‘It’s not always easy,’ but Dawn Staley needs this Gamecock to be a super sub
When Dawn Staley was welcoming the nation’s top-ranked women’s basketball recruiting class to South Carolina this past summer, she talked about the “balancing act” of keeping so many talented players used to being the central focus of a team happy.
Twenty games into the season, that hasn’t been an issue. Staley’s Gamecocks are the top-ranked team in the country and she’s praised the maturity of her youngsters, including three who have started every game so far.
Relying so much on talented freshmen also meant Staley had to deal with a different challenge — telling older players they wouldn’t start.
In particular, sophomore guard Destanni Henderson had to take a seat after coming on strong to end her freshman year, starting all three of the Gamecocks’ NCAA tournament games and earning SEC All-Freshman honors.
“Every player, no matter what they say, they want to start. They want to start. And she was playing well, so I was worried about how she would take it,” Staley said. “And she’s a pretty emotionless kid. She’s not gonna let you see what she’s thinking. She’s always had great responses, you’re not gonna shake her equilibrium outwardly.”
Henderson, a McDonald’s All-American in high school and USC’s highest-ranked recruit since A’ja Wilson until this year’s freshmen, admitted that the adjustment hasn’t been without low moments.
“It’s not always easy. Sometimes I play better than most games, and sometimes I just gotta keep my head in the game,” Henderson said.
Staley noticed that in the immediate aftermath of announcing who the starters would be.
“I thought the couple days after we said who was starting, I saw her play drop a little bit. And that’s normal and I let her have that space, and then great players are just able to bounce back and figure it out,” Staley said. “And then they leave their imprint on our team, and that’s what she’s done so far.”
Henderson is averaging more points, rebounds, assists and steals per game than she did a year ago, and with a higher field goal percentage. She has “absolutely” taken ownership of the second unit, Staley said, and could make a run for the SEC’s Sixth Woman of the Year award.
So when the entire bench started to struggle a little bit heading into last week, Staley and associate head coach Lisa Boyer knew who to talk to.
“Coach Boyer talked to her as well, (saying) ‘You’re not the Destanni that we know, explosive, taking what the defense gives you and actually controlling that second unit.’ And when she’s going, we’re a different basketball team,” Staley said.
The reserves responded with what Staley called their best performance of the season against Georgia, holding the Lady Bulldogs to six fourth-quarter points. Henderson, after a four-game slump averaging 4.5 points and two assists per game, scored 14 and dished out six helpers.
“Just gotta have my mind right when I’m on the bench. I just got to pay attention more to the game, and when I do get on the floor, to just make sure I do have that energy,” Henderson said of her improved play.
She’ll likely have plenty of opportunities Thursday as the No. 1 Gamecocks travel to SEC cellar-dweller Ole Miss. The Rebels are 0-7 in league play and in the midst of a painful rebuild under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. She and Staley are friends, and they communicate regularly during the season. Staley’s message to her is the same one she’s preaching to her team heading into the game.
“It’s just stay true to who we are, prep right, respect it, do what we need to do and approach it the same way,” Staley said. “Obviously I think we’re the better team that’s gonna take the floor, but you have to play it like you’re the better team. They’re gonna get up for us, it’s on the road, so we don’t want to leave anything to chance.”
WHEN DO THE GAMECOCKS PLAY NEXT?
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (19-1, 7-0 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (7-13, 0-7 SEC)
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Pavilion at Ole Miss, Oxford, Mississippi
Watch: Streaming online on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN
Listen: 1320 AM/107.5 FM in Columbia area
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
