Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina's win over Kentucky

South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke to the media following the team’s 78-66 win over Kentucky. Here’s everything she had to say.

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On the coin flip that determined the SEC Tournament’s No. 1 seed

“We just watched it in the locker room. I mean, it was kind of exciting, and the buildup was good. When you’re part of the equation, it doesn’t feel good to have your fate in a coin toss. I didn’t know that eight other sports use a coin flip – that was news to me. I feel a little better about it now.”

On how Kenny Brooks has changed Kentucky’s women’s basketball program

“He’s got a really talented squad. They got chemistry, they work well together, and they got a really good point guard. When you got a point guard that can distribute a basketball, that can create her own shot, that can knock down threes, that can read defenses – I mean, she puts people in great positions to just have to make a basket. And when you have a leader like that, it’s going to give you opportunities to win a lot of basketball games.

“So, (I’m) super happy for (Kentucky head women’s basketball coach) Kenny (Brooks) for making our league a better league because it’s not easy. It’s not easy at all, and it’s only getting harder and harder to to win basketball games in our league.”

On Tessa Johnson’s performance against Kentucky

“You could tell Tessa (Johnson)‘s been ramping up to the point of having a performance like tonight. I thought she played well for us at Ole Miss. (She had) good shots that didn’t go in, but they were good-looking shots that was in rhythm and in flow.

“I know we’re talking about her points, and we needed her points – her defense was on point. She actually played Georgia (Amoore) the way we needed to play her, the discipline it took for the way that we needed to play her because we didn’t get it in the third quarter. We made adjustments at halftime that we couldn’t quite execute. And then, when we put Tessa in the game, I think her defense, as well as (MiLaysia Fulwiley)’s defense, really, just gave us a boost. I actually wasn’t planning on playing on the rest of the quarter, but they were doing so well that, on both sides of the basketball, we just let them finish the game.”

On what changed defensively for South Carolina during fourth-quarter scoring run

“One, I think Lay scored an easy bucket, driving the baseline, that gave us a three-point lead. And I think that sparked us a little bit. It’s unfortunate that offense is sparking our defense, but the lock-in by Tessa, the lock-in – like, the deflections (helped).

“I told (Te-Hina Paopao) that it’s the first time in her career that she had more steals than threes. So, Pao was in the passing lanes; Lay was in the passing lanes. We dove on the ball, got tie-ups after tie-ups. We just made it difficult. I thought, when we got Amoore going more right than left, that created better rotations for us. And I thought we did a good job at capitalizing on our defense.”

On what South Carolina needs for a deep SEC Tournament run

“(This is) by far the toughest (SEC Tournament we’ve entered). What do we need to do (to win)? I mean, we got depth – you need depth in this tournament to win this tournament. You need to take care of the basketball; you need to rebound. And you need to take good shots. I think those are things that we have to be very disciplined, and other teams have to be very disciplined in doing those things, in order for you to get through this tournament – even to reach Sunday.

“Our players are familiar with the tournament, and with having success in the tournament, but that actually goes down the drain. It starts over, it starts anew, because we have two teams that we didn’t have to deal with last year – and that’s Texas and Oklahoma. They have an impact on the outcome of regular season, and now, in the tournament.”

On what it means to send off this year’s senior class with SEC regular season championship

“They have formed a bond and a great friendship that created great chemistry and wins. To hear the crowd pour into our players – and specifically, our seniors – the way that they did means that there’s a really great relationship between the two. We can’t win without having our FAMs create this atmosphere, and we can’t win without having talented players who are committed to the process. So, for them to go out in front of them with an SEC regular season championship on the line means it’s only fitting that they go out as winners here on this floor. So, kudos to them.”

“We got a lot of basketball left. (We) don’t want to get sentimental right now. But they have been, truly, remarkable for our program. I hope that Lay and Tessa’s class can outdo them because that means that’s pretty special. But for right now, Raven (Johnson), (Bree Hall), and (Sania) Feagin are doing the best that has ever worn a Gamecocks uniform.”

On how South Carolina’s late scoring run will help prepare the team for postseason play

“I think it’s going to be great. I think Tessa and Lay were in at the end of the game. Most of the time, they’re not in the basketball games, but it’s going to help them, it’s going to help us. There was a lot of trust that was built out there the last seven minutes, the last quarter, that they were on the floor. So, I think it’s gonna sharpen us. I think it’s going to sharpen us to the point where we got options to play them at in late-game situations because they just performed on both sides of the basketball. They were really masterful when it comes to just being disciplined and predictable.”

On Raven Johnson’s future

“(The ‘One more year’ chants were a) classy touch by the FAMs. She hasn’t made a decision. For me, it’s a personal choice. So, I’m not going to push her either way. I’m just going to let her and her family decide what they want to do.

“Obviously, Raven makes us a better basketball team. Raven’s a winner. She comes back, and it increases our chances of winning a lot more basketball games. If she doesn’t, I’m sure the WNBA will welcome her – probably not as well as we would if she came back. But Raven’s going to be a pro, whether it’s coming out this year or coming out next year. We’re going to let her and her family decide which way she wants to go.”

On the importance of clutch shots late in game

“When we needed a bucket, I wanted the ball in Pao’s hands to be the decision maker. So, we ran some plays specifically for her. And then, once Pao decided that she wanted to run something else, I thought it was a great call. She made a call for Lay, and that’s when Lay got the lay up when we were up by just one point. Lay got the bucket. So, I think Pao has really good feel for the pulse for what’s needed out there. We leaned on her leadership and her ability to play-make and make big plays.”

On whether Raven Johnson or Sakima Walker will return next season

“(I) have not. Hopefully, they’ll make a decision in a timely fashion that we’ll know what we need when the transfer portal opens up, and we can concentrate on that. There’s room for both of them to return, but we’re going to let them decide on their own accord. I’m not going to pressure them to do it. It’s just that, if they come back, and we’ve already been in the portal, we’re just going to have a lot more on the roster than, probably, we would like.”

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