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Dawn Staley Details 'Battle' of Coaching South Carolina Standout MiLaysia Fulwiley

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley had an interesting comment about MiLaysia Fulwiley's flashy play style on Thursday.

Grant Young

South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley (12) drives to the basket during the game between South Carolina and Memphis in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic at FedExForum on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley (12) drives to the basket during the game between South Carolina and Memphis in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic at FedExForum on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks are rolling to start the 2024-25 season.

The defending NCAA national champions have cruised to three straight victories to start the year, including a 92-60 win over Coppin State on Thursday.

Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was the leading scorer for the Gamecocks, scoring 23 points on 9-13 shooting from the field (including four made three-pointers) in just 25 minutes played.

Many Gamecocks fans are surprised that Fulwiley isn't starting for Staley's squad, and are frustrated that she is the clear backup to Raven Johnson (who scored 0 points in 15 minutes played on Thursday); not only because Fulwiley is playing excellent, but she has a flashy and exciting play style that captivates spectators.

Although Staley isn't always a fan of Fulwiley's flare, which she alluded to when speaking with the media on Thursday.

"It's a battle with [MiLaysia]," Staley said, per WACH Fox reporter Amanda Poole. "She understands. She really understands.

"I mean, she's really dynamic. She's a dynamic guard," Staley continued. "I thought for the most part, she was lean as lean can be [during Thursday's game], playing great. And sometimes she can't bite the bullet. But if she can play as lean as she played today, I can eat some of the stuff that she tries to do."

Staley later added, "So I give [Fulwiley] a little leeway with it. But I also let her know during the game, 'Your game was great'. Efficient, the game slowed down for you... and then she gets anxious to make a play... that really gets her in trouble.

"For us, we want her to go score. Don't go try to make the spectacular pass."

Regardless of her flashy style, Staley won't be able to keep Fulwiley off the floor for long if she keeps performing like she did on Thursday.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

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