South Carolina players experience rite of passage with first SEC Tournament net-cutting: 'It felt like I was dreaming'

Winning has been ingrained in the South Carolina women’s basketball program’s DNA. And with winning in college basketball comes a unique tradition: cutting down the net.

Once the final buzzer has sounded and the trophy ceremony has been completed, South Carolina’s players and coaches take their turns climbing up a little, grabbing a pair of scissors and portioning off a piece of the net for themselves. Dawn Staley, in recent years, has also turned the remaining pieces of the net into a “netlace” that she drapes around her neck.

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At this point of her coaching career, Staley has become a net-cutting veteran. She has won three national and nine conference championships in the past decade, each with net-cutting to follow.

For some players, however, Sunday’s served as the first time they had participated in the rite of passage. They described the experience as a culmination of a year’s worth of work and effort, as well as a dream come true.

“It’s definitely a surreal moment,” Maddy McDaniel said. “As a kid, you see this on TV, and you can’t wait to do it. So, it’s good to come out and actually be able to physically do it myself.”

Joyce Edwards, the other member of the Gamecocks’ true freshman contingent, has won at every stage of her career. She led Camden High School to back-to-back state titles during her junior and senior years. Edwards has also picked up two international championships as a member of USA Basketball’s 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup and 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup squads.

South Carolina’s 64-45 SEC Tournament championship win over Texas on Sunday served as Edwards’ first taste of winning a title at the collegiate level. She said the team’s collective effort spearheaded its three strong performances in Greenville.

“(I’m) just proud of myself, proud of our team. We knew we were going to get here, but (I’m) just proud of the confidence that each and every one of us had in each other sharing the ball, locking down on defense, helping each other, having each others’ back,” Edwards said. “The whole culture, the whole chemistry around our team right now, I’m really enjoying it.”

Like Edwards, Maryam Dauda is in the midst of her first season in garnet and black, but she already has multiple years of experience competing in the SEC. After three seasons of waiting, she cut down a net for the first time this weekend.

“I was so excited. I felt like I was dreaming,” Dauda said. “Coming here and playing for Coach Staley, that was a plan in the first place. But actually seeing it happen in person, I just felt happy.”

Even a member of South Carolina’s national title-winning season a year ago experienced cutting down the net after an SEC Tournament Championship for the first time.

A physical altercation that ensued during the Gamecocks’ conference tournament title clash against LSU in 2024 led to four Gamecock players, including Tessa Johnson, being ejected from the game. Because of this, she could not take part in the team’s public post-game festivities.

Johnson said that although she participated in some celebrations in the locker room, she enjoyed experiencing everything on the court this time around.

“Everyone kept making little jokes about the fact that we were in here while everyone was out there. It was good to see them out there. Still, they brought it in here and celebrated with us,” Johnson said. “But it felt good celebrating it with them out there.”

Edwards knows, however, that this net-cutting is just another milestone on the path towards a second consecutive national championship. She said that remains the team’s focus as it heads into the postseason.

“Obviously, the job’s not finished,” Edwards said. “We’re one step closer to our end goal. That’s the only thing that matters.”

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