‘Let’s run it back’: Here’s what Dawn Staley had to say at the Gamecocks’ title parade
They say everyone loves a parade. That certainly seemed to be the case Wednesday evening for University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley.
The Gamecocks’ coach was ebullient as she addressed a large crowd in downtown Columbia at a celebration on the north lawn of the S.C. State House following a parade down Main Street. The festivities were in honor of the Gamecocks recent national championship. It is the second national title for Staley and the USC women’s program.
Staley said there was an element of destiny to the Gamecocks’ title.
“I know when we get together like this, everybody wants to hear something so profound, right?” Staley told the crowd. “Here’s the most profound thing I have to say: The victory was won before it was played.”
The Gamecocks were the preeminent team in women’s college basketball during the 2021-22 season. The team finished with a record of 35-2, and was ranked No. 1 from the beginning of the season to the end. The Gamecocks closed their championship run with a dominant 64-49 win against UConn on April 3 in Minneapolis.
It was a year in which Staley was named the Naismith National Coach of the Year, and Gamecocks center Aliyah Boston was honored as the Naismith Player of the Year.
Staley talked about how difficult it is to scale the NCAA tournament mountain and win a national title.
“I know we made it look easy, but it really wasn’t easy,” Staley said. “The sacrifice of all of our players, all season long was apparent to us, but probably not to you all. So I want to thank our players for their sacrifice.”
‘We wouldn’t have a parade without them’
The coach and the Gamecock players soaked in the adulation of the thousands of fans who lined Main Street for the parade. Staley signed autographs for fans while she sat in a convertible as the procession crept toward the State House.
A host of former USC women’s hoopsters, including Gamecocks great Sheila Foster and a number of others, were on hand for Wednesday’s event.
Staley said the support of past USC players is critical for the current squad.
“We couldn’t do it without them,” Staley told TV station WIS about the former team members just before the parade. “This is the legacy that they left for us to allow us to win national championships multiple times. We wouldn’t have a parade without them.”
Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann was among the guest speakers at the USC parade.
The former longtime city councilman said Staley’s squad brought pride to the capital city with their March Madness mastery. He also presented Staley a key to the city, as well proclamation declaring April “National Championship Month” in Columbia.
The mayor said just offering a proclamation honoring the team on a single day wasn’t enough.
“We talked about it and we said, ‘Why should we just declare one day as national championship day?’” Rickenmann told the Wednesday night crowd. “So we just decided to declare the whole damn month, y’all.”
Staley has now won two national championships at USC, one in 2017, and another this year.
The coach was not shy about teasing the idea the Gamecocks can win it all again next year.
“Let’s run it back,” she said Wednesday, to the roar of the crowd.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 7:34 PM.
