Category: south carolina

The Greatness of Dawn Staley Continues: Leads South Carolina to their Third National Title

April 9, 2024

Undefeated. Undisputed. Uncommon favor.

The Gamecocks had posted back-to-back undefeated seasons going into the well-anticipated national championship matchup against Iowa. Led by Dawn Staley, their passion, drive, and motivation had been evident all year—their dominant roster includes standout freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley, and WNBA draft Kamilla Cardoso to name a few. As for their head coach, well, her resume speaks for itself: four-time Naismith Coach of the Year and, up until this point, had led the Gamecocks to two ‘chips.

The showdown between Iowa and South Carolina lived up to the hype. In the end, South Carolina proved, yet again, why they are the best of the best. They ultimately defeated the Hawkeyes, 87-75.

We haven’t stopped thinking about how iconic that championship game was. Here, we relive the big-time blocks, standout performances, Dawn’s epic speech and more.

Pregame: Aliyah Boston, WNBA ROY and Broadcaster

Aaliyah Boston, who led the Gamecocks to a national championship back in 2022 and is now a star on the Indiana Fever, has expanded her off-court ventures into broadcasting. For the Final Four, she joined the on-air studio crew and was also a sideline reporter during the national championship game.

Whether she was sharing her expertise and knowledge of the game or interviewing her former college coach, Boston was a star during the entire broadcast. Our favorite part? This very special moment she shared with Staley, just minutes after South Carolina won the title.

Big Energy on the Boards

The Gamecocks were straight up dominant in the paint against Iowa. Cardoso racked up 17 rebounds and forward Chloe Kitts followed right behind her with 10 boards.

 …From Threeeeee!

The “fearless” freshman Tessa Johnson was cooking all night long—hitting shots from deep, making crazy layups in the paint and putting on a 19-point performance coming off the bench. Then there were standouts Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson, who hit clutch shots for the Gamecocks.

The Artistry of MiLaysia

She’s only a freshman, but MiLaysia Fulwiley has shown all season, and especially in the tournament, that she’s a star in the making. Fulwiley showed up on both ends of the floor—from crazy dimes to steals and making plays. We can’t wait to see her game only to continue to evolve.

You can read more about MiLaysia in our recent player spotlight:

The Brilliance of Dawn Staley

The GOAT. This third championship title has only continue to solidify what we’ve always known: she’s the greatest. Period.

“…My freshies are at the top of my heart because they wanted this. And I hope we can erase whatever pain they had last year, experiencing not being able to finish it here. So I’m just super proud where I work,” Staley said per GMA.

As we’ve mentioned before in her SLAM cover, she is a college basketball author of evolution. Her legacy will last forever.

Featured image via Getty Images.

South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley is an ‘Artist’ with Crazy Court Vision and Transcendent Talent 

April 8, 2024

All she needed was four dribbles. 

In South Carolina’s season opener against Notre Dame, MiLaysia Fulwiley made headlines after she blew by a swarm of green jerseys with an elite behind-the-back move, finishing with flair.

The Gamecocks would go on to dominate the Fighting Irish, 100-71, in their season opener held in Paris, France. Fulwiley finished the game with 17 points, six assists and six steals in her collegiate debut. And it didn’t take long for her compelling stat line and highlight clips to flood timelines.

Word traveled 4,000 miles back to the United States: a star was on the rise. 

Gamecocks fans were enlivened, haters were quieted and the world was put on notice. Since then, Fulwiley has just kept on hoopin’. The Columbia, S.C. native is a burst of speed, undeniable swagger and equipped with a shot-making ability and handles. It’s been clear from the start that she is special, and since then, she’s been in her first season, averaging 11.7 points and logging 82 assists and 63 steals. Her season crescendoed into the SEC Tournament final matchup against LSU, where she dropped 24 points off the bench. The silky-smooth sorcerer of the basketball was then rightfully crowned the SEC Tournament MVP. 

“MiLaysia is a generational player, an artist who is expanding her understanding of how to marry all aspects of her game every day,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said, per a press release announcing Fulwiley had signed with Curry Brand. “We are learning things from each other about how to maximize her game, and it has been incredible to work with her on that process.” 

Her flashy game is transcendent. “When it comes to the ability to change the game for good, nobody can speak to that more than MiLaysia,” Stephen Curry said. “She’s changing the women’s game on the fly with how she plays and moves on the court.”

