South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley met with media Wednesday to discuss her team’s injury situation, offensive adjustments, and the strength of the SEC ahead of Thursday’s matchup with Mississippi State.
Injury Status Remains Unclear
When asked about the availability of Ta’Niya Latson and Agot Makeer for Thursday’s game, Staley kept things close to the vest.
“I guess you’ll know tonight, you’ll figure it out tonight,” Staley said.
Offensive Adjustments in Response to Roster Flux
With injuries forcing constant lineup changes, Staley has been working to find offensive solutions that maximize her available personnel. She expressed confidence that recent practice work will help regardless of who suits up.
“The game is about adjusting. No matter who you have, no matter if you have a full roster. It’s about adjusting and putting our team in the best possible situation,” Staley said. “I think the last few days will help, whether we have Gotti (Makeer) or Ta’Niya or not. I think offensively, we did some things that should hopefully clear things up or put people in positions where they can be effective, and it doesn’t impact the space on the floor. That’s what’s really been impacted. Hopefully, we can open the floor up a little bit, allow our guards to maneuver a little bit, and put our bigs in a situation where they actually can be effective and score.”
Moving Away from High-Low Offense
With limited production from the post in recent games, Staley acknowledged the need to shift away from the high-low offense that has been a South Carolina staple in recent years.
“I just need a better connection. It’s probably not high-low. We’ve been wanting that because that’s where we’ve had the most success over the past couple of years. We just don’t have that; we don’t have the personnel for it. So we’re not going to continue to try to do it,” Staley explained. “We’re going to try to get it to other places, where their movements are exact. This is where they’re going to be in the six-foot space. This is where you’re going to operate this, and then everybody else will play around that.”
Chemistry Comes and Goes
Staley was candid about the challenges of building chemistry with constantly rotating lineups, acknowledging that her team’s flow varies from game to game.
“There are times that we have great chemistry out there. And there are times that we don’t have it. So, we got to catch it when we can. You can’t force it as much as we want to force it and play a certain way. We actually have to play according to how they wake up every day. That’s different, is it great? No, it’s not great, but if you’re coaching and that’s what it is. That’s how you got to play to it,” Staley said. “So it can’t just be one consistent way, like we’ve been playing. I’m stubborn, but I’m not stubborn enough to just keep trying to do it, and it’s not working.”
Despite the inconsistency, Staley emphasized the importance of results over aesthetics.
“We’re going to keep trying to figure out what’s the best offense that we can utilize to get the most out of our players in the most consistent way. So we’re still trying, we’re still winning basketball games. But it doesn’t look good. And it really doesn’t have to look good. As long as we’re winning and we’re figuring it out. We’re always in constant motion and trying to get the best out of them on any given day.”
Target on South Carolina’s Back
Staley acknowledged that every opponent brings their best effort against the Gamecocks, making every game a potential upset opportunity.
“They watch it. We are the recipients of people’s best efforts. We’re always just one 40-minute period away from someone upsetting us. Yeah, we feel it. We see it. I get text messages saying, they didn’t play like that against us, I get them all the time, and they never will. They never will play that way,” Staley said. “We’re up against our success in this league, and people don’t forget.”
SEC’s Strength Should Be Rewarded
When asked about the SEC this season, Staley praised the conference’s depth and quality while advocating for proper recognition from the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
“We’re good, I mean, we’re really good. We have really good coaching, we’ve got really good talent. We got a league that has leadership. Leadership put us in a position where we are the best conference in the country. ADs are making decisions to find coaches who will compete at the top of this conference. It’s a trickle-down effect of everybody having a hand and us having to fight it out,” Staley said.
“I just hope that at the end of the day, our league is rewarded by the NCAA selection committee. We’re rewarded in that way because it is a dogfight, and I don’t know what metrics they’re going to use to reward us, but I think it’s unlike any other conference in any other way. They got their work cut out for them. I know they’re watching the games, and it is result-driven, but it’s not. It’s hard to be results-driven when we’re beating up on each other.”
Honoring National Girls and Women in Sports Day
On National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Staley reflected on the pioneers who paved the way for the current generation.
“I’m inspired by people, women who have just tirelessly fought for our game to grow and fought for girls’ sports to grow, women’s sports to grow. Tara VanDerveer, Debbie Ryan, Anne Donovan, Vivian Stringer, all of the coaches who loved up on our game when it wasn’t popular or as popular as it is today,” Staley said. “It’s always a special time for us to not only showcase what these talented young ladies are doing, but we also get to reach back in our history. Because, without them, there wouldn’t be any of us.”
Maddy McDaniel’s Growth
Staley praised backup point guard Maddy McDaniel’s development, which has become increasingly important given the team’s injury situation.
“I think Maddy has incredible support. She’s growing up, she’s maturing. You could say she’s getting more playing time. She’s doing some great things out there running our basketball team. She’s consistently defending; it’s a consistent thing. And she’s running our team consistently. There’s not a whole lot of bad basketball,” Staley said. “She’s playing at the perfect time, especially when we have some players who are just trying to get back to some good health and get back out there on the floor. It’s good to know that such a young player was listening last year. When she did sit, she was learning. Now that she’s able to get out there and play extended minutes, she’s executing.”
Mississippi State Scouting Report
Looking ahead to Thursday’s opponent, Staley highlighted the challenges Mississippi State presents.
“Super athletic, pressure defense. They’re an elite rebounding basketball team. They got players who really put you back on your heels. Driving the ball down the floor, then if you honor that too much, they’ve got great three-point shooting to back that up,” Staley said.
The Gamecocks tip off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Colonial Life Arena, seeking their 23rd victory of the season.
