‘It’s my happy place.’ Dawn Staley reunited with Gamecocks after winning Tokyo gold
Dawn Staley needed time to decompress.
The Tokyo Olympics had been the most pressure-packed coaching experience of her career, Staley said. She took some of the weight off her shoulders throughout the week after Team USA won gold, keeping in mind that she’d soon be reunited with her South Carolina Gamecocks.
But as days ticked off the calendar, Staley wasn’t sure if she was mentally prepared.
“When you’ve accomplished something as big as winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games, there’s somewhat of a relief that sets in,” Staley said. “I was counting down the days to when I had to come into the office. The closer I got, the more I was like, ‘Hey, I’m not ready. I need about another week.’ ”
Nine days after leading Team USA to its seventh consecutive gold medal, Staley walked in the Gamecocks’ practice facility.
She saw the roster, complete with every member of last year’s Final Four team and a group of newcomers from the nation’s top recruiting class. It felt like home.
“This is where I belong,” Staley thought. “Was I dreading this?”
Staley has already gotten back to the grind in Columbia. South Carolina practiced two hours on her first day back and will continue preseason workouts until official practices begin, usually in early October. She met with her staff, already laying the groundwork for another deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Staley said the Gamecocks’ expectation is to compete for a national championship — nothing else is on their minds.
“We’ve got a pretty darn good team that’s committed to each other and committed to playing basketball the right way,” Staley said. “It was just beautiful to be back in the gym in this way.”
South Carolina’s players are likely just as excited to see Staley back. While their coach was off in Japan, the Gamecocks continued their offseason training.
Newcomer Saniya Rivers, who had a few practices with Staley before the Olympics, said there’s a big piece missing when Staley isn’t there, but the Gamecocks received notes from her and were able to keep the pace while Staley was in Tokyo.
“The assistant coaches make sure that we have everything that Coach Staley wants us to do,” Rivers told reporters in July. “We get it done so that when she comes back, it’ll be like she never left.”
Staley is coming off one of her most challenging experiences as a head coach. Though she’s been part of six Olympic gold-medal winning teams (three as a player, two as an assistant coach and one as a head coach), Staley said she felt the most responsibility with the most recent games.
It’s been a hefty weight to let go of in less than two weeks. Thankfully, Staley felt renewed with the Gamecocks.
“They’ve helped me rejuvenate and get to a place where I’m happy,” Staley said. “It’s my happy place.”
