Welch honored in scholarship; Staley to coach Team USA again

Aleighsa Welch’s name was never going to be forgotten at South Carolina.

Two fans knew it but made doubly sure anyway.

Morris and Sheila Cregger have endowed a women’s basketball scholarship in Welch’s name to the university, coach Dawn Staley announced on Wednesday. It’s the first fully endowed women’s basketball scholarship in school history.

“A gift this generous from the Creggers could not be given in a better name than Aleighsa Welch,” Staley said in a statement. “She is the ultimate teammate who is constantly willing to sacrifice herself for the betterment of the team and still finds a way to shine when the spotlight is brightest or the team needs her the most.”

Welch finished her career as one of just four players with at least 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. She was the SEC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year last season and an honorable mention All-American.

Staley again leading Team USA

Staley was announced as head coach of the Under-19 World Championship Team USA squad on Wednesday. An assistant coach for the 2016 Olympic team and the head coach of the gold medal-winning U18 team last summer, Staley will take her U19 team to Chekhov, Russia, on July 18-26 for the world championships.

Training camp for the team will be May 14-17 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

-- David Cloninger

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Welch honored in scholarship; Staley to coach Team USA again."