracious in losing, like Aliyah certainly was. I just think it was a really tough moment on her. She wanted this so badly as we all did.

I am so thankful for these young ladies and feel bad that the ultimate and super historic goal was not achieved.

#5 hit it for me, I discussed this in a thread about a week or two ago about how we're "the red headed stepchild" of the SEC. Imagine if Tennessee, UCONN, North Carolina, or almost anyone else had rolled into the FF undefeated looking to make history. The coverage of them natonally not to mention the support from their respective conferences would've been suffocating. Littl' ole USC it's like they're forced to acknowledge anything we do, is like oh by the way "that group" is here too defending a so called championship they stole from wonderful Geno last year.

Really think we'd help ourselves in all sports a lot if we developed an "F you" attitude towards the opposition and espn/cbs's narratives that always favor whoever we play. Instead of being "good little doggies" and laying down for them and taking it in the rear end from them.

 

[SC95]

She's going to learn what it's like to no longer be the most respected coach in the SEC until she does something about it.

The sky isn't falling. The SEC has been a tough conference and will continue to be. Mulkey is a good coach and so is Staley. It should make for an exciting rivalry.

 

[KingWard]

The sky isn't falling. The SEC has been a tough conference and will continue to be. Mulkey is a good coach and so is Staley. It should make for an exciting rivalry.

My sky only falls on the golf course.

 

[Uscg1984]

Well, she wore herself out running through our porous defense for layups the other night - 41 points is 41 points. Pistol Pete used to get some layups as well, if I remember correctly.

Sure she did. They go hand in hand. It's like our defense had an irrational fear of the 3-pointer with all our bigs playing 12 or 15 feet from the basket.

 

[Viennacock]

Sure she did. They go hand in hand. It's like our defense had an irrational fear of the 3-pointer with all our bigs playing 12 or 15 feet from the basket.

I really think a box and 1 (or triangle and 2) would have worked. It would have left some open shots for her teammates but would have prevented all the layups for Clark and her teammates.

A zone would have likely been a better option also.

 

[DarkCock]

I really think a box and 1 (or triangle and 2) would have worked. It would have left some open shots for her teammates but would have prevented all the layups for Clark and her teammates.

A zone would have likely been a better option also.

Defense wasn't the problem. We held them to 77 points, less points than they scored against LSU and ten points under their average. Clark scored 45 against NC State and the Pack still won.

The problem was offense. We should have scored 90 points, minimum. But we started both halves far too slow, unfortunately.

 

[Prestonyte]

Defense wasn't the problem. We held them to 77 points, less points than they scored against LSU and ten points under their average. Clark scored 45 against NC State and the Pack still won.

The problem was offense. We should have scored 90 points, minimum. But we started both halves far too slow, unfortunately.

Having the other team daring you to take open jump shots (AND YOU REFUSE TO TAKE THEM) tells you all you need to know about your offense!

 

[Viennacock]

Defense wasn't the problem. We held them to 77 points, less points than they scored against LSU and ten points under their average. Clark scored 45 against NC State and the Pack still won.

The problem was offense. We should have scored 90 points, minimum. But we started both halves far too slow, unfortunately.

When you give up that many layups and lose, defense is part of the issue.

 

[Prestonyte]

Recruiting is top notch. I think the outside shooting has hopefully been addressed.
Coaching needs more focus as we did not always have our best players on the court, to fit the situation, at times this season.

 

[Kappa Koch1]

We should have made adjustments, but you can't give how the game was called a pass. Friday versus Sunday was called totally different. We were limited by that and Dawn didn't adjust because she believed in her style of play.