COLUMBIA, S.C.: It has been a special run of perfection for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, fueled by a number of precocious, gifted younger gamers who make it troublesome at instances to know precisely what comes subsequent.
“It feels a little bit different because they’re so young,” stated Staley, who gained NCAA titles in 2017 and 2022. “I mean, it’s like every day is a new day.”
Freshmen MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson and sophomores Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins have pushed the Gamecocks to the No. 1 total NCAA Tournament seed and a 32-0 mark. The crew is six victories away from the tenth good championship run in girls’s school basketball.
It’s an enormous change from a 12 months in the past when Staley’s group, led by All-Americans Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke, was coming off an NCAA title and dripping with school expertise. Their bid for again-to-again championships ended with a 77-73 loss to Iowa within the Final Four.
“Last year was more like groundhog day: you just kind of get through the regular season and get to the Final Four because they knew what they had to do,” Staley stated. “This team, they just start over every day, every day is something new.”
Take Fulwiley, who Staley supplied a scholarship when she was a seventh-grader. She grabbed consideration immediately with a full-court docket drive and a behind the again end in Paris because the Gamecocks throttled Notre Dame 100-71. The transfer even caught the eye of NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
But at apply, Staley has urged Fulwiley to rein in a number of the the flash for the less complicated, successful play. Those phrases took maintain as Fulwiley confirmed steadiness in main the Gamecocks with 24 factors in a 79-72 win over defending nationwide champion LSU to take the Southeastern Conference Tournament title. Fulwiley was match MVP.
“She’s changing the women’s game on the fly with how she plays and moves on the court,” NBA champion Steph Curry stated as his, Curry Brand, signed Fulwiley to an NIL deal final week.
Fulwiley will not be alone within the South Carolina youth motion. Watkins, the 6-foot-3 sophomore, has gained consideration for the primary two dunks in program historical past. She had one at Clemson as a freshman and added one other i n a win over Kentucky two months in the past.
“Honestly, I think I’m just seeing it, I’m seeing the floor better, I’m looking to score. I’m seeing what my teammates are doing,” Watkins stated. “I’ communicating better and that’s giving me confidence.”
Kitts is a 6-2 sophomore who joined this system in midseason a 12 months in the past and principally sat on the bench behind her skilled teammates. But the apply time a 12 months in the past paid off with Kitts beginning 28 video games this season, averaging 9.2 factors and 6 rebounds.
Kitts acknowledged feeling dissatisfied on the bench final 12 months. Now, she understands why it needed to occur that manner. “How I feel now is completely different,” she says. “That’s trusting the process and the people around you.”
Tessa Johnson, at 6-foot, has averaged greater than 20 minutes the previous seven video games, up from 12 minutes over the primary 25.
“I’m so proud of her,” stated Te-Hina Paopao, in her first season at South Carolina as a switch from Oregon. “Just seeing her blossom on and off the court. I knew her time was coming.”
South Carolina’s younger gamers had been entrance and middle of a late-sport skirmish within the SEC finals towards LSU. Fulwiley was fouled arduous by LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, who then pushed Watkins.
When South Carolina senior Kamilla Cardoso shoved Johnson to the ground, each benches together with Kitts and Johnson rushed to the spot earlier than issues settled down. Cardoso, Kitts and Johnson had been amongst these ejected. Cardoso will miss South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament opener on Friday.
Staley didn’t anticipate once more getting into the NCAAs undefeated when the 12 months started. As she’s watched her younger gamers develop, she turned much less shocked because the victories mounted.
“They figure it out,” Staley stated. “And it’s kind of a scary, but cool, dynamic.”
___ AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
