Former Maryland exercise expert works Staley’s Gamecocks
There was little adjustment. Each side understood the other.
South Carolina wants to get back to the Final Four. Katie Fowler, part of 2014 and 2015 Final Four teams at Maryland, knows what it takes to do so.
“I thought they were a team and a program that they saw a challenge, they didn’t back down,” said Fowler, in her second month at USC as the team’s sports performance coach. “That’s always exciting, you see a team that has swagger like that.
“To have an opportunity to work with (Dawn Staley) and work in her program, that was what kind of made my decision.”
The Gamecocks’ former sports performance coach, Jon Vaden, left the program to pursue his master’s degree after USC’s Final Four run. Fowler, who watched from cross-court as the Terrapins and Gamecocks practiced in Tampa, immediately knew what she had to do.
She was interested, Staley reciprocated and Fowler came south in mid-June. After meeting the team, she expressed her goals – to make the Gamecocks the fastest team in America.
“I think the game’s going to speed up a little bit, which is great because we have athletes that can run,” Fowler said, referring to women’s basketball switching to four 10-minute quarters. “It’s going to be basketball at the end of the day. They’re still going to have to play 40 minutes.”
The Gamecocks will accomplish that by running. And running some more. Monday’s drills were all running – baseline to midcourt, baseline to baseline, five trips baseline to baseline in 30 seconds or less. The reward? A two-minute break between sessions.
“I don’t like it, but every morning I look at my alarm, I’m like, ‘Well, here we go again,’” sophomore Jatarie White said as the 7 a.m. workout ended Monday. “It’s relieving that I can get up and I know that I’m doing something that I love to do and I’m getting better at it.”
Senior Khadijah Sessions said Fowler describes every workout as “gameday.” She asks each player how do they want to approach the fourth quarter, especially in late March?
“It makes us focus on going to bed at a decent time,” Sessions said. “Just come and get your workout done, you have the rest of the day. This is what we came here for.”
Newcomers Allisha Gray and Kaela Davis were there Monday as well, although they’re ineligible to play this year after transferring. Nobody had trouble finishing the drills – although there may have been a few deep breaths afterward.
“Coach Katie’s been doing a very good job with us,” Sessions said. “I think all of us have gained three to four pounds of muscle already.”
Fowler stepped right in. Although the 100-degree days were something that Staley didn’t pitch, she was enthusiastic about keeping USC at its perch, now that it’s broken through.
“They’re playing at a very high level, and the next step is how do you sustain that success?,” Fowler said. “And that’s something I feel like we’re going to try to do here for a long time.”
NOTES: Senior Sarah Imovbioh (sprained left knee) didn’t participate. The injury was said to be nothing serious. Tiffany Mitchell (sprained ankle sustained with Team USA), Alaina Coates (just got back from Team USA) and Asia Dozier (sore throat) likewise didn’t condition. … Shay Colley (reporting in August after playing for Team Canada) and A’ja Wilson (returning Monday after Team USA’s stint in Russia) were not there. … USC lost another member of its support staff when trainer Paul Murata got married during the offseason. He and his wife moved to Canada.
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This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 12:44 PM with the headline "Former Maryland exercise expert works Staley’s Gamecocks."