South Carolina Gamecocks’ Dawn Staley Explains Why National Title Win vs. Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes Was ‘Pretty Special’

Dawn Staley on Why National Championship Win was ‘Unexpected’

After winning the national title, South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley opened up and shared why, despite having a clean record from start to finish of the 2023-24 college basketball season, the championship was something she did not initially see coming.

“I mean, this title is pretty special because it was one that was unexpected. Sometimes, you know, you have a roster full of people and talent that can really make a move and march and get lucky and execute. And then you have a team like this that comes out of nowhere that started in June, like, I mean, it was really bad that you wouldn’t even talk about any type of championship because you’re just trying to, they were just trying to get their next breath.”

Staley also talked about how her team got it together and formed a winning mentality as the foundation of their chemistry that ultimately led to an unforgettable title run in the Big Dance.

“But somehow, some way, they figured out how to trust each other. I mean, it probably was so bad, like, misery loves company. When you’re out of shape and you’re fighting for your next breath, you’re like, this is hard, like, I don’t want to do this anymore. But then they found a way to hurdle that and say, look, we need to do something about this, we need to get in shape, we don’t want this year to be a waste a year. And then magically, they formed this chemistry and friendship and bond that carried on to the court to the point where they didn’t want to lose.”

South Carolina’s defense flummoxed Clark and the Hawkeyes, who were held to only 39.7 field goal percentage in the championship game. Clark had 30 points but was just 10/28 from the field and also committed four turnovers.

The Gamecocks never gave Iowa plenty of second chances, as South Carolina had 51 rebounds to just 29 by Iowa. Chole Kitts and Kamilla Cardoso combined for 27 rebounds, while Tessa Johnson came off the bench and fired 19 points.