Dawn Staley Focused on What's Right in Front of Them

Joseph Griffin | Mar 29, 2024

Mar 28, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley answers questions / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday afternoon, Head Coach Dawn Staley spoke with the media during the Sweet 16 media availability period after a focused and loose practice, which is something coach Staley says has been the story of this team. They're loose and know when to focus. With the theme being built around 'love' for this year's team, Dawn Staley spoke on what she loves about this team's mindset:

I really love this team one, for just being their organic selves. we've tried to change them; we've tried to get them to focus for just a little bit longer, but they've created this identity where they hold each other accountable. They are in lock step with each other, and it was this that was created out of the love for each other. Weve had this before but in a different way, in a more focused way.

she continued saying:

This year this team this team focuses for a period of time, and they make you feel uncomfortably comfortable with how they approach the game. then on game day, 75% of the time they've gotten us to a good place during the game... I never feel like we're ever going to lose the game and it's because of the love they have for each other and the love they have for winning. 

Coach Staley also spoke on if the team is aware or if there's any pressure with them being just four games away from being the fifth school to be undefeated in the season:

They have zero idea, they have short memories, they only deal in the present which is pretty cool. you don't have to talk them off of a ledge because their thinking it's going to be an easy thing, they take one game at a time. During the time between the SEC tournament championship and that prep time, I thought we were a little loose and I thought we thought it was going to be easy moving forward. My energy spoke to, we have to keep the main thing the main thing, the main thing right now is the next opponent... I just want to keep them focused on what's right in front of us. 

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