Dawn Staley States South Carolina Has No Current WNBA Starters in Reinforcing Roles
On December 15, South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke about how having such a talented roster can actually cause struggles for a coach.
"We play consistently 10 [players], which is hard," Staley said, per WACH reporter Jared Parker. She later added, "I say for the 10 players, it's hard as well because if someone has got it going on, more times than not, we're going to play them until the cows come home, right? That means somebody's minutes are shrinking.
"You really have to explain to young people that's how it is. Or else they'll think 'I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do'... And that's the furthest from it," she continued, "It's not anything wrong with what they're doing. It's more about what their [South Carolina] competitors are doing, and it's a healthy competition."
While Staley clearly believes her roster is exceedingly talented (and rightfully so), she doesn't think anybody is good enough to start in the WNBA right now — which she made clear on Friday.
"They can start anywhere else in the country. Tessa [Johnson], Lay [MiLaysia Fulwiley], Ashlyn [Watkins], Joyce [Edwards]," Staley said, per an X post from sports anchor Noah Chast. "All of them... can be starters in other places. But they know that it's not totally about starting.
"It's about the big picture, which is preparing them to be a pro. Because I don't think we have anybody on our team that can go into the WNBA and start," Staley continued. "Not anybody. Not anybody.
"So to be able to play a role like that, that will be a natural role for you in the league in the very beginning, it's not a bad thing."
"I don't think we have anybody on our team that can go into the WBNA and start."
— Noah Chast (@NoahChastTV) January 3, 2025
Dawn Staley on the importance of playing your role, in reference to #Gamecock players coming off the bench. She notes her bench players "could start anywhere else" in college hoops.@abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/aRJ7k5OcZr
She certainly has a fair point; although it's unclear if all of her players would agree.
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.