The love between A’ja Wilson and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is palpable.

Staley has been supportive of her former player as Wilson has taken the WNBA by storm, just as she has with her other former Gamecocks. And there’s not another college coach like Staley, who has become a constant on WNBA sidelines.

After the Aces’ championship win Wednesday, a postgame moment between Staley and former South Carolina star Alaina Coates went viral, with Coates writing on social media that “words can’t express” how much she loves and appreciates Staley.

Ahead of Game 3 in New York, Staley surprising Wilson at New York’s Barclays Center also went viral. And during Game 4, she even offered to “yell at the refs” for Wilson, Coates and the Aces.

In the aftermath of the title win, Wilson took the time to speak about what her relationship with Staley means to her and the moment the two shared together after the game.

“She’s watched me win on every level at this point,” Wilson said, noting that Staley coached her to an NCAA championship and to Olympic gold. “That’s a special moment between us.

“Everyone knows in this room, Coach Staley is like my second mom. So for her to come out – and she texted me, she was like, ‘I’m coming to this one’ – she didn’t surprise me this time. It was just a true moment and I knew I had to find her.

“She has really molded me into the player that I am today. She spent countless hours just telling me what I need to do at the pro level. I thought that relationship was kind of going to disappear as I got to a pro [level] but we’ve still stayed together. … It was just truly a special moment. It was a moment that, that’s gonna be forever, something that I tell my kids about.”

Dawn Staley found herself in perfect position at Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.

The South Carolina head coach sat courtside at Barclays Center, close enough to speak her mind to the officials. And as a fan, she doesn’t have to worry about picking technical fouls, as she noted on social media during the game between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces.

“I love my seat at the WNBA Finals,” Staley wrote. “I can yell at the refs and can’t get T’d up today! @LVAces coaches just tell me what y’all want me to say.”

Wednesday night’s appearance comes in a busy week for Staley. Before Sunday’s Game 3 at Barclays Center, she surprised Aces star A’ja Wilson, who she coached to a national championship at South Carolina.

On Monday, the Philadelphia native threw out the first pitch at the first game of the Phillies’ National League Championship Series. And when she returned to Barclays Center for Game 4, she sported a Phillies hat.

Staley was not the only big name in attendance for Wednesday’s game, which brought out stars from sports — Gotham FC players, Sue Bird, Stephen A. Smith — to show business — Issa Rae, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Connelly — and more.

A’ja Wilson was surprised by a familiar face before Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.

Dawn Staley, Wilson’s former South Carolina coach, showed up to embrace Wilson before she and the Las Vegas Aces attempted to complete a three-game sweep of the New York Liberty in the best-of-five championship series.

Staley, who also has coached Wilson for Team USA, has long been one of the star forward’s loudest supporters.

After it was revealed that Wilson finished third in the 2023 WNBA MVP voting, with one voter placing Wilson fourth on their ballot, Staley sent a message on X.

“To the fourth place voter, your hate is real and on display,” Staley wrote.

The admiration between coach and player goes both ways.

“I’m always proud to say, I’m a product of Dawn Staley, and that’s the stamp. That’s a big stamp for me and I love it, and you can see it carries out throughout my college teammates,” Wilson said in September. “And it’s just a type of vibe that we give, the culture that we built there. It’s no surprise that we’re being very successful in this league.”

Wilson is averaging 24.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game this postseason. The 27-year-old scored 26 points to go along with 15 rebounds in the Aces’ 104-76 win over the Liberty in Game 2.

Staley, meanwhile, will return to the sideline in Paris, France, on Nov. 6, when the Gamecocks will open their season against Notre Dame.

The South Carolina women’s basketball team has perhaps never been more popular.

Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley announced on X that the team had sold more 10,100 season tickets for the 2023-24 campaign, surpassing last year’s total.

“Let’s gooo!” Staley wrote on X.

As of Friday morning, Staley said, South Carolina had sold 10,144 season tickets, already up from last year’s number of 10,084.

The Gamecocks play Rutgers in an exhibition game at home Oct. 22, before challenging Notre Dame in a neutral site game in Paris on Nov. 6. They then host Maryland on Nov. 12.

South Carolina won a program record 36 games last season and entered the Final Four without having suffered a loss. They fell to Iowa, 77-73, in the NCAA semifinal.

The team enters the season with high expectations, even without star players Aliyah Boston and Zia Cook, who left for the WNBA.

“We can’t erase what took place for the last four years,” Staley told reporters. “But we can start anew and give this team its own identity. … They’re in a good place.”

Point guard Raven Johnson is expected to step into a leadership role after averaging 18.6 minutes per game as a backup last season.

“It’s got to be a team effort,” Johnson said. “If I’m buying in, everybody’s got to buy in.”

The announcement of the 2023 WNBA MVP award, won by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, elicited a flood of reactions on social media.

Stewart won the award with 446 points, but received fewer first-place votes than runner-up Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun. Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson finished in third place.

Dawn Staley, who coached Wilson at South Carolina, congratulated Stewart on her victory and Thomas on her historic season. But she had harsh words for one voter, who put Aces guard Chelsea Gray in third place on the ballot over Wilson.

