Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina's win over Texas in SEC Tournament Championship

South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke to the media following the team’s 64-45 win over Texas in the SEC Tournament championship game on Sunday. Here’s everything she had to say.

Be in the know about all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer!

On whether South Carolina’s defensive performance against Texas was its best of the season

“It was timely. It was what we needed today – I think we needed to play a lot better than the last time that we played them.

“I do think we used our experience being here to our advantage. I know ‘Feag’ (Sania Feagin) has been here a lot; Chloe (Kitts) has been here a lot. Raven (Johnson) has been here a lot; ‘Breezy’ (Bree Hall) has been here a lot. It’s different. I know there are a lot of South Carolina fans in the building, but it’s just different playing on this Sunday. If you haven’t really experienced it, you need to experience it.

“I know that, come the next few years, Texas is going to be right back here. I’m not saying that they weren’t prepared – it’s just, to win a national championship, you got to have been to a Final Four and experienced all the things that come with it. Then, if you ever get a chance to go back, you just right some of the ship that needs to be righted. You get, overall, excited, so close to the goal, then something trips you up. When you’ve gone through that process, it doesn’t trip you up.

“I’m not saying that’s what happened to Texas. I’m just giving you all my experience with being here and being at a Final Four.”

On what winning by large margins in SEC Tournament says about South Carolina

“It didn’t feel like that – it didn’t. The stress levels were up for the three games. I mean, we’re playing some of our best basketball. We didn’t know how it would turn out.

“I thought we put our habits out there on the floor for three games. It wasn’t perfect basketball, but I think we were in it for longer stretches. The way that we needed to play in order for us to win, it produced some really quality wins against stiff competition.”

On how much it helps to have experienced players like Raven Johnson and Bree Hall

“We don’t win this game without the contributions of Bree Hall and Raven Johnson. The defense, the attention to detail, and the execution of it – we don’t.

“We put those two in positions of basically quarterbacking our defense. If ‘Breezy’ doesn’t make it, (Madison) Booker doesn’t make her work hard, catches; then, when she caught the ball, she doesn’t play her the way we need her to play her or shade her the way we need her to shade her. If Raven wasn’t in the position of having Booker see her and see ‘Breezy,’ we did a really good job at fronting the post players. Then, Raven was always around, executing to the highest level.

“You have to have players that have experienced it. We came in here and we shot around, but we didn’t go live. We just said, ‘This is how we need to play.’

“Then, you have someone like a ‘Breezy Hall.’ We were going over some of their high-frequency sets at shootaround. It was a set that most teams run. I asked them if they wanted to go through it. They were like, ‘No. Give us the hard stuff. Give us the hard sets.’ She was locked into the game plan and wanted to know what she needed to do in order for her to help us win another championship.”

On Sania Feagin’s journey to strong SEC Tournament performances

“It’s kind of really cool to see someone go through their process. Probably, the first three years of her college career, (she) didn’t quite look or feel or sound like what she was capable of. I will say that I never let Feagin play less than her standard. That meant she sat a lot. That meant she played here and there, spotted here and there.

“But this year, it paid off. When she’s locked in, she’s communicative, she’s skillful, she can stick to a game plan, she can defend. I mean, she’s got great footwork. She’s got a great touch. She is very efficient around the basket. That is her. You’re seeing all of her skill set that we saw during the recruiting process that we didn’t see on a consistent basis her first three years.”

On whether South Carolina has a shot at No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament

“When you win this tournament, and you play the schedule that we played, I do think we’re the No. 1 overall seed, no matter what it ends up being. We, again, manufactured our schedule to put ourselves in this situation.

“Again, I just hope the committee doesn’t discount our entire résumé. There isn’t anybody in the country that has played the schedule that we’ve played, that’s won this, that had a share of the regular season; then, winning the tournament, having beaten the No. 1 team in the country. I think Oklahoma is (No.) 12, right? I don’t know – they’re a top team in the country. Vandy is a tournament team.

“There’s no one. So, I’m shocked that we weren’t a No. 2 seed. I was very shocked. If beating us gives the people who beat us so much credit – yet, when we’ve had some of the toughest stretches in the country, and we came out of it unscathed, you can’t discount that.

“I’m going to speak out about it because I have to, because you got to hear the voice of the other side. If you don’t think our body of work deserves it, then somebody needs to speak out on it. If it’s not us, if it’s not our conference, if it’s not whoever, I’m going to go down fighting. I am going to go down fighting for what our team earned.”

On the impact of South Carolina’s traveling crowd

“I’m going to be real. It is advantageous for us, okay? I will say this – everybody has an opportunity to buy a ticket. They do. If this was played, I don’t know, in Mississippi, our fans are still coming. They’re coming to wherever we are.

“We built up an incredible fan base that travels. Our fans were in Paris last year when we opened the season. Our fans were in Vegas when we opened the season this year. Wherever we are, they’re going to travel.

“I think this location is great. If we’re not here, another conference will be here. So, I think we need to consider the fans, too. I mean, it’s a great city. There’s so much to do. There’s so much architecture, there’s so many great restaurants, there’s so many walking paths. I think about that, as well. I also think about, ‘There’s a lot of people in the gym today.’ That’s an indicator of where women’s basketball is.”

Discuss South Carolina women’s basketball on The Insiders Forum!