Staley’s incredible campaign with South Carolina women’s basketball earned her some high praise from Vince.
March Madness is one of the most exciting sports events of the year. However, as of late, while the men’s tournament has remained as popular as ever, the women’s tournament has continued to draw in more and more viewers with each passing year.
The 2024 women’s tournament was won by Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks, who completed their undefeated season with a win over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. And after such an impressive campaign, Vince Carter made sure to give Staley her due praise.
Vince gives Dawn her flowers
Staley took over as South Carolina’s women’s basketball head coach in 2008 and has gradually turned the team into an absolute powerhouse. The Gamecocks have won three titles since Dawn took over, with their latest in 2024 being the best of the bunch.
Not only did South Carolina take down Clark and her high-powered team, but they did so without losing a single game in the season. That’s an extremely impressive accomplishment, leading to some big compliments from VC.
“Her record in three years is insane, and I don’t think it gets talked about enough,” Vince said on The VC Show with Vince Carter.
“And it’s no disrespect to anybody else, but I just think that’s an unbelievable record. I think it’s an unbelievable feat for what she accomplished this year, going undefeated and finishing with a championship, because we’ve seen over years teams go undefeated and don’t get the job done. After what has happened to them last year, to the team that they lost to last year, I’m sure there was extra motivation,” Carter added.
Staley has turned South Carolina women’s basketball into a well-oiled machine
South Carolina has won during its recent run of success thanks to its incredible team depth. Kamilla Cardoso took a superstar turn this past season, but it’s not like they have had a star like Clark or JuJu Watkins, who has led their team over multiple seasons.
This isn’t a knock on Cardoso, who rightfully was selected third overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but rather a testament to Staley. Her scheme focuses on a swarming defense that can stifle even the best offenses, and that led to them winning every game they played this past season.
South Carolina is similar to the UConn men’s basketball team, which has won the past two titles in the men’s tournament. They don’t have the biggest stars on their team, but it doesn’t matter because they have solid players up and down their lineup who can execute their coach’s plan.
The 2023-24 Gamecocks roster was incredible, but Dawn was the mastermind who put all the pieces of the puzzle together to help them get back to the top of the mountain. And as long as she’s in charge, South Carolina will be considered a favorite to win it all in the women’s tournament.
