How Dawn Staley, Gamecocks built their second No. 1 recruiting class in three years
Some time this summer, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and her staff started to get a familiar feeling.
In recruiting, it’s not uncommon for staffs to pursue more prospects than may be strictly necessary. That way, if one or two targeted recruits decide to go elsewhere, the coaches aren’t left scrambling to fill the class.
But back in the fall of 2018, Staley and her staff had the unusual experience of more ‘yes’ responses than they had expected. The Gamecock class of 2019 had four five-star prospects, all ranked in ESPN’s top 15, vaulting Staley to her first No. 1 recruiting class. And mid-2020, she was starting to sense it happening again.
“You recruit as long as we recruited, you’re thinking two would be a really good class, if we got two out of the four,” Staley said. “But then you start having these conversations and some of the things that they say to you, you’re like, ‘Oh, we might have a shot to get all of them.’”
And then once more, just like it had with the 2019 group, came a flurry of commitments — in the matter of a few days, four members of the class of 2021 pledged to South Carolina. And just like the class of 2019, all four were among the nation’s very best.
Point guard Raven Johnson (No. 2 in ESPN’s rankings), guard Saniya Rivers (No. 3), forward Sania Feagin (No. 4) and wing Bree Hall (No. 14) combined to put USC back at No. 1 in the team rankings, the only program to have two recruiting titles in three years dating back through at least 2010.
For all the similarities between the 2019 and 2021 groups, there were some differences, Staley noted. The members of that first group knew each other, like most high-profile recruits do nowadays, but they were far from a package deal. In fact, Staley noted how each of their decisions were made independently from each other.
This group was a little different. Each player was recruited individually, Staley said. But there was behind-the-scenes communication going on as well.
“When they knew ... we weren’t going to come out and see them play, because we were in a dead period, Raven Johnson would ask, ‘Who else are we recruiting?’ or she’ll say, ‘Are you recruiting this person or are you recruiting that person?’” Staley recalled.
“And then I believe I got a phone call from Bree Hall’s mom, asking for Raven’s mom’s number. And I really could not give her Raven’s mom’s number. So I had to call Raven’s mom to see if it was OK to give the number and then they somehow connected. And then that’s when the talk started really flowing between the parents, and, you know, when moms feel real comfortable with their daughters, they want to make sure that they’re linking up with good people and good players. And I think Raven Johnson pretty much took care of that player connection and communication.”
The dead period that prevents in-person interactions was just one of many changes to the recruiting process brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. And in a strange way, Staley said, her staff’s recruiting efforts actually became more effective.
“Take for instance Raven Johnson. I had not talked to Raven like consistently prior to probably April. I would text her and she would respond. And then, April hit and she was responding and she actually was initiating conversation and she was just checking in on me,” Staley said. “ ... Sania Feagin picked up more, she and I talked every Monday actually on the phone. We know they were going to be there; they didn’t have any games. It was just more consistency with it.”
Not everything was virtual, though. The recruits had taken visits to South Carolina before the pandemic hit, including for USC’s February win over powerhouse UConn. That victory, in front of a charged-up sellout crowd of 18,000 was “huge” for the Gamecocks’ recruiting efforts, Staley said, showcasing the program’s rabid fan base and progress against a UConn program long considered the gold standard in the sport.
And the staff had hit the road hard before the pandemic too — a month or so after that UConn win, around the time of the SEC tournament, Staley and her staff took the time to visit Hall in Dayton, Ohio. Without that visit, “we probably would not have gotten” Hall’s commitment, Staley said.
Still, given the lack of in-person communication and contact allowed, the fear of kids breaking their commitments from schools they haven’t visited in months is something every college coach has had to contend with.
“It’s not them that are wrecking your nerves, it’s the other people that sometimes continue to recruit them. I think they call it flipping in football. So that’s what you’re more concerned about. But our conversations with the four that committed to us have always been, since they committed, we’re signed, sealed and delivered. It was just a formality for us to wait until November to do it,” Staley said.
Now that all four have officially signed with South Carolina, the Gamecocks are set to have a dozen former five-star prospects on their roster come 2021-22. That kind of talent puts USC in rarefied air, at or above just about every other program in the country. So what’s been the key to hitting this all-time high?
“It is the culture that we’ve created, our fan base, our following, our culture, and our players that we have here. They only want to win. And they welcome other great players, and it’s a healthy competitive environment. And I don’t know why, I think we’re being repaid for all the ‘nos’ that we’ve heard over my 21-year coaching career,” Staley said.
