South Carolina’s secret to success? Sacrifice individual storylines for team goals

This is one of many reasons why the Gamecocks are extra motivated to win this specific national championship for their beloved head coach, Dawn Staley, who has enhanced her legacy as one of the most influential women of this generation.

Much has changed in women’s basketball since Connecticut last claimed a national title in 2016, capping an unprecedented run of four consecutive championships. Since then, South Carolina has raised the bar and become the premier women’s college basketball program in the country over the last nine years, capturing three national titles of its own and becoming just the third program in women’s basketball history to reach five straight Final Fours.

Those four national championship game appearances are more than any other team over the last 10 tournaments. Staley is the seventh head women’s basketball coach to bring a team to the season’s final game at least four times in their career.

Yet, despite 646 career victories and numerous accolades, Staley’s influence extends well beyond the basketball court. She’s been a force for her players both on and off the court.

Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao is grateful for Staley’s genuine encouragement and life-affirming words. She cherishes the off-court advice she has provided, which has enhanced her development as a young woman. Chloe Kitts credits Staley for helping her confidence increase.

Meanwhile, junior guard Raven Johnson spoke passionately to the media following South Carolina’s semifinal win over Texas Friday about Staley’s impact.

“We want to win for Coach Staley,” Johnson said while standing in front of her locker. “I mean, just the thing she does for us that no one probably even thinks she does. She wants us to be a great person outside of basketball; she teaches life lessons, prepares for the real world, and is just a mother figure. There’s no way you cannot love her … We’re sisters. We fight for each other. We love each other. We hold each other accountable. There’s no way that you don’t want to win for these girls and the people here.”

When Staley first recruited Johnson, she remembers Johnson boldly saying her goal was to win championships. Staley, fully aware of how difficult that is, was more measured in her response — but she believed in Johnson’s vision. Now, four years later, that belief has paid off. Johnson’s prediction has become reality as she prepares to play in her third national championship game in four years.

“Raven consistently said, we’re going to win championships,” Staley told reporters. “And you’re thinking like an 18-, 17-year-old young person, really doesn’t know what she’s saying because it’s hard on the other side of this. She’s won championships in high school. So, she spoke about what she believed. Although I went with it, I did at the moment because, in recruiting, you want to believe young people. And I’ll be damned if it ain’t come true that she’s got championships on her resumé. She’s putting us in a position of winning a third in her class, which is quite incredible.”

Johnson, along with seniors Sania Feagin and Bree Hall, comprises one of the all-time great classes in the distinguished history of women’s college basketball. They have succeeded tremendously in South Carolina by showcasing their leadership, strength, grit, and perseverance.

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“The greatness of this senior class is not talked about enough nationally,” Staley told reporters following her postgame press conference. “Other narratives are created for a player here, a player there, or program or program there … I think what makes this team special is their ability to deal with things in real-time. If something is bothering them, they let you know. If I’m bothered, I let them know. And it is not a turn-off. It is something that they’ll want to know why, and then we’ll have a discussion. So, it’s pretty cool. When you get young people who get it, like they do, they allow me to be my uncensored self. And when a coach can be that, you can do some of the uncommon things we’ve been able to do, these uncommon successes that we’ve had over time.”

The Gamecocks’ season-long theme has been ‘uncommon.’ During Saturday’s open practice, team members wore black shooting shirts with the phrase on them. Staley’s program is grounded in players sacrificing personal statistics and understanding that commitment will help them accomplish their individual and team goals.

The season has been a journey for the Gamecocks, as they suffered three defeats after combing for one loss over the last two years. Those three losses — to Texas, UConn, and UCLA — plus narrow victories over Maryland and Duke in the regionals led to some questions towards the Gamecocks’ ability to get as far as they had in the previous two years. Yet,, they always believed, and they stayed the course.

“I’m very proud of our team,” Paopao said. “I’m very proud of everything we’ve been doing. It’s taken a lot of heart, a lot of effort, and a lot of perseverance. There’s been a lot of adversity, and we’ve done a great job battling through that and having that determination to return to where we were last year. To be back here, it’s an amazing feeling. We just got to finish the job tomorrow.”

A renewed rivalry

There is nothing like the tension, electricity, and excitement of a Connecticut-South Carolina women’s basketball matchup.

In a game dripping with compelling storylines, these two heavyweights will face off for the national championship — their second title matchup in four years — on Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC. The Huskies defeated the Gamecocks, 87-56, on Feb. 16, terminating South Carolina’s 71-game home-court winning streak.

The Gamecocks are 5-10 all-time against the Huskies, including a 1-1 mark in NCAA Tournament meetings, with four of South Carolina’s victories coming in the last five meetings. UConn claimed the regular-season meeting between the two with an 87-58 victory in Columbia on Feb. 16 behind scorching outside shooting, hitting 13-of-28 from 3-point range and a 48-29 edge in rebounding.

Kitts and Paopao both admitted they were “embarrassed” following that setback. South Carolina has won 12 straight games, 10 of them by double digits.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma has admired what Staley has built.

“What’s happened at South Carolina over the last seven, eight, nine years, they’ve played basketball at an exceptionally high level,” Auriemma said during his postgame press conference after the victory over UCLA. “When you think about the Final Fours they’ve been to, the consistency in their program and the ability to win national championships multiple times and to be in a position to win back-to-back ones, these are all things that are incredibly difficult to sustain in today’s day and age.

“We’ve certainly played each other several times in big games. We’ve already played each other once in a national championship game. So, the two most prominent programs in women’s college basketball are playing for the right to be national champions. And we both deserve it. They deserve to be here. We deserve to be here. They have every right to win Sunday. We have every right to win Sunday.

“Past performances, what happened last year isn’t going to be a factor on what happens Sunday. Our 11 national championships aren’t going to help us win on Sunday. So the fact that we have Philadelphia connections, University of Virginia connections, and all that USA Basketball stuff that we’ve done together is a nice story. But Dawn won’t give me any kudos or breaks for the senior citizen that I am. I don’t think she will have any sympathy for me come Sunday.”

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