NEW YORK — When Trick Williams talks South Carolina women’s basketball, he does not hedge. The WWE Superstar and Gamecock alum joined Tuesday’s episode of First Take with the energy of someone who has been waiting for this matchup all season — and he did not disappoint.
The Case for South Carolina, Delivered With Conviction
Williams wasted no time making his position clear on the Final Four clash between South Carolina and UConn.
“When we talk about the South Carolina Gamecocks, you’ve got to put some respect on their name,” Williams said. “You will put respect on the South Carolina Gamecock name because we have Joyce Edwards. The greatest sophomore in the game today. And I know we’ve got Sarah Strong on the other side, leading UConn in all five categories. But Joyce Edwards is country-fed. Eating ham hocks and chitlins and everything. She’s from the low country of South Carolina. She’s got too much size and too much muscle. She’s too ready for Sarah Strong.”
The colorful framing aside, Williams is making a legitimate analytical point. Edwards has been one of the most dominant players in women’s college basketball this season — 19.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, with two double-doubles already in the NCAA Tournament. The matchup against Sarah Strong, who leads UConn in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and assists, is the central tactical question of the entire Final Four. Williams is simply making the case for his side with considerably more flair than your average analyst.
On Dawn Staley and the Revenge Factor
Perhaps the most substantive observation Williams made was about the motivational architecture of this rematch. UConn beat South Carolina 82-59 in last year’s national championship game — a result that stung. Williams argued that Staley is not the kind of coach who absorbs that kind of loss and comes back to the same stage without a response.
“UConn beat us last year in the Final Four. If Dawn Staley is who I think she is, she ain’t going out like that two years in a row,” Williams said. “Geno, we know what’s up.”
He acknowledged the Huskies directly — “I am scared of UConn, but I ain’t stupid” — which is the kind of honest respect that makes his overall argument more credible, not less. He is not dismissing UConn’s 38-0 record or Geno Auriemma’s twelve national championships. He is simply betting on Staley’s competitive identity as a differentiating factor.
Williams also highlighted Raven Johnson, drawing a comparison that will resonate with basketball fans: “She reminds me of a young Rajon Rondo. She controls the tempo. She controls the offense. She goes and gets those offensive rebounds when she needs to.” The Rondo comparison is apt — Johnson is not a volume scorer, but she is the organism through which South Carolina’s offense breathes, the player whose decisions shape every possession.
The SEC Credential Behind the Opinion
Williams is not simply a famous alum offering blind loyalty. He played football in the SEC at South Carolina, which gives him a baseline understanding of elite athletic competition. More notably, his fiancée Lash Legend — real name Anriel Howard — is a former SEC women’s basketball standout who attended Westlake High School, the same school as Raven Johnson. Howard earned All-SEC First Team honors at Mississippi State in 2019. When Williams talks about recognizing dominant players and what winning in the SEC looks like, he is drawing from a household with genuine firsthand knowledge.
Two Big Stages, One Big Week
While South Carolina prepares for its Final Four showdown in Phoenix on April 3, Williams is gearing up for his own defining moment. He will challenge WWE United States Champion Sami Zayn for the title at WrestleMania 42 on April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — his first-ever WrestleMania match.
Two major stages. Two high-stakes performances. One very busy Gamecock.
But on Tuesday morning, his attention was squarely on Phoenix — and on making sure the college basketball world understood exactly what South Carolina is bringing into that arena.
“Put some respect on the South Carolina Gamecock name.”
Consider the message delivered.
