Dawn Staley Asserts WNBA Status Could Impact Struggling South Carolina Players
The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team doesn't seem to have missed a beat from last season's team that produced an impeccable 38-0 record and won the 2024 NCAA National Championship.
However, their 2024-25 season hasn't been without adversity. Star forward Ashlyn Watkins has dealt with legal charges (that have since been dismissed) and forward Chloe Kitts had to miss a game due to what was deemed an "academic policy issue".
There's also the fact that some of South Carolina's most reliable veteran players — such as Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, and Sania Feagin — haven't performed up to their usual standards this season.
When asked about these players' slow starts after her team's 92-60 win against Coppin State on Thursday, legendary Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley provided a fascinating answer.
"Sometimes it happens. I do know that this is a real thing: When we have our WNBA-eligible players... it makes you press, and it gets you out of your norm," Staley said, per Matt Dowell. "Your normal routine of focusing on the game, your focus becomes something else, and then the things that you do well aren't up to par.
"They understand it, but you really can't control it," Staley continued of these added pressures for WNBA-eligible players. "So we just have to try out best to get them back into their habits."
She also added that while she has seen this pressing from past players, it hasn't happened this early in the season before.
Thought this was really interesting insight from Dawn Staley tonight.
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) November 15, 2024
Was asked about a slow start to the season from vets like Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, and Sania Feagin.
Says when players become WNBA eligible, it can make them press & can impact their focus:@GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/ax4Ayib7du
Luckily for Staley and her South Carolina team, their roster is extremely deep, and can afford a slow start from some of their proven veterans because their slack can be picked up by their peers.
It also helps that South Carolina is (for the most part) playing vastly inferior teams right now. But they'll eventually need these veterans to step up if they want to repeat as NCAA champions.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.