Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley has produced a consistent national championship contender in Columbia, SC. The future Hall of Famer and her staff have another dynamic team that will play deep into this season’s NCAA Tournament. Photo courtesy of South Carolina Athletics.
TAMPA – South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has led her team to a 12-1 record despite losing center Chloe Kitts for the season with a torn ACL in her right knee. Meanwhile, guards Tessa Johnson and Maddy McDaniel have also missed games with injuries. Additionally, Madina Okot and Agot Makeer were shelved in Sunday’s win over Penn State. Okot returned with 12 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday’s win over South Florida, which coincides with averaging a double-double as she came into Thursday evening averaging 14.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
South Carolina posted two dominating wins at South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast which punctuated how they are, once again, a Top 5 team with the possibility of a fourth national title in the last 11 seasons.
“We’re making progress, and it’s not for today, but the standard we need to play at every game,” explained coach Dawn Staley. “Also, to develop our bench, because we had to play our starters a lot of time. Our bench hasn’t developed yet, but they are showing us that they are listening, they are learning, and they are executing.”
Forward Joyce Edwards has been an elite option in the post with her shooting and scoring ability at the rim and on the boxes. Edwards can
also slide to the outside and hit the 15-footer, given the situation, and she has scored 25.9 ppg in her last five outings.
“Joyce is a competitor, right?” said Staley. “In order for us to protect that part of it, we are challenging her to open up that part of her game where she playmakes. She dumps it off very often to keep the things that she does well, and that is scoring at the rim. We keep that fresh, and people aren’t going to double and triple team her, and she forces shots that way. She’s developed quite nicely. I think the most important thing about Joyce is that she is a competitor.”
Edwards broke her own scoring records in back-to-back games last week, with 29 last Sunday in a win over Penn State and 34 against the Bulls on Thursday. She is 40-of-53 from the field in her last five games, as she combines her athletic and basketball ability make her a tough matchup for any opponent in college basketball.
The Camden, SC, native leads the SEC with 22 ppg, and she shoots 60.8 percent from the field.
Guard Tessa Johnson is another leader and playmaker with her overall basketball acumen. Johnson
has such a deft touch on her three-point shot as she can combine that with her ability to think the game and playmake, which defines her diverse abilities to create different types of matchup issues.
“She has played in our program at a high level for two years,” Staley commented. “Your junior year is where you actually know enough to actually not have a lot of coaching. You know what’s happening out there on the floor, and that’s what you are seeing Tessa do. She has developed into being aware of her awareness. If you want to go from average to good and good to great, it’s about awareness.”
Johnson is South Carolina’s second leading scorer behind Edwards with double figures in eight of the 11 games, with a season high of 20 in the Gamecocks’ win at Louisville. Johnson averages 13.5 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
“If you are unaware, you are probably not making a play that you probably should,” analyzed Staley.
“Tessa is seeing it all. Her head is up when she is dribbling. Her head is always up, and she is searching for a way that she can make the play.”
Fifth-year guard Raven Johnson provides a tough presence on both ends of the floor with her experience and ball skills. Johnson averages six assists and two steals and is very functional in whatever the Gamecocks need at certain points inside of a game.
“Raven is pushing the ball well,” said Staley. “We have had Raven for four or five years now. We are used to playing at a certain tempo, and we are used to playing that way this particular year because we have a quick lineup that can get up and down the floor.”
In the player rotation of nine players, Staley has used talented younger players in freshmen Ayla McDowell and Makeer, and sophomores Adhel Tac and Maddy McDaniels. Tac and McDaniels have expanded their games as the 6-5 Tac is a major contributor in the paint, while McDaniels pushes the flow of the game when she is a primary ballhandler.
“Adel has been great,” notes Staley. “She knows everything that we convey to our players as coaches. She just needs the playing time to get her in position to impact the game.”
Staley is known for her transition game and defensive pressure. She looks to add to her half-court offense as the team and players individually mature into attacking in the half-court.
“We have to give ourselves a chance to score in transition first, and a lot of times, defensive transition is confusing. We want to see if we can play advantage basketball by creating confusion by playing fast and for the most part, we are getting better in that area.” — South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.
In watching the Gamecocks, the team’s connectivity and collegiality are both on point as they are picked to win the SEC once again, with LSU, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee in contention for the title as well.
“I’m just proud of our players, and they continue to play at the standard that we perform at a high level where we can continue to have the success that we have,” said Staley.