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Dawn Staley’s dominance at South Carolina continued on Sunday as her program earned a fourth-straight Final Four appearance by beating Oregon State 70-58
The Gamecocks improved to a historic 36-0 with the win despite losing several talented players to the pros and graduation coming into the season. But Staley says the young ladies on her team deserve all the credit for the success they’ve built down in Columbia, SC.
“It’s all about the players. It’s all about the players’ commitment,” the Hall of Famer told sideline reporter Holly Rowe after the game. “You saw we had so many players come in and out of the basketball game, so players have to sit a little bit longer than they usually do. But they all want to win for each other. So they sacrifice some of their personal goals to benefit for the greater good of our team.”
Adding, “Nobody believed we would be in this place right here, besides them.”
It’s been an incredible ride for Staley since taking over Gamecocks women’s basketball back in 2008. After taking a few years to build the school back into a contender, Staley’s record is 396-58 with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, six Final Fours and two national championships.
South Carolina will face the winner of NC State vs. Texas in Cleveland on April 5.