There are a few powerhouse programs in women’s college basketball by which the standard is set — the UConn Huskies, who have operated under the guidance of head coach Geno Auriemma for 41 years, is one of them. But since the 2009-10 season, it’s been hard to move left or right in the world of NCAA basketball without running smack into Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The reasons for that are varied, but they all culminate in a largely-accepted and agreed-upon truth: Staley knows what it takes to win, and she knows how to produce winners. That makes this season — with the team’s championship game loss to UConn this April still fresh in the minds of many — slightly uncertain for fans, who have grown accustomed to dominant wins and March Madness trophies coming home to Columbia.
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The Gamecocks traveled as the No. 3 ranked team to No. 22 Louisville on Thursday night. The Cardinals kept the Gamecocks on their toes for every second of the game’s 40 minutes, and Louisville nearly walked away with what would have been a significant upset. South Carolina managed to eke out a 77-75 victory, but it was hard-fought.
“I think, overall, we executed,” Staley told reporters following the game.
“I mean, it was great basketball game,” she continued. “It’s great we both executed. It was a heavyweight boxing match, and it came down to just who was going to make the biggest plays at the moment you need them the most. I thought they got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and build a five-point lead, and it was a turning point for us, whether we’re going to succumb to losing that game or fight to get back in it.”
The question of succumbing or fighting may well prove to be this year’s theme for the Gamecocks. The team, already down a player without Chloe Kitts on the court, traveled to Louisville with only nine athletes on the roster after freshman Agot Makeer was forced to sit the match out due to concussion protocol.
Back in October, Staley told reporters at SEC Media Day that the loss of Kitts, who suffered a preseason ACL tear, is tough, but not one that will keep the team down. “We’re unafraid to go into the season without Chloe,” she said. “You’re not going to see us skipping a beat. Our players know anytime we sustain an injury, we believe in the system we put together, we believe in the players that we’ve assembled.”
“We’ll figure out a way and make adjustments,” she continued. “I’m glad — somewhat glad — this time you don’t have to make adjustments midseason. You just go with who’s healthy to go.”
Last night the lion’s share of responsibility fell on the shoulders of Gamecocks guards Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson and Tessa Johnson, who each played 38 minutes of the game and combined for 40 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds.
The team’s other healthy guards, Maddy McDaniel and Ayla McDowell, played five and nine minutes, respectively, and the game was the second in which the bench only recorded five points or fewer. The bench logged two points during the Gamecocks’ 66-64 loss against Texas on Nov. 27.
That’s a big drop from last season, when the team’s bench led the country with an average of 40.3 bench points per game. And though such a dip against the Longhorns could be explained in part by the zeal with which Texas is approaching this season, the continued trend is potentially a worrying sign.
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For now, Latson, Raven and Tessa will continue to be crucial to the Gamecocks’ success until the bench is stronger, Staley said.
“They’ve got to play heavy minutes for us until we develop our bench a little bit more,” she explained. “I thought maybe in the fourth quarter, they looked really winded.”
The group was saved after Louisville’s head coach Jeff Walz challenged a call, which Stalely appreciated.
“If he didn’t, I was going to call a timeout,” she added. “Luckily, he did, because we would have probably burned all of our timeouts and not have them at the end of the basketball game.”
“We’ve got to grow, got to develop our bench,” Staley concluded. “We can’t go a whole season playing six or seven [players]. We got to be able to get to eight or nine comfortably. And the only way that you’re gonna do that is put them out there.”
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