Everything Dawn Staley said on the GamecockCentral Takeover this week

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South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley joined the GamecockCentral crew and 107.5 host Tyler Head on the GamecockCentral Takeover Hour Wednesday morning as the Gamecocks prepare to embark on their title defense.

Staley discussed several topics including turning the page from celebrating a championship to defending it, the progress of freshman sensation MiLaysia Fulwiley, and what she’s seen from freshman Joyce Edwards.

Check out the complete transcript below.

MORE: Eight preseason predictions for South Carolina women’s basketball

Q: So excited, so honored to be now joined by head coach of Gamecock Women’s Basketball, Dawn Staley. Coach Staley, thank you so much for joining us today. How are we doing this morning?

Dawn Staley: What’s going on, fellas? We’re doing great. We’re doing great. Nice day outside. Got practice shortly.

Q: Things get rolling. Taking off to Vegas Saturday, is that correct?

Dawn Staley: Saturday. So, I think we’re ramping up. We’re a little bit tired of playing against our highlighters. So, I think Michigan will be a challenge for us. But, I mean, I think the challenge is really us. What we present. So, I think it’s a good team. Like, I can’t. They’re unselfish. Like, that is probably what has been the most gratifying thing. And the thing that you question coming back from a national championship is, how will the players respond? Will they respond to playing unselfishly in that way? Or, I got to get mine. Since we got a national championship, I got to get mine. But it hasn’t felt like that at all. So, it’s been pretty cool.

Q: Along those same lines, coach, obviously a championship is what you work for. So, how do you kind of maybe draw the line between letting them just, hey, we’re going to enjoy this for a moment? But then at some point, like, it’s so hard across sports to do it back-to-back. How do you still find, like, that chip on their shoulder? And did you have to say, “All right, girls, it’s time to buckle down. We got to do this again”?

Dawn Staley: I mean, I think this team is a lot looser than they were last year, which is scary. Meaning, it’s scary for me. Like, because they were really loose last year. Myself having to say it, probably not once or twice, that we have to tighten up. But it is game preparation. Like, it is two days before a game. It’s one day before a game. They’re just, they’re working hard. Like, they really are getting, like, the prep is good. It’s just how it’s being done. Meaning, they talk a lot. They laugh a lot. They, like. I’m like… But that’s who they are, too. So, you know, as a coach, you want them to create this identity. And you want them to be them. But it’s so different than how I like to operate. But it’s them. But they’re giving us the results that we want. So, I like this team. I mean, they’re funny. They are cohesive. They are, like, I mean, they’re tight. I mean, we… We’ve had some tight teams. I don’t think we’ve had a tighter team. And when I say that, it is they hold each other accountable. Like, it’s a look, sound, feel. Something looks, sounds, or feels off. They address it themselves. If it looks good, they encourage it. So, it’s kind of cool to see that dynamic.

Q: You mentioned just the identity of this team. What does that look like maybe this year on court as opposed to last season? You obviously have a lot of your team back, but you’ve got some new faces. Kamilla’s playing in the WNBA. So, like, stylistically, what’s different?

Dawn Staley: I mean, it’s hard to operate from a place where we don’t have a dominant big. Like, we’ve had a dominant big for the last ten years. And now we don’t. But we do have a collection of bigs that do things a lot different than each other. So, I mean, we have some that have the characteristics of a Kamilla in that. Yeah. I think Joyce can rebound. Like, she actually is an aggressive rebounder. I do think she has a little bit of go-get-you-a-bucket. Like, I think Feagin has the experience. I think Chloe has gotten better. Like, Chloe can really go-get-you-a-bucket in any kind of way. Like, she has improved her range. She’s, you know, pretty good at fishing at the mid-range. And then you put her on the block. I mean, she’s pretty savvy with her footwork. So, you’ve got a little bit of Kamilla in everybody except, you know, the height, stature. And, you know, we have Ahdel. Ahdel, who is young, she’s got a little starter kit of Kamilla, like, of a dominant big. She’s just, you know, the rust is built up. And she hasn’t played in, like, a year and a half. And now she’s just kind of finding her way. But you see glimpses of dominant big in her.

Q: Going back to Joyce Edwards, who you mentioned a moment ago. So much excitement about what she’s going to bring to the team this year. Scored double-doubles in both of y’all’s exhibitions so far. Is she where you thought she was going to be ahead? Or is there still even more room for improvement? Which is weird to say given how well she’s played so far.

Dawn Staley: I mean, she is probably well ahead of where I thought she could be. Like, there seems to be a seamless transition. And she’s very comfortable in her skin. Like, she’s not brash with it. But she knows. Intelligent people know what they’re good at. And they don’t have to shove it down your face. They do it with, like, she’s a stat stuffer. Room to grow? Probably just more game experience and seeing where she can dominate. Like, she dominates with all the little things. Like, we’re probably going to have to move her in the role of being that dominant big. Because she doesn’t make very many mistakes. She plays the right way. She’s probably too good in playing the right way. And that is very unselfish. When sometimes she’s got to be a little more selfish. So she’s got to learn that part of it.

Q: Coach, last time you were on the show, we were talking about, this was in the offseason, talking about MiLaysia Fulwiley and the next steps for her. How have you seen her maybe in the months since then start to take those steps? And how do you envision, you know, just maybe her game changing or developing a little bit going into this season?

