How Staley is preparing USC for higher stakes, different grind of postseason play
The last time South Carolina women’s basketball stepped foot on the floor at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, well ... fans know what happened.
The Gamecocks’ shocking loss to Arkansas in the quarterfinals of the 2019 SEC tournament snapped the program’s record-breaking streak of four titles. It was a stinging upset for second-seeded USC, and it’ll likely come up more than a few times as Dawn Staley’s team returns to Greenville this week for this year’s edition of the conference tourney.
But Staley herself said she isn’t using that as added motivation for her No. 1 Gamecocks as they look to hoist another trophy.
“I haven’t brought that up. I got a different team. This team, they don’t have the habits of the team of last year. So we’re not gonna dwell on it,” Staley said.
When asked to clarify what habits she was talking about, Staley gave a little more detail.
“Last year’s team was up and down. This year’s team has been pretty steady,” Staley said. “They come to practice and they work hard all the time, and they get the results from their hard work because they stay in character, whether it’s the game or practice.”
Staying in character will be key for the Gamecocks as their highly-touted freshman class makes its first appearance in the postseason. All year long, the youngsters have stayed unflappable as in high-pressure games against top opponents. There is something a little different about this time of year, though.
“These players have to approach it the same way, although the stakes are a little bit higher,” Staley said. “And I’ve always said that the team that is able to shake off whatever jitters of the postseason and get closer to themselves the quickest in the basketball game is probably the team that’s going to win.”
Forward Aliyah Boston, who was named Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for the conference, echoed that sentiment. And in addition, she acknowledged that she’ll likely get even more attention and physical play in the post as teams sell out to defend her.
“I think for me, I really just have to stay calm and composed. Because once I do that, I can really see the floor, exactly like where the (double-team) is coming from, things like that,” Boston said.
The freshmen already are playing more basketball than they typically did in high school — and if USC has its way, there will be three games in three days this weekend. Fatigue could set in and make the Gamecocks’ depth crucial, especially at the forward spots. Freshman Laeticia Amihere and sophomore Victaria Saxton each average more than 13 minutes per game, but Staley wants more production from them.
“It’s imperative that we get Laeticia going. She’s got a lot more to give. I mean, V’s been doing it all season long, but we do need them to play a little bit stronger,” Staley said. “We need a lot more impact from them when they get in the basketball game from a scoring standpoint. They’re rebounding, they’re defending — we need some scoring from the two of them.”
They’ll get their first chance Friday against No. 9 seed Georgia. The Gamecocks have already defeated both teams by more than 15 points this season, though the Crimson Tide have been on a roll as of late with four consecutive wins, including victories over No. 2 seed Mississippi State and No. 4 seed Kentucky.
All-SEC selection Jordan Lewis leads ‘Bama with 13.1 points and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 35.2% from 3.
When do the Gamecocks play at SEC tournament?
Who: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 9 Georgia
What: Quarterfinals of the SEC tournament
When: Noon Friday
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area, SEC Radio on SiriusXM
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 7:21 AM with the headline "How Staley is preparing USC for higher stakes, different grind of postseason play."
