USC freshmen learned early: Wearing orange is a ‘no-no’. Now they’ll visit Clemson
“I’d rather beat UConn.”
Those words from Dawn Staley before her first game against Clemson more than a decade ago ruffled some feathers among Gamecock women’s basketball fans. It was her introduction into just how deep-seated South Carolina’s desire to beat Clemson in all sports is, and vice versa.
“Any time you get a win against Clemson, it’s always a great thing. I know I used to say when I first got here that I would much rather take a win over UConn than Clemson. I probably feel the same way, but I know the magnitude of people’s reaction to what I said a few years ago,” Staley said. “It’s a rivalry, and it’s a real rivalry in which we want to make sure we continue to do our part.”
Staley and USC have done just that for a while now — this Sunday, they’ll go to Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson and be heavily favored to win Carolina’s 10th game in a row in the series, the longest win streak by either program in the rivalry.
And over that time, Staley has taken her hard-won knowledge of how seriously people take South Carolina-Clemson and conveyed it to her players. So when the Gamecocks’ star freshman class takes the floor for a game USC has an extremely high chance of winning, they already know the intensity will be at a new level.
“On my visit, they talked about it. I think I had like maybe orange socks on or something, and they were like, ‘That is a no no,’ so that’s where I was first introduced to it,” freshman guard Brea Beal.
Seniors Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan have reinforced that message as part of their overall leadership duties, Beal said.
“Especially when it comes to the rivalry, they’re like, ‘We have to get this, like this isn’t just any regular game. This is something we got to continue on doing for years to come,’” Beal said.
For local freshman Olivia Thompson, who grew up in Lexington, there was no education required. Growing up in a Gamecock family, she joked that she wasn’t allowed to wear orange, and she’s ready for a battle this weekend.
“This game is definitely going to be intense, not only because these are two very good teams coming against each other, but because of just that long history of a rivalry,” Thompson said.
Last year, the Tigers gave the Gamecocks some trouble, only trailing by five entering the fourth quarter. That was in their first season under new coach Amanda Butler, who turned the program around and guided Clemson to its first NCAA tournament berth since 2002.
Butler’s second season has gotten off to a rough start — Clemson lost to Division II Lander in its exhibition and has lost to Alabama, Navy and Penn State in the regular season en route to a 2-3 record. Staley warned that they could still be dangerous.
“I think they have so many new players they haven’t gelled yet. And if you look at their roster and you just watch them, they are a pretty good basketball team,” Staley said of Clemson. “Sometimes it’s hard when you have so many new players to them to gel, especially this early in the season. And they haven’t played a bad schedule, they’ve played a good schedule. So they’re losing to some good basketball teams. I’m just hoping they don’t get it together between now and Sunday.”
NEXT
Who: No. 5 South Carolina (5-0) vs. Clemson (2-3)
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, South Carolina
Watch: ACC Network
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
