by: Scott Mammoser
She’s always been one of the most-respected women in basketball. Her many hats have included Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Opening Ceremonies Flag Bearer, Hall of Famer, and as of last week, Dawn Staley will be the head coach of the U.S. national team through the 2018 FIBA World Championships in Spain and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In her first game on the sidelines since the announcement, Staley’s top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks pounded the 16th-seeded UNC-Asheville Bulldogs, 90-40, on Friday in Columbia, S.C.
“It was great getting back on the court after being off for a few weeks,” Staley said. “I thought our players really locked into the game plan and executed on both sides of the ball.”
The Big South Conference champion Bulldogs matched the Gamecocks for the first five minutes before running out of steam against the future pros and All-Americans. The team was held to just 1-of-15 shooting in the third quarter and 25 percent shooting in the game. In comparison, the trio of Allisha Gray (11-for-13, 22 points), Bianca Cuevas-Moore (8-for-10, 18 points), and A’ja Wilson (7-for-11, 18 points), carried the Gamecocks, who are continuing to succeed without double-double machine Alaina Coates. Coates just underwent knee surgery and is out for the season. WNBA mock draft sites still project the 6-foot-4 center to go third overall, behind Diamond Deshields and Kelsey Plum, to the Dallas Wings.
“It’s become a situation where you have to like it because it’s who you are as a basketball team,” Staley said of the Coates injury. “We can go a little bigger by inserting Mikiah Herbert Harrigan into the lineup. I do like it because that allows us options to play a little quicker than we normally play.”
It was the sixth-consecutive win for the SEC Tournament champions. Things weren’t always like this though. Arizona State sophomore guard Sabrina Haines noticed the influx of commemorative banners hanging from the rafters of Colonial Life Arena since Staley’s arrival in 2008. Since her transition from Temple, Staley has 12 NCAA Tourney wins, while the Gamecocks had eight total wins in the previous quarter century.
“Sabrina, walking out in shootaround was like ‘They really haven’t won since she came here,’” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “She’s done an unbelievable job and incredibly quick. She’s a great coach and recruiter, and our next Olympic coach, and that speaks volumes. It will be fun to coach against her again.”
The Gamecocks and Sun Devils will decide a spot in the Sweet 16 on Sunday. Despite what happens in the next rounds, the Gamecocks will be stacked next season, with four juniors and a freshman in the current starting lineup. Wilson could be the first Staley-coached player named to the Tokyo Olympic team. Note that Temple graduate Candice Dupree was on two World Championship teams. It seemed so predestined that Staley would take the reins from Geno Auriemma for the U.S. team. The question is: Could her South Carolina team be the one that takes them from his UConn team, as well?
UNC ASHEVILLE OUTLOOK FOR NEXT YEAR:
The Bulldogs lose leading scorer Chatori Major (14 points per game), third-leading scorer Tianna Knuckles (10.4 ppg) and leading rebounder KJ Weaver (7.8 per game), but retain junior guard Khaila Webb (10.7 ppg).
“I’m going to do some things a little bit differently in the offseason,” UNC Asheville coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick said. “We have a much different roster, four new kids coming in, so the dynamic of the team will change, as well. I’m looking forward to it, and I’ve learned a ton as a head coach this year. This may be the year I learned the most.”
