South-Carolina

Dawn of a Dynasty: The South Carolina Way » Winsidr

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

Dawn of a Dynasty: The South Carolina Way » Winsidr

“Our team plays so free. They do not flinch.”

These, the words of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley in the aftermath of her team’s historic 87-75 win over Iowa on Sunday, tying an emphatic bow on 38 wins, zero losses, and the Gamecocks third National Championship since 2017.

Who am I to craft a lede of my own phrasing when the moment calls for us to pause, hear Dawn Staley, and appreciate her joyous team of champions? To beam at what Staley has created and internalize how she approaches the hefty responsibility implicit in coaching college basketball?

A team in the biggest game of its life is only free and unflinching if the person in charge has fostered such an environment. This doesn’t happen over the course of a single season. In Columbia, the foundation has been laid piece-by-piece for over 15 years.

Staley forges bonds that remain intact when players transfer or graduate. Her relationships are not built on the basis of basketball, but rather through deep, personal connection. It’s not transactional; it’s love. South Carolina players would run through a brick wall for Dawn Staley because she runs through brick walls for them every single day.

Would also run through a brick wall for @dawnstaley 🫶 pic.twitter.com/0Du3tFuiyl
— South Carolina Women’s Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 8, 2024

Before I go micro and dive into the details of South Carolina’s enthralling 40 minutes of championship excellence, one more note on the macro. By establishing core tenets of love, care, and respect, by building a family, Staley is able to successfully erect another pillar of the program: accountability. When freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley was benched earlier in the season during a tight tussle with North Carolina, she understood the decision wasn’t personal—it simply meant she must work harder and improve a certain aspect of her game (in this case, defense).

The macro fuels South Carolina’s impenetrable engine and makes what the program has accomplished meaningful beyond words, but the micro allows SC to soar above its competition.

Many buck at acknowledging what, to me, is painfully obvious: Dawn Staley is elite in the field of X’s and O’s.

The Gamecocks’ downfall in their 77-73 loss to Iowa during last year’s Final Four was a well-documented lack of three-point shooting. Staley brought in Oregon sharp-shooter Te-Hina Paopao this offseason, and Paopao’s scorching touch from deep helped the Gamecocks flip the script, becoming one of the country’s most lethal three-point shooting teams. They ranked third in Division 1 in three-point percentage, after finishing 171st and 181st in the country each of the prior two seasons. Staley’s schematic adjustments were equally responsible for the 180—incorporating more spread pick-and-roll looks and using the gravity of SC’s dominant bigs to create open kick-out opportunities out of post-ups.

With South Carolina atop every offensive and defensive leaderboard in Division 1 (the Gamecocks have led the nation in Net Rating three years in a row, per Her Hoop Stats), the only question entering Cleveland’s 2024 Final Four was one of experience.

Bree Hall, Kamilla Cardoso, and Sania Feigan played a combined 20 minutes when South Carolina beat UConn in the 2022 National Championship. In the 2023 Final Four against Iowa, Cardoso played 32 minutes, Raven Johnson played 29, and Hall played 7.

That was the full scope of Final Four experience South Carolina possessed entering its matchup with NC State on Friday. No Aliyah Boston, Destanni Henderson, Zia Cooke, Laeticia Amihere, Brea Beal, or Victaria Saxton to help the cause.

No problem. NC State battled admirably, trailing by a single point at halftime, but you can only stave off the inevitable for so long. All season long, Dawn trusted the depth, which wore down opponents by the time the second half took its toll. The Gamecocks separated out of the break, taking the third quarter by a decisive 29-6 margin. In the end, South Carolina won handily, 78-59.

I suppose I should talk about the championship game now, huh?

Free and unflinching. Prepared beyond belief.

South Carolina did not blink when Iowa opened a 10-0 lead Sunday, the Hawkeyes exiting pregame introductions and entering play like a boxer looking to settle some beef.

South Carolina did not blink when Iowa extended that lead, 20-9, halfway through the first quarter.

South Carolina did not blink as Caitlin Clark threw Hawkeye faithful into a frenzy, her ludicrous threes and muscling drives producing a thunderous harmony of delirium that rained from the rafters down to the court.

Not so much as a flinch from a single South Carolina player, nary a hint of concern.

All you really need to know about the first quarter of the National Championship? Staley never called timeout. Experience be damned, Staley knew her players had the tools and demeanor to find their groove on their own.