“To the fourth place voter, your hate is real and on display,” Staley wrote on X.

U.S. women’s national team and San Diego Wave star Alex Morgan also complimented Stewart.

Several WNBA players and members of the media called out the voting process. Each voter on a national panel of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters listed their top five candidates, with the No. 1 player on each ballot receiving 10 points. Each subsequent spot on the ballot received fewer points, from seven for a second-place vote down to one for a fifth-place vote.

 

Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud wanted to see members of the voting panel stand behind their choices. Voters can reveal their ballots, but they are not required to do so.

Cloud already had slammed the WNBA awards voting process after being shut out for the All-Defensive Team selections, writing in a since-deleted post: “Voting for this league is a joke.”

Meanwhile, Indiana Fever rookie Aliyah Boston joked about her own MVP prospects. The former South Carolina star appeared on one MVP ballot, receiving a single point for a fifth-place vote, but she remains the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award.

“I’m almost there don’t play,” she wrote on X.

Dawn Staley has built a pipeline to the WNBA at South Carolina, and that has been on full display during the 2023 WNBA season.

From rookies Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke to MVP candidate A’ja Wilson, nine former Gamecocks currently grace WNBA rosters, The Athletic reported. That is the third-highest total in the league behind Notre Dame (10) and UConn (16).

“To see all of us achieving our goals and being able to play against each other, it’s special,” Cooke told The Athletic. The 22-year-old guard played in 39 games for the Los Angeles Sparks in her first professional season.

Players say that Staley’s coaching style helps to prepare them for the WNBA from the moment they step on campus as freshmen. She instills “pro habits,” including mental toughness and work ethic, to help her players flourish at the next level.

The formula has worked. On top of having nine players on rosters, three of the last seven Rookie of the Year winners will have come from South Carolina – Allisha Gray, Wilson and, soon, Boston. A shoo-in for the 2023 award, Boston averaged 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for the Indiana Fever.

“That South Carolina program really grooms these guys to compete,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said.

And former Gamecocks returning to campus and helping out the program helps too.

“When they come back, I try to get them to practice with us,” Staley said. “I try to get them to impart knowledge on how to play at the next level, the type of habits they’ve created to have staying power and to have dominating power once they’re in the league.”

Wilson sees the wisdom Staley has imparted on her as a “huge key” to her success with the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. That includes twice being named WNBA MVP – with a potential third accolade coming. And she’s been happy seeing her fellow South Carolina alums find success in the WNBA as well.

“To see it all unfold and to see us all here being successful across the league, it’s truly something special,” Wilson said. “I’m always proud to say, I’m a product of Dawn Staley, and that’s the stamp. That’s a big stamp for me and I love it, and you can see it carries out throughout my college teammates. And it’s just a type of vibe that we give, the culture that we built there. It’s no surprise that we’re being very successful in this league.”

The perception of South Carolina women’s basketball as “overly physical” affected the officiating in the Final Four, coach Dawn Staley said.

Speaking on The Pivot Podcast, Staley addressed the narratives that plagued South Carolina all season long, including in their 77-73 loss to Iowa in the national semifinals. Gamecocks star Aliyah Boston spent long stretches on the bench after picking up two fouls in the first quarter and a third just minutes into the third quarter.

South Carolina finished the game with 20 fouls – marking just the second time all season the team racked up 20 fouls or more.

“When people make references of us being overly physical, it has a way of determining how the game is being called,” Staley said. “It’s a narrative that I usually don’t address, but I addressed it this past season because I knew as we continued down this path of our season and going into the NCAA tournament, that it could burn us.”

Staley “absolutely” thinks that the narrative played a hand not only in the national semifinals, but she doesn’t think the impact was limited to her team. Such narratives also affected the national championship game, in which the Hawkeyes saw several of their key players sidelined with foul trouble in the loss to LSU.

“If enough people are saying it and enough coaches are saying it, then they’re gonna have to address it,” she continued. “Do I think it was a part of our national semifinals? Absolutely. Do I think it had the same impact on Iowa in the national championship game? Absolutely.”

The women’s game “has got to get the right officials,” Staley said, who will call the game as they do throughout the regular season. Game-planning for the officials is a part of a winning strategy, she said, and part of being able to prepare is knowing that the officiating is going to remain consistent.

The South Carolina coach also wants all coaches to be able to talk about refereeing more in postgame press conferences without the threat of fines hanging over their heads.

“For me, I do think we should be able to talk about the officials, whether we agree or disagree. And I think officials should be able to talk, because they’re becoming more a part of the storyline in our game,” she said. “And they should be able to defend themselves like we should be able to talk about them.

“If they’re gonna impact it, it’s fair game. They should not be able to just ride off.”

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley once again had to defend her squad following their 77-73 loss to Iowa in the Final Four, which ended their undefeated season and their national championship defense.

Throughout the season, the Gamecocks have fought negative perceptions of their physicality on the court. Staley has been pushing back against that narrative all year, and she did so again Friday. 