Dawn Staley: I mean, I think she’s probably a little inconsistent. And that’s fine. Because change, you’re going to be inconsistent. You know, again, I try to tell her all the time, we’re not trying to take anything away from your game. Be who you are. Be the generational talent. You’re going to have to add, though, playing in between these moments that you’re trying to create every time that you have the ball. Every moment isn’t a big moment. You know, sometimes playing under the radar, it’s a great thing. Like right now, she’s attacking the basket, but she’s trying to dump it off to our bigs. I’m like, go to score. If you miss, they’re going to get the rebound. But she’s so unselfish. She wants to wow the crowd. That’s her makeup. That’s what she normally does. That’s what she did in high school. But in college, you have to be a little bit more savvy because there’s a thing called a scouting report. And they will pigeonhole. They’ll pigeonhole you into what you do best and take that away. And she’s got to have some counters to that.

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Q: I mentioned earlier the WNBA. I know you kept up with it this season. You have a lot of former players that are excelling there. What did you think, just in general now that the season’s over and you can reflect on it, about how your girls did and how watched it was? And that was a heck of a playoffs as well.

Dawn Staley: I mean, I’m full. I’m full from our season. Like, just not our season, but just women’s basketball collegiate season. And then you have the type of pro season that we had. Like, if you’re a basketball enthusiast, you can’t wait until this college season comes up with – I mean, the season was great. Great players, great teams, great coaching, great – I mean, it was gritty. Like, I thought Minnesota was going to win. If they were going to officiate the game the way they were officiating, allowing just physicality and all of that, I thought it favored Minnesota. But, I mean, they – I mean, the series, two overtimes, fifth game overtime, you can’t beat that. Like, I didn’t really care who won because we didn’t have a Gamecock in the game, but I really enjoyed it.

Q: Speaking of the WNBA, you guys are going to get to honor A’ja Wilson coming up on February 2nd, 2-2. Funny how that ended up working out there, retiring her jersey. First of all, I thought the video of you calling her was so neat that y’all posted the other week. What – now that you have the perspective of a couple years later, what has she meant to the success of this program even after she’s been gone?

Dawn Staley: Her legacy continues to grow. Obviously, she got her start here at South Carolina, but the fact that every time she wins an MVP, you’ve got to mention South Carolina somewhere down the line. And it’s just that, like, you know, that I think she would be a – what is she, a three? Two or three? Three MVPs, all before 28

So, did I think that? I thought she potentially, like, talent-wise, yes, but sometimes that’s not always up to her and her skill set. It’s to the voters, you know. But, you know, I think she should be four-time MVP as we sit here. And those are things that’s outside of her control. But what she can control is when someone gives her a fourth-place vote. And she responds with, there’s no question that she was going to be MVP. No question. Like, when you could take, you know, the voting out of it and you pour into your game and the statistics and the winning and the consistency. It’s synonymous with what we’ve been able to do here at South Carolina. So, she is really the sample of how you do things and how you have consistent success.

Q: You talked earlier about the selflessness of this team. Even after the championship, how the heck do you make a starting lineup when you just look at just the talent, just talent everywhere, Coach?

Dawn Staley: It’s hard. Like, we – it’s hard. So, you know, our job is to – for us, I don’t – I don’t think cohesively our second unit is doing it for us. Like, this particular team. I mean, they’re not. Like, there’s a drop-off in energy. There’s a drop-off in chemistry. So, we got to figure out how – because they probably all deserve to start. And they probably – probably all – probably would play better starting. But, I mean, it’s hard to break up the guard trio. So, Chloe has been just outstanding. Like, it’s hard. And then Feagin is our – you know, Feagin has improved as well. And she’s our – you know, the player with the most experience on this team as far as post play. I think everybody else, you know, Joyce – Joyce could probably play anywhere. Maryam is still trying to get her footing. But she adds a different element to what we have. So, the only question is post play and Feagin. Feagin won the job. Like, she – she did what she needed to do. She lost some weight. She’s focused. She still has to get off to better starts for us as well. So, it’s all a – you know, it’s – although it’s almost the same team we’re bringing back, there’s – you know, there’s a big void in Kamilla being gone.

Q: Last one for you here. You’ve got to write about 60 seconds. Just the one thing that excites you the most about this team this year.

Dawn Staley: I mean, the unselfishness, really. Like, you – as coaches, you kind of say the same language every year. Like, you know, find the best shot on the floor. Literally. Like, give up a good shot for the best shot on the floor. And you find yourself saying it over and over again. But then you have a team like we have, and we have an exhibition game when the lights are on and people are in the stands, and they actually – they do it. Like, I want that to be a fabric of who we are and keep that purity of our team intact because, you know, when – and I also want – if we had a hot hand, I want us to feed the hot hand. And I think they will recognize it, but they’re so cool and close and want each other to be great. So, it’s, you know, I want to see how they respond to the target being on their back.

Q: Well, Coach, we could sit here and talk basketball with you all day long. We know you’ve got to run. Thank you so much for hanging out with us, and best of luck to your team this year.

Dawn Staley: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m a listener, too. Every time in my car, I’m listening to 107.5.

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