Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina’s win over Coppin State

Dawn Staley (Photo by Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral)

South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke to the media following the team’s 92-60 win over Coppin State on Thursday. Here’s everything she had to say.

On Chloe Kitts’ increased confidence at the start of the season

“When you put it to work, and you actually see her work displayed in actual games, it gives you a confidence boost. She (Chloe Kitts) increased her range – like, the three is much more fluid and comfortable. She knows how to pick and choose her spots, and she knows how to force the issue. And she’s rebounding the basketball. She’s just playing at a really high level, and it’s really good to see because this is really the start of our fourth semester, which is nothing – she’s a sophomore, really.”

On distributing minutes with a fully healthy team

“It’s hard. It’s hard, especially for our bigs, because we got seven of them. Sometimes, they’ll play in the first half and not play in the second half. It’s hard juggling them, and it’s really not for anything besides the numbers.

“I don’t think it’s hard with the guards. I think Maddy (McDaniel)‘s going to give us a boost – her energy, her effort and her ability to facilitate for her teammates, and when she gets comfortable, she’ll get used to getting some downhill drives. She’s just a totally different look than Raven (Johnson), and it’s good to have the versatility of our guard play.”

On what Staley learned from the team against Coppin State

“Every game we play, we learn something. I learned that, at times, we’re not very disciplined. I’m used to us being a lot more disciplined than we’re playing with in longer stretches. And then, when we get up by a big lead, I’d rather us not try to do things to please the crowd – it’s cool if you connect with it, it doesn’t look good if you don’t.

“I’m just trying to stress to our players, too – especially the ones that are WNBA-eligible – that it’s not a good look if you’re trying to increase your stock when it comes to having GMs and coaches view you. It really is important to play the right way. It’s really important not to take chances. It’s really important to play disciplined basketball, it’s really important that you don’t press the score because they’re not looking for you to come into the league and score. They’re not looking for you to come in and probably start. So, you go to be under the radar, you got to blend in, you go to hit open shots, you go to make the right decision and you got to get out of the way of undisciplined basketball.”

On the pre-game championship banner ceremony

“It’s beautiful. It’s always a beautiful ceremony, no matter if the spotlight was on it or not. I knew what it was – and I didn’t even have my glasses on. So, anytime you’re able to be a part of the very people who have covered us, the very people that have traveled with us, the very people who always seem to make this a home-court advantage for us, to unveil the banner with them is always a great thing. There’s only one team that is able to do that, and we’ve been able to do it three times in the past seven years. And that’s incredible.

On Milway Fulwiley balancing discipline with flashy plays

“It’s a battle with Lay (MiLaysia Fulwiley). And it’s not that she understands – like, she really understands. She’s really dynamic. She’s a dynamic guard. I thought, for the most part, she was lean as lean could be – like, playing great. And sometimes, she can’t bite the bullet. But if she could play as lean as she played today, I can eat some of the stuff that she tried to do. When it’s not as lean as it was today, you’re still trying – and maybe sometimes that gets her going a little bit. So, I give her a little leeway with it, but I also let her know during the game, like, ‘Your game was great, efficient. Is the game slowed down for you? You were doing a lot. You were facilitating.’ And then she gets anxious to make a play.

“A lot of times it is to her teammate – like, it is an unselfish thing that really gets her in trouble for us. We want her to go score – don’t go try to make this spectacular pass. They’re not ready, so go score. (If) you miss, they’re going to get the rebound. So, it’s those types of instances. And it’s just a conversation – like, she knows now. She could actually, if I say something, she can finish the sentence, but she can’t hear me in those moments.”

On winning a 60th consecutive home game

“I don’t (think about it) – I just think about the next game. I really do like it. If we stop to think about what we’ve accomplished, we’ll let our guard down. So, I think it’s great that you roll it off. I didn’t know that you can roll it off because I’ve moved on to the next game. It’s unimaginable – you think about winning national championships, but you don’t think about how you do it. You don’t think about, a 60-game home win streak. It’s not one of the goals that we set. But to actually live it, and do it, and be a part of it is… I got to tip my hat to all the players and all the coaches that have created what we’ve created. I think it’s remarkable, but I’m not going to think about it after I walk through that door.

“We’re only trying to just add to the next one, try to get better. This team has to get better. We have to figure out a way in which – Chloe’s becoming that dominant post, and it’s in a different way. I think once Ash (Ashlyn Watkins) knocks the rust off, she’s going to be all right. Once Adhel (Tac) knocks the rust off, she’ll be okay.

“Now, collectively, I think our team is going to be all right. It’s just – we got to settle in, and we just got to play a lot more lead because we don’t have a 6-foot-7 that we just throw it into, and she shoots 60% from the floor, and she blocks shots. So, we have to do it another way. I like our defense. I like what our defense is, doing our rotations. We got to be a little bit better one-on-one in the paint – I’d be a lot better with that. And that’s doing our work early and not allowing great position and easy catches.”

On the support Staley and South Carolina have received from the FAMs

“I’d say the fans supported. It has been uncommon. Our theme is ‘Uncommon,’ and that is a tribute to what’s happened here in Columbia, South Carolina. It’s not a common thing that we win, that we have a 60-game home win streak. I think we’re on 41 (straight wins) now. It’s uncommon. So, I think it’s unimaginable, as well. I wanted to win national championships here. (I) didn’t know what that would look like, didn’t have a vision for it. didn’t see a sold-out arena. It’s weird.

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“But I was just looking at it – I was just one sided, narrow-minded and trying to put a product on the floor that could win a national championship. I didn’t really look at the external or the peripheral. But the people here have created something beautiful that can only organically happen. It wasn’t forced – it just organically happened. And when it happens that way, it lasts much longer than if you forced it.”

On Staley’s concern about veteran players’ slow starts to season

“Sometimes, it happens. I do know that this is a real thing. When we have our WNBA-eligible players, sometimes, it happens during the season at some point. It hasn’t happened this early. And maybe that’s not what they’re thinking about, but I’m sure they are thinking about it. It makes you press, and it gets you out of your normal routine of focusing on the game – your focus becomes something else. And then the things that you do well aren’t up to par. So, it’s conversations – they understand it, but you really can’t control it.

“We just have to try our best to get them back into their habits, and show them the film, and let them know that, again, the least of their worries is scoring. If you can defend, if you can blend in, if you can make good decisions – sometimes, making a good decision is just playing most conservatively. Don’t try to force the issue. – let me just pass it off, and let me stand over here. (When the) shot comes, let me shoot my normal routine and technique, hit it – you look good.

“But that simple part of the game escapes them because they feel like they have to do something. It’s just being a competitor – we’re in the game to impress, we’re in the game that makes do something that makes us feel good, and to showcase our talent. But you got to know when it’s not working out. But I’m not worried – like, I’m not worried about them at all.”

On whether Staley has seen a cause for South Carolina’s slow starts

“(It’s) just a new team – I mean, it’s the same team, but it’s a new team. The dynamics have changed. The way we do things have changed, especially offensively. We don’t have a anchor – you just throw it up, she grabs it, calms everybody down, scores or leads to a score.

“(Sania) Feagin moving into the starting lineup – it’s new for her. And one player can change the whole trajectory of everything and the whole chemistry. Im not saying this is her – it’s just the unit playing together. And, sometimes, she gets off to slow starts. Today, she got off to a slow start – though, (against) NC State, (she) played great, got off to a great start. So, it’s her feeling that that position.

“Now Chloe is playing tremendously well. Our guards are not connected for some reason or another. They’re pressing a little bit natural. We’ll get back into the flow of things.”