Asia Dozier walks into CLA one more time, but not for last time

Asia Dozier will continue to grace Colonial Life Arena – although she’ll be on the opposite bench.

“I’m actually going to be the graduate assistant at the University of Florida,” Dozier said on Friday, just before she walked across the graduation stage. “I’ll always bleed garnet and black.”

Dozier, after playing in 131 games over four seasons and helping change South Carolina from a good team to an elite program, decided well before Friday that as soon as the Gamecocks’ season ended, her playing career would end, too. Long a whiz with numbers and having a desire to someday coach, Dozier changed her major from accounting to finance with the goal of being a sports agent after she’s done coaching.

The first step was to finish school, which she did on Friday. She’ll have two years at Florida, where she may be on the bench in blue and orange when the Gators visit Columbia, and then she’ll step into coaching full-time.

“Getting on somebody’s staff and getting this career started,” she said, describing the process. “I’m done playing. I just want to live out my second dream, to be a coach on the collegiate level.”

Dozier started for the majority of three seasons, coming from Spring Valley High as part of the wave of local talent USC coach Dawn Staley recruited. The daughter of USC royalty and with a family connection remaining with the Gamecocks – brother P.J. will be a sophomore next season – Dozier was a solid player who was as constant a presence on the academic honor roll as she was at the three-guard.

About to take her seat for commencement with the Final Four banner she helped hang fluttering behind her, Dozier prepared for another walk in front of a large crowd. It was already one adjustment – for four years, she had entered the building from the Gamecocks’ locker room. On Friday, she walked down the steps from the concourse, like all of the fans she helped the Gamecocks reach.

“It’s a different feel, but still great,” she said. “Just knowing I’m coming in here to do something else real special that was a goal of mine, stepping foot on this campus.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 9:03 PM with the headline "Asia Dozier walks into CLA one more time, but not for last time."