Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina's SEC Tournament win over Vanderbilt

South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke to the media following the team’s 84-63 win over Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Here’s everything she had to say.

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On what Staley was most frustrated with in the third quarter

“I mean, it was on us. We did not make good decisions out there. A lot had to do with what Vandy was doing to us. They doubled us; they pressured us. They forced us into some turnovers that created some easy baskets for them, that created some momentum for them, that cut into our lead.

“(It was) just bad basketball. We mentioned it at halftime – we’re playing really good basketball. Really good basketball is contagious, and really bad basketball is contagious. We got a chance to see the face of both of them. Part of that was because of what Vandy was pressuring us to do. Part of that was just decision making, playing a little bit faster – which, probably, Vandy had a lot to do with that.

“So, I was happy that we could get a unit in there that could play well together on both sides of the basketball. It took us a little bit of time to figure out what unit that would be.”

On what Staley said during South Carolina’s fourth-quarter timeout

“I don’t even remember what I said. It was about making plays at that point. It was about shoring up how we wanted to defend the ball screens; it was making sure that we were running sets that get the hot hand on the ball, which was Chloe (Kitts). We allow ‘Lay’ (MiLaysia Fulwiley) to get the ball in the open floor and pretty much play-make. Fortunately for us, it worked out.”

On the importance of Chloe Kitts’ double-double performance

“This is really who Chloe is – starting to play very consistent basketball. She wants the ball in her hands; she wants to be a play-maker. She wants to be the one that can score it or dish it to a teammate.

“I thought her teammates did a really good job of finding her. I thought she did a really good job of making the play. We called her number, and she delivered for us.

“I would imagine that this is how she envisioned her entire season going, but it didn’t go that way. It was a little bit up and down, inconsistent. But Chloe is strong enough mentally, physically, to be able to handle the rigors of this league. No one is just going to kill it every single night. If you don’t have the mental fortitude to stay with it through the ups and downs, you won’t see consistent play like this at any point in the season.”

On what personalities Staley needs to recruit for players to embrace team-centric mentality

“We’re pretty honest throughout the recruiting process. We don’t tell anybody they’re going to automatically start because we don’t know what it looks like when they make the transition from high school to college – we choose people that want us. Like, there’s something about us that they like. That is the very thing that continues to drive them while they’re with us. Like, if you’re having a bad day, why did you decide to come here? It helps you get over your bad day a little bit easier, right?

“We’re just completely honest, and we are look, sound, feel. (If) something looks, sounds or feels off, we’re going to address it. If it looks, sounds, feels great, we’re going to promote it. I believe we know what to say to our players that will allow them to grow. Yes, they may be angry one minute, but we get down to, ‘Why? Why are you angry’? Then, we talk about that, break it down. We do it time and time again. We understand we’re invested in them as whole people, not just the basketball part of it. That’s the easy part – that’s really the easy part of it.

“But yes, it’s hard to find a unit, it really is, who can finish it. We just played Kentucky on Sunday and it was (Te-Hina Paopao), ‘Lay,’ Tessa (Johnson), Chloe and (Sania) Feagin that finished the game. They played the entire fourth quarter.

“We sat out a senior on Senior Night, ‘Breezy’ (Bree) Hall. Does she feel a certain type of way? Yeah, she’s a competitor. (It’s) Senior Night, last regular-season game. But you talk to her. You say, ‘Hey, 90% of the time, you’ve been in the game. That’s been you, the unit.’ They understand when we have a unit out there that’s playing well, we’re going to continue to play until the cows come home.”

“It’s just communication. If I don’t say anything to ‘Breezy,’ she might hold on to that for the rest of her life and remember that when, if you just address it, she can get it over with and finish the game today like she did for us.”

On the importance of having Fulwiley’s energy coming off the bench

“Which part? She had five turnovers, too.

“MiLaysia is a generational talent. When I say that she can do things on the basketball court that I haven’t seen a female do, that’s one. She consistently does it. When she has got it going on, again, she pumps tempo. Her speed to me is her superpower. No one on the court can keep in front of her when she’s got it going on. When her three is falling, when she’s able to creatively put on display her talent, she gets a little hyper with it. She gets a little degree of difficulty when it’s not called for. You got to give her that space to do that.

“I just want to add – sometimes, a simple pass will do in some instances. Sometimes, like the behind-the-back pass, that was really the only pass that she could deliver the ball. I know that because I’ve done plenty behind-the-back passes. You put yourself in a position where the only thing you can do is dump it off to somebody in that way. She has the ability to do that. I’m glad that Sania Feagin made it because they probably would have been mad about it and let her know about it in the locker room.

“She’s a talent. I actually love being able to be on this journey with her because it’s teaching her to understand she’s got an incredible hold on our team. It can be good, or it can be bad. She’s got power in that. I want her to always understand that power. It can go either way. So, we’re just trying to foster that – to only be good. That’s a process for young people. It’s a process for young talented people. Sometimes, they don’t get it. They see things that other players don’t see. When you can’t deliver like she delivers, you sometimes have an issue with that. She sees things out there that no one else sees. So, she’s got to train people to play with her.”

On the importance of taking high-percentage shots against Vanderbilt

“It’s key for us to do it at a high clip. You can get paint points, but if you’re shooting them at a low percentage, you’re not going to win basketball games. For us it is key, especially with a team like Vandy, who are small. They’re very talented, but they’re small. We wanted to make sure that we really attacked the paint through our bigs, through our penetration, because we felt like that would give us an edge.”

On how exhausting it is to manage people, not just coach players

“(It is) very much so, but you condition them. It’s hard in the beginning to work through that because they don’t quite understand what you’re trying to do. They just think you’re resisting whatever they want to do.

“I’ll say this. We have really good parents. We have really good players that they allow us to invade that vulnerable space because they know, they see it. They’ve seen it over the years.

“It’s really cool. I’m attracted to that. I’m drawn to that process of helping a young person finding out who they are. Once they do, you know they’re not going to be taken advantage of. I’m glad I get a chance to just kind of mold that at this stage of their lives.”

On the advantage South Carolina has when the SEC Tournament is hosted in Greenville

“You bring that up; now, the coaches are going to want to move from Greenville.

“I mean, we’ve had really good teams. Is it advantageous for us to be here in Greenville, South Carolina? Yes, it is. It is because our fans come. They buy their tickets. It’s not like we’re giving tickets away. They buy the tickets in order for them to cheer on our team.

“I know, if I’m a coach, I would rather have a full gym, right? Even if we’re in Austin, Texas, I’d rather have a full gym than have an empty gym. I think our game has grown to the point where Greenville has been a location that everybody can get to. The city’s great; the arena’s great. The people here are great. I’m happy that we’re hosting in South Carolina because now everybody else in the SEC sees what makes South Carolina great. And it’s people.”

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