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Staley points the way for guard trio
Gamecocks have three young players who get daily lessons at practice on how to lead a team
CommentsPlaying point guard for Dawn Staley is like enrolling in an acting class with Meryl Streep, taking dance lessons from Beyonce or, on a more local level, playing quarterback for Steve Spurrier.
With three Olympic gold medals, three Final Four trips and five WNBA All-Star appearances as a point guard, Staley has a wealth of experience to draw from at the position.
But because of what she’s done and where she’s been, South Carolina’s first-year coach has high expectations for those who play her old position.
“She expects perfection. So everything you do, you want it to be perfect or close to it,” Gamecocks sophomore Samone Kennedy said. “We know it’s not going to be perfect, but we aim for perfection because she does.”
Staley will use a three-player rotation at the point today when USC opens its season at Penn State. Jordan Jones, the Gamecocks’ point guard last season, transferred to Florida shortly after the 38-year-old Staley was announced as Susan Walvius’ successor last spring.
That left Staley with three underclassmen to handle the point — sophomores Lauren Falohun and Kennedy and freshman Lakeisha Sutton, who have combined for six starts, all by Kennedy.
“They’re a work in progress. But they work hard. They don’t always make the right decisions, but they’re trying,” Staley said. “They’re watching film. They’re asking questions. And I think over the course of the year, you’ll see them get a lot better.”
In the meantime, Staley will experience a few frustrating moments, as she did during Thursday’s practice.
Sitting alone at midcourt watching her team scrimmage, Staley twice rose from her folding chair and raised her voice while making points to Falohun (about getting the ball out of a post player’s hands on the perimeter) and Sutton (about using her left hand).
“It’s only been a few months. But already we see when it comes to point guards, it’s no joke,” Sutton said. “It’s a position you can play or you can’t play, and she’s teaching us how to play it.”
Staley, a two-time national player of the year at Virginia in 1991 and ’92, is trying to teach the young trio the nuances of the position. She wants her point guards to be vocal leaders who take charge of the team on and off the court.
Sometimes that means Staley gets a little vocal herself.
“At some point I’ve got to get their attention and let them know this is important for you to know playing this position,” Staley said. “They know it isn’t a personal thing. It’s just they are responsible for our team. And when you’re responsible for the success of anything, there are elements that you need to be good at and pay attention to.”
Staley said her three point guards have different strengths.
Falohun, an Atlanta native who will start today, is an unselfish player who does a good job communicating. Kennedy, whose 106 assists last season were the third most by a USC freshman, is the Gamecocks’ fastest point guard but needs to be better setting up the offense.
Sutton, a New Jersey native who will start at off-guard, was a 20-points-per-game scorer in high school but is still learning how to play the point.
In Staley, the three have a proven — and demanding — teacher.
“She’s Dawn Staley. Who can forget that? But she’s coach to us,” Falohun said. “Her and the coaching staff have come in and really made us feel a part of a family, rather than act like they’re superstars.”
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