“We’re not bar fighters. We’re not thugs. We’re not monkeys. We’re not street fighters,” she said when asked about her team. “This team exemplifies how you need to approach basketball on the court and off the court. And I do think that that’s sometimes brought into the game, and it hurts.”

According to Staley, a number of media members were at an event near the arena Thursday and were “overheard talking about our team.”

“Some of the people in the media, when you’re gathering in public, you’re saying things about our team, and you’re being heard, and it’s being brought back to me,” she said. “And these are the people that write nationally for our sport.

“So you can not like our team and you can not like me. But when you say things that you probably should be saying in your home on the phone or texting out in public and you’re being heard, and you are a national writer for our sport, it just confirms what we already know. So watch what you say when you’re in public and you’re talking about my team in particular.

“Just watch what you say about our team because it’s wrong. You’ve got young lives who are really — if you really knew them, if you really knew them, like you really want to know other players that represent this game, you would think differently. So don’t judge us by the color of our skin. Judge us by how we approach the game.”

While some critics may not like the way South Carolina plays, Staley is “not changing” it, she said after the loss to Iowa.

“We found success in it, and maybe some days like today, we end up on the losing side of the stick. But guess what? We live to see another day,” she said. “We live to see the comeback next year and try to do this again because I’m not changing.”

Dawn Staley isn’t leaving South Carolina women’s basketball for the men’s game any time soon.

A few may have floated the idea of her leaving for the men’s head coaching position at Temple before the school hired Penn State associate head coach Adam Fisher. And while the chatter wasn’t very loud, it still caught the attention of some – enough so that Staley was asked about it Thursday as her team prepared for the Final Four.

“No thoughts. I don’t want to coach in the men’s game,” Staley said when asked if she had given the job any thought. She ended with a joke about Philadelphia’s weather: “It’s cold up there, too.”

CBS Sports analyst Seth Davis was the first to float the idea of Staley as a top-tier candidate for the Owls. After all, she is a native of Philadelphia and a “proven winner.” While some thought it a good idea, others said the men’s gig “would be a step down” for the two-time national championship coach.

Even musician Darius Rucker, a South Carolina alum, chimed in.

“U really think @dawnstaley wants to leave the Dynasty that she has built at @GamecockWBB. Wow. Awful take there,” Rucker tweeted.

But it’s not the first time Staley has been mentioned as a candidate for a men’s basketball job. Back in 2021, she was linked to the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.

“I’ve talked to the Portland Trail Blazers, and that’s the extent of it,” Staley said during a Zoom call with reporters in 2021. “I’ve talked to them.”

Staley isn’t the only women’s basketball coach to field questions about coaching in the men’s game. Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was long tossed around as an option for NBA head coaching positions after spending a significant amount of time as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.

“I don’t need so-and-so to tell me I’m a good coach,” Hammon said about her switch to the WNBA. “I don’t need somebody’s stamp of approval.”

Dawn Staley and South Carolina are headed back to the Final Four, one year after winning it all, and for the third year in a row.

The No. 1 seed Gamecocks beat No. 2 seed Maryland 86-75 on Monday to secure their spot. They will face off against Iowa on Friday with a shot at the national championship on the line.

South Carolina has been here before. Yet as the Gamecocks make the trip to Dallas, they do so still undefeated, a rare feat — and a new one for their team. There’s a chance, once they get there, to do something special. And Staley knows it.

“I mean, this team has been to three consecutive Final Fours. I think they separate themselves from any other team that we’ve been a part of,” she said. “This team is undefeated.”

The pressure of surpassing their own past success looms.

“The bar is set pretty high for us to continue to do what we’ve done, and that’s the challenge of it each and every year, to try to top last year,” Staley said

Still, Staley knows the hard work her team has put into this season to get them to this point. And she knows there is a bit of luck that goes into it as well. 

“I mean, you’ve got to get a little lucky, and you’ve got to get some players that really believe in it and that are unified, that really see honestly the bigger picture,” she said. “That is rare nowadays because a lot of times young people only see themselves and what they want to accomplish.

“But when you get a combination of players who want those things, individual things, but they see the overarching — the big picture, and this group of players — we’ve been very lucky at South Carolina where we got groups of players that basically clump together and want to play together to do some special things.”

Even for Aliyah Boston, who has been awarded practically every accolade there is in college basketball, the weight of making three Final Fours isn’t lost.

“Not a lot of teams can say they’re able to do this,” Boston said after Monday’s win. “So for us to be able to do it feels really good, and it’s such a blessing we won’t ever take for granted.”

Boston and her teammates, including Brea Beal, have felt the highest of highs. They’ve also been at the lowest of lows. That’s what’s led them to this point. It’s what has enabled them to win.

“I think for me personally, I know what it feels like to lose. I know what it feels like to be sent home. So every game that we played this season, we played with that feeling on our mind, on our chest. Really going into any game we play, we don’t want that feeling,” Beal said.

And while a third straight Final Four is something to celebrate, the job isn’t done.

“I just hope that we’re able to win a National Championship because they’ve done it the right way,” said Staley, “and they’re just exemplary of what you want every student-athlete to be.”