Final thoughts from Paris: Gamecocks transition to full game prep mode for Notre Dame
One more sleep till South Carolina’s 2023-24 season opener versus Notre Dame.
The No. 6 USC Gamecocks have been in Paris for Monday’s historic basketball game since Thursday. They’ve toured the Eiffel Tower, wandered the Louvre Museum and cruised along the Seine River.
But their scouting of the No. 10 Fighting Irish began three weeks ago. This is a “business trip,” after all.
“It’s not hard when you do it on a daily basis,” senior guard Te-Hina Paopao said of compartmentalizing basketball and life — in the case of this weekend, life in Paris. “But it’s just been fun. And everyone’s locked in. We’ve just got to prepare and execute (Monday). It’s gonna be a fun game, especially on ESPN.”
South Carolina has had a very full schedule the last few days, traversing across the City of Love while making time for practice and study hall. But Sunday and Monday will resemble a typical road trip. No sightseeing, just rest and game prep.
What that prep looks like for the inexperienced Gamecocks squad remains to be seen, coach Dawn Staley said. She summed it up simply and succinctly: “Half of them are new. The other half, they’re not new but starting basketball games is new to them.”
South Carolina returns six players from last year’s Final Four squad and added five over the offseason. The current roster has a combined three career starts in garnet and black, all from sophomore guard Raven Johnson. Paopao started three years at Oregon before coming to USC, but Monday will be her Gamecock debut.
Notre Dame had two starters (Dara Mabrey and Lauren Ebo) exhaust their eligibility last season and, it seems, will be without star guard Olivia Miles against South Carolina. But the Fighting Irish’s experience, along with five-star guard Hannah Hidalgo, still stands out on the scouting report.
“They’re an experienced team,” Paopao said. “They have a freshman guard coming in, Hannah (Hidalgo). She’s a really good player. We’re just really keying on (Sonia) Citron. One of the best players on the team, and (Maddy) Westbeld. We’re just gonna execute what the staff has for us and prepare and get the dub (Monday).”
South Carolina WBB vs Notre Dame
Who: No. 6 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Notre Dame
Where: Halle Georges Carpentier Arena in Paris, France
When: 1 p.m. ET, Monday
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN.com and the ESPN app
This story was originally published November 5, 2023 at 10:15 AM.
