Dawn Staley shares first impressions of new USC assistant Wendale Farrow
Dawn Staley’s latest assistant coach hire has been with the Gamecocks for just over a month. The early returns have been nothing short of satisfactory.
Staley tabbed Wendale Farrow to be South Carolina’s newest women’s basketball assistant coach on April 18. Farrow replaced former assistant Winston Gandy, who was with the Gamecocks for two seasons before taking the head coaching position at Grand Canyon in March.
At the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida last week, Staley told The State there were aspects of Gandy she was hoping to find in his eventual replacement.
She’s found those in Farrow.
“(Farrow) has been great,” Staley said. “We wanted a prototype of Winston and we’ve come really close as far as expertise, as far as work ethic.”
Farrow, 37, comes to Columbia after four years as an assistant at Southern Cal. While Farrow and Gandy have similarities in how they approach coaching, Staley said there are differences between their respective personalities.
“(Farrow’s) probably a little different in that he’s a little more outgoing, like he’s expressive,” Staley said. “There’s no fat to Winston. He’s just really lean with everything that he does. (Farrow) is a lot more energetic, a lot more outgoing and really can connect with our players — in a different way.”
The innate ability to connect with players is something that made Gandy such a good coach, Staley said.
“Winston really connected with our players. We’re gonna feel his loss. I know certain players that grew to love him,” Staley said.
Back in April, before Farrow was hired, South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts told The State she valued the relationship she had with Gandy and hoped his replacement would be able to create similar bonds.
“(Gandy) gets to know us more and he can relate more because he is younger,” Kitts said. “He’s just someone you can really go and talk to. So I think it would be nice — I’m sure Coach is going to fill the spot with someone maybe a little bit younger — just to keep that same relationships, to get personal. And obviously someone who can hold us accountable and knows what they’re doing.”
Staley said her players have been “open” to Farrow since his arrival and added, “he’s not gonna let you have a bad day ever. That’s the type of guy he is.”
That openness was conveyed by South Carolina forward Adhel Tac when she spoke to reporters at the annual Gamecock Gala in late April.
“We love him,” Tac said. “He’s a great addition to our staff. I feel like … he fits us. He just brings really great vibes.”
Jordan Kaye contributed to the reporting of this article.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
