South Carolina trying to improve seniors’ record, clinch a piece of SEC history

They reported to South Carolina in doses, one five years ago and one this year, to join a base of three that signed in 2012. Most had many other offers, from much more successful teams, and they didn’t have to entertain the young energetic coach who talked a great game but whose team was only just starting to win.

But something about USC coach Dawn Staley and her message convinced all of them, and now they’re about to conclude the most successful stretch in program history.

The No. 3 Gamecocks’ five-woman senior class – 2012 signees Tiffany Mitchell, Asia Dozier and Khadijah Sessions with fifth-year senior Tina Roy and first-year transfer Sarah Imovbioh – have been part of 115 wins across four seasons and set a record for the SEC’s best three-year stretch with its last win (44-3). They go for two record-padders Sunday and another shot at history, a win over LSU earning them just the second 16-0 season in SEC history, and the first since Tennessee in 2011.

Of course there are huge games left to play, but Sunday will be the time where USC and its fans can reflect on just how far this group advanced the program.

“They’ve one, made the commitment, sort of at a time when we hadn’t taken off,” Staley said. “They believed in what this program could become.

“It’s going to be a hard group to replace, a hard group to duplicate some of the things that they’ve done, but they’re leaving it in great hands. It’s set up for our program to be successful for a long time.”

“Coach bringing in our class and having Aleighsa (Welch) and Elem (Ibiam) and Tina the year before was a great thing,” Sessions said. “She believed in us and we believed in each other. We stuck with it and look where we’re at now.”

The Gamecocks (27-1, 15-0 SEC) have exploded since Staley convinced the core to come to USC. At the time, USC had turned the corner from two losing years to make the postseason, but it was the NIT and it ended in a second-round loss.

Staley didn’t have a lot to boast of, but made sure the players and parents knew what could happen if they’d come aboard.

“I couldn’t paint the picture of sellouts occurring, leading the nation in attendance,” Staley said. “It was more of, ‘We’re right there. You’re the pieces that will help us take this program to the next level.’”

Mitchell committed to Staley as a high school junior. Dozier gave the class a local boost after a sterling career at Spring Valley High. Sessions, an All-American from Myrtle Beach, didn’t take her final two visits after listening to Staley.

With Roy already there, the Gamecocks made it to the NCAA tournament and won two games. That began a run where tournament berths were just the start of many accomplishments.

One Sweet 16 appearance begat three SEC championships, an SEC tournament title and a Final Four berth. USC is gunning for more this year, not celebrating its SEC regular-season championship because the SEC tournament title is still out there.

There’s also the 16-0 mark that eluded them last year when they lost to Kentucky in the final game. That one still tastes bad.

“That was definitely not a good feeling,” Mitchell said. “That’d be the worst thing, to lose on Senior Night and mess up our perfect record in the conference.”

Staley could also keep an incredible streak of improving her SEC win total in every season of her tenure alive. The UK loss last year gave her that chance, and she could clinch it this year – next year, perhaps she could lobby the SEC to go to 18 games instead of 16.

But the 16th is still out there, and USC has been thinking of it for a while. Staley gives all the credit to her players, for first believing and then accomplishing.

“It goes to show what having senior leadership and having an incredible focus, and just what this class has been through, throughout their entire careers,” Staley said. “It’s also a tribute to what they brought to the table. The competitiveness, the leadership, the grit, all of those characteristics of who they are as people.”

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 5:51 PM.