While Fulwiley’s offensive prowess is undeniable, that isn’t all she can do. Despite being a natural scorer, Fulwiley isn’t afraid to show up on the defensive end of the floor: she grabbed nine boards against East Carolina and has multiple games with six steals. And most impressively, she does all of this while coming off the bench.

It’s crazy to think Fulwiley is only a freshman, but then again, she’s helping lead a new generation of phenoms who don’t just got next, but right now. Look no further than her, SLAM 248 cover star Juju Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo (to name a few), and even her own teammate, Tessa Johnson, who also dropped buckets in last night’s iconic championship win against Iowa.

Under the guidance of head coach Dawn Staley, Fulwiley has shined all season long.  What we witnessed from her in this year’s NCAA tournament is just a glimpse of what she can do: jaw-dropping plays, unreal dimes and finishes at the rim. She’s fun, she’s got flair and she’s just getting started. 

Photos via Getty Images.

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No. 2 Ranked Senior Joyce Edwards Talks All-Around Game, Dawn Staley and Her Future at South Carolina

March 28, 2024

Joyce Edwards hasn’t even suited up for the South Carolina Gamecocks yet, but she already knows what she wants to achieve at the next level. The Camden (SC) High School star—and the No. 2-ranked player in the class of 2024—is a versatile, 6-2 forward who can knock down shots, finish at the rim, block shots on the defensive end and put up big time numbers. In the state championship game, she had a monster double-double of 27 points and 20 rebounds, as well as 6 blocks, to help lead the Bulldogs to their second consecutive 3-A state title.

But for Edwards, this is just the beginning. 

“When I go to South Carolina, my main goal is to just get on the floor, be a defensive player—because you can’t get on the floor without defense—and then sculpting my offense to be what the team needs,” she says. “I’m not coming in looking to be, like, the star player and none of that. I’m just trying to come in and do what the team needs and fit into my role.” 

She’s set to join a program that’s synonymous with winning. By the time we go to press, South Carolina has just posted back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, won its second SEC Tournament championship in a row, and is gearing up for March Madness as the No. 1 seed. It’s that prestige—as well as the legacy of Dawn Staley, now in her 16th season since taking over the program in ’08—that led Edwards to commit to the Gamecocks in the first place. After narrowing down her top three schools to SC, LSU and Clemson, Edwards was contemplating signing later in the signing period, and it was Dawn who she felt truly respected her decision.

“The way Dawn responded was completely different from everybody else. She was like, OK, why do you feel this way? I feel like it was really just the coaching. What Dawn said just hit me a little bit different than every other coach.” 

Over the years, Dawn has molded future WNBA legends, from the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston to A’ja Wilson, a two-time WNBA champion and the 2023 Finals MVP, whom Edwards had a chance to meet when South Carolina beat Maryland this past November. Wilson even gave her some advice.

“[She] was talking about how when she came into South Carolina, and they had her starting,” Edwards recalls of their conversation, “and she came out the next game and did whatever she had to do. I feel like her transition from being more of a role player at SC to her having to be that more dominant player in the paint and take them to the national championship. Just the whole process and her mentality throughout and the progression she had through that, that’s one of the biggest things that I took away from it.” 

Edwards sees similarities in their games, too, and says her dad often compares her to Wilson. “Obviously, she’s left-handed, but she has the middy in the bag. She can drive, she can face up, she posts up. All those things that she does—obviously, I’m not doing it [at] as high a level as her—but I’m doing a lot of similar things at my age.” 

As she wraps up her senior year at Camden—Edwards also plays soccer, which she says has helped with her conditioning and footwork on the court—she’s already looking forward to the opportunities that await just 40 minutes away in Columbia. 

“I feel like for some players, it could definitely be intimidating,” she says. “But then I just remember that I play my best when I’m going against and playing with great players in practice and stuff like that. I feel like at South Carolina, with the competition I’ll be playing against in practice, like, these are WNBA legends. These people are about to go to the League and do great things. Going up against them in practice will just make me better, and hopefully when I show up in a game, I think I’ll be really prepared.”  

Deyscha Smith is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow her on Instagram and X, @deyschasmith.

Portraits by Kai McNeil. Follow him on Instagram, @thekaimac.

The post No. 2 Ranked Senior Joyce Edwards Talks All-Around Game, Dawn Staley and Her Future at South Carolina appeared first on SLAM.