Dawn Staley reflects on USC WBB surprise success, considering retirement on College GameDay
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley revealed what was going through her mind over the summer when all five of her 2022-23 starters (who accounted for over 66% of USC’s offense) left.
“Considering what it looked like in June, like, early retirement. Seriously. I was considering it,” she said on ESPN’s “College GameDay” with a laugh.
Staley talked about how surprised she was by her 2023-24 team’s success, considering what the squad looked like in June. The Gamecocks lacked “leadership,” “conditioning,” “discipline,” Staley said. But they were able to form good habits quickly, she added. Now No. 1 USC is the final remaining undefeated team in college basketball.
“No, but it’s just, not only meeting individual players, but our team, where they were,” Staley said. “...For the returners, they understood they were in a new situation themselves. Because they are the example setters now. They used to wait until ‘The Freshies’ do their thing, and they just followed their lead. Now they’re the leaders.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2024 at 12:56 PM.
