South Carolina’s ladies’s basketball dynasty below Daybreak Staley is simply getting began

CLEVELAND — At first of the 2024 NCAA ladies’s nationwide championship recreation on Sunday afternoon, the Iowa Hawkeyes and famous person Caitlin Clark had been in-sync and on fireplace.

The Iowa followers had been loud and on their toes amongst a totally bought out Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. A complete of 18,300 folks had been in attendance to catch the ultimate ladies’s school basketball recreation to shut out a historic season of viewership. Iowa went on a 10-0 run within the first couple of minutes of the sport and Clark scored 18 to complete the primary quarter. For a second, one could have thought that perhaps this was going to be a storybook ending for Clark and her squad. And simply perhaps South Carolina wouldn’t change into the eleventh group in DI ladies’s basketball historical past to finish an ideal season.

However as coaches talked about this season and reiterated once more through the Remaining 4 weekend— South Carolina is a stacked and proficient power. With a 6’7 heart, quick guards, forwards with lengthy arms and a robust defensive unit, the Gamecocks as soon as once more proved that their spectacular roster and deep bench was constructed for championship success.

Wanting again at this recreation and even South Carolina’s whole season, their depth and dominance was apparent. In Sunday’s recreation, the Gamecocks defeated Iowa 87-75, with a complete of 37 factors coming from their bench.

“We’ve been taking part in like this all season,” stated sophomore Ashlyn Watkins concerning the group’s bench play.

“[It’s] not solely their depth, their peak,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder stated. “I’m not simply speaking about their facilities. They’re actually fairly massive at each place, which makes it laborious. They might get better very well after we had three-pointers.”

South Carolina freshman Tessa Johnson, who posted a season-high 19 factors, had LeBron James mentioning her title on Twitter (X) and made the all-tournament group. Fellow freshman teammate MiLaysia Fulwiley had 9 factors, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. To suppose how rather more school basketball these two have at South Carolina proves that the Gamecocks may nonetheless keep dominant.

Staley now has three nationwide championship rings at South Carolina in 2017, 2022, and 2024. What’s scary is it seems like she’s simply getting began.

Photograph by Gregory Shamus/Getty Photos

“Tessa was due for a breakout recreation,” stated senior Te-Hina Paopao. “What to do higher than on a nationwide stage? She’s trusted her course of right here. She’s trusted her journey. And for her to try this on such an enormous stage, I’m so happy with her. Her confidence has grown a lot.”

Regardless of Clark main her group with 30 factors, followers witnessed her remaining collegiate recreation as she heads on to her skilled profession, leaving her mark and a legacy in ladies’s school basketball world. South Carolina guard Raven Johnson, who Clark memorably waved off in final yr’s semifinal recreation, needed to guard Clark after her big first quarter.

“I used to be prepared for the second. And I take protection very laborious, like I take it to coronary heart,” Raven Johnson stated. “I studied her strikes, and I used to be prepared. I had confidence this yr. I used to be telling myself final yr’s not going to occur once more.”

Assuming no gamers switch, South Carolina will solely lose senior heart Kamilla Cordoso, who’s projected to be a primary spherical WNBA draft choose. Cordoso completed Sunday’s recreation with 15 factors and 17 rebounds and proved to be a tricky check for Iowa.

“Cardoso had 17 rebounds. They’ve 51 as a group. We’ve 29. Onerous to win a basketball recreation like that,” Clark stated. “You’ve principally bought to shoot excellent at that time.”

Whereas talking to the media after the sport, Staley spoke about how as a result of depth of her group lots of her gamers in all probability needed extra taking part in time all through the season, however she credited how all of them got here in and stepped up at completely different factors.

“To have a roster that goes 9, 10 deep is — it’s a privilege, it truly is. But it surely must be developed slowly and the appropriate method,” Staley stated. “Like, there’s numerous belief that must be constructed as a result of there’s some video games that a few of them received’t play an entire lot, particularly the folks which might be coming off the bench.”

As this ladies’s school basketball season ends with South Carolina because the champions, it’s straightforward to think about that with a really comparable roster they may very well be again right here, hoisting the trophy and slicing down the nets in Tampa.

“I’m actually taking this second in but when I’m occupied with the long run, I hope we develop as a program and that we develop as a group.” Tessa Johnson stated.