Dawn Staley is 3-1 in national championship games as South Carolina’s women’s basketball head coach.
Her one loss came Sunday at Amalie Arena with an 82-59 defeat to UConn.
“Much respect to UConn. They did a masterful job in executing on both sides of the basketball. … They’re incredibly skilled and with their role players, you’ve gotta have a really good day to beat them,” Staley said. “I have to say goodbye to a senior class that had a historic impact on our program, our game, our city and our state.”
“Any time your season ends in a loss, it should light a fire. But I’m excited for what our team will look like next year. I do think they’ll be talented enough to get here.”
Here are other highlights of what Staley told reporters immediately after the game:
This UConn game vs. previous one
“I thought we did a great job protecting the 3-point line. … if we could make it a game of 2s we could keep it close. The 3-pointers they made were momentum changing … when it gets to double digits it’s hard to come back on a UConn team that’s pretty great at executing”
“The gameplan was being executed in the first half. We just weren’t able to get the looks we usually make. We didn’t take care of the ball, we missed layups. They make you pay. Although the score may not reflect it, I thought we executed better”
Saying goodbye to South Carolina seniors
“I give them their flowers all the time … it’s hang your head up high. No other women’s college basketball athlete has what they have, won as much as they won, experienced what they experienced. Mostly every home game is a sellout. Everywhere we go on the road, we receive so much. It was them that built this and will go out as the winningest class in the country, so I’m proud of them.
“They’ve allowed me to coach as my uncensored self … I can have conversations with them that would probably hurt other people’s feelings. When you get to the next level, it’s sink or swim and that’s probably coming not from a coach but from a teammate. Hopefully I’ve prepared them for that (in the WNBA)“
On USC’s underclassmen
“I hope they’re crying. I hope they’re boo-hooing. That really makes you analyze in the offense how we close the gap. They’re really talented. They have the desire to get back to the national championship game and deliver the blows needed to win”
Second-half adjustments
“Most teams are down a lot more than 10 against UConn at halftime. I think we led in rebounding at halftime. The turnovers we had led to easy buckets and that puts a lot more pressure on our offense to perform. Our ball screen coverage was not great as it was in the first two quarters. I tried to get our team to hone in on making shots because to beat UConn, you’ve gotta make shots”
How Dawn Staley is coping with the loss
“I mean, our kids gave it all they had. When you can understand why you lost and when you’ve been on the other side of that three times, you understand it. You can swallow it. We lost to a very, very good basketball team. That they beat our ass but they didn’t make us like it. There’s a difference”
Roster next year
“It is next woman up. We lose a large senior class with a lot of experience. Our team will look different but what will be similar is how we approach things, how we prep. They still have Final Four, national championship experience under their belt, and they have an opportunity to top what happened in the past few years.”
On the WNBA pitch for the seniors
“They’re winners, they’re coached up. They’ll be able to handle any role. They defend. They’ll have a really good understanding of how to defend. They are young people, they are good people and will be an asset for any franchise.”
