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Signing day: First impressions help Staley
CommentsAfter a Houston Comets game during Dawn Staley’s final WNBA season, a young ninth-grader from the Houston area was introduced to the women’s basketball legend.
Though Staley does not recall the meeting, it made quite an impression on Kelsey Bone.
“I was floored to be meeting the Dawn Staley. I was only a freshman, so I was kind of googly-eyed,” Bone said. “But it’s one of the those things that you don’t forget as a young kid.”
If things go as Staley hopes, South Carolina basketball fans soon might be getting googly-eyed over Bone.
Two weeks after announcing her choice during the McDonald’s All-American game, Bone made it official Wednesday by signing with the Gamecocks on the first day of the spring signing period.
The 6-foot-5 Bone, rated the country’s No. 2 recruit by one Web site, is the biggest piece of a four-player class expected to be included among the top 10 nationally when final rankings come out.
“I think it’s long overdue for me, just as a coach and being in the business, to sign this type of class,” said Staley, who began her coaching career at Temple in 2000. “I think this is the best class that I’ve ever been a part of.”
Staley landed two recruits during the early signing period, guards Ieasia Walker of Copiague, N.Y., and Monique Willis of Savannah.
The 5-foot-8 Willis remains in custody at Chatham County jail following her April 4 arrest on charges of shoplifting, simple battery, and criminal damage to property. Staley has yet to speak with Willis but said she hopes to next week.
“She’s still ours,” Staley said. “She signed with us, so we’re going to see her through the process.”
Ashley Bruner, a 6-foot forward from Norman, Okla., who was a two-time all-state pick, is the fourth member of the class.
Staley said the recruitment of Bone and Walker, who is rated among the nation’s top 10 point guards, began when Staley was at Temple.
“We spent years with them,” Staley said. “Because we made the move to South Carolina, I think that made it more appealing. But we’ve been watching them for years, and these were the two players ... that we spent the most time with.”
Staley said she communicated with the players via e-mails, and complimented her assistant coaches for outworking rival staffs on the recruiting trail.
“They saw us. We went into their homes,” Staley said. “They really had become a part of our daily routine.”
Bone, who averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and two blocked shots per game as a senior at Dulles High, surprised a lot of teachers and classmates when she chose the Gamecocks over Texas and Texas A&M.
“There was definitely fallout, probably more so than with any other recruit that’s ever left the state,” she said. “It really didn’t bother me, because I felt I was doing what was best for me and what was right for me in the long run.”
Despite USC’s 10-18 finish in Staley’s first season, Bone likes the direction of the program. Staley believes Bone, the McDonald’s female player of the year, could change the Gamecocks’ fortunes.
“When you talk about post players, they’re scarce,” Staley said. “To get one of her stature that believes in the vision here — because it would have been very easy for her to go to a traditionally rich basketball program. ... She sees beyond the wins and losses.”
It was a big week for Staley, who was among 30,000 people invited to the White House on Monday as part of a children’s reading initiative. Because she received late notice, Staley was unable to attend.
But she hopes to get there someday.
“We’ve got to win a national championship,” she said. “That’d be a better occasion.”
Staley now has a few more players to start making a run at it.
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496.
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