And frankly, once South Carolina began grooving, that was that—a persistent march of hustle, gritty defense, relentless rebounding, and unforgiving shotmaking on the road to triumph.

The Gamecocks methodically chipped away at Iowa’s belief, the nine-deep South Carolina rotation forming an orchestra of devastation, each crescendo louder than the last. I’d assume playing South Carolina feels like swimming against a rip current. At a certain point, fatigue gives way to resignation.

The plays that defined this momentous game (24 million viewers at its peak!) were not logo threes or mind-boggling assists.

It was Raven Johnson punctuating the first half by poaching the ball from a briefly inattentive Clark and taking it the other way for two.

It was MiLaysia Fulwiley impersonating a football safety and deflecting Clark’s full-court pass out of bounds to prevent an easy layup.

It was Ashlyn Watkins refusing to hang her head after a South Carolina turnover, sprinting to the other end of the court and poking the ball away to regain possession.

It was Bree Hall, arguably the coolest customer on the Gamecocks, hitting a fourth quarter mid-range jumper just when things were on the precipice of becoming a tad sweaty.

It was Te-Hina Paopao and Tessa Johnson combining to shoot 6-for-10 from behind-the-arc, each three a devastating blow, the net itself asking these stellar guards to chill out.

It was Chloe Kitts creating extra possessions by tapping rebounds to teammates, recording a double-double in 17 minutes.

It was Sania Feagin finishing at the rim, dashing Iowa’s hopes that there may be a drop-off in production while Gamecock starters were resting.

It was Kamilla Cardoso, the backbone of the team, who, in the words of Staley, “wouldn’t let us lose,” through complete domination of the paint on both ends.

I could wax poetic for hours about this storybook journey: Raven Johnson’s smothering defense on Clark and the meaning it carried following 2023; freshman Tessa Johnson’s emergence as one of the best scorers in the tournament, meeting each moment as the stage grew larger and larger; Fulwiley’s gasp-inducing change of pace offense; Cardoso’s ever-so-steady hand.

Yet it would be a disservice to Dawn and the Gamecocks to belabor the point. If you haven’t recognized their greatness by now, perhaps you simply don’t want to see it.

It only feels right to close where I began, in discussing the macro, those elements of South Carolina women’s basketball that transcend the game.

As tears trickled down Staley’s face in the aftermath of victory—the legendary coach pausing to gather herself and soak in such a beautiful moment—who stood beside her but Aliyah Boston.

Boston was South Carolina’s best player during the 2022 championship season, is now a star on the Indiana Fever, and worked for ESPN during the Final Four as an analyst on the pregame, halftime, and postgame show. She was exceptional.

Boston’s warmth and joy is apparent from the first time you hear her speak. Yet Boston’s own tears following a heartbreaking loss in 2021 were played on loop for a full year by the same network she would later grace with her talent. This weaponization of sadness centered a low point in the career of a college student for the sake of lazy narrative building. Boston rose above and rewrote her own story, but she never should’ve had to navigate such hurt in the first place.

Staley was there every step of the way, calling out the nasty coverage, standing by her superstar, and showering her with love. This is a vastly different narrative from the one haphazardly peddled by ESPN. In this story, thoughtful care for an individual you mentor paves the way toward a lifelong bond.

This bond states, with clarity, “I am here for you always, and I hope you’ll join me in enjoying the splendor of what we’ve built.”

A rainstorm of confetti and tears of joy.

The South Carolina way.

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South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after brief illness

Published

4 hours ago

July 12, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after brief illness

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) -U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday evening following a brief and sudden illness at 71, his communications director confirmed.

“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” the statement read. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

Graham’s career in Congress

Graham, a prominent Republican, served in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in 1995 before winning election to the Senate in 2002. He was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was widely regarded as a key voice within the Republican Party on defense and foreign policy. Graham was running for a fifth Senate term in this fall’s midterm elections.

Tributes from national and state leaders

President Trump posted a statement on Truth Social following news of Graham’s death.

“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” Trump said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Graham was a “strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called Graham “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend.”

Representative Russell Fry has also released a statement on the passing of Graham.

“The unexpected loss of Senator Lindsey Graham is difficult to comprehend. South Carolina has lost an extraordinary public servant, and our nation has lost a consequential leader. We grieve alongside his sister, his devoted staff, and all who knew and loved him, and we pray that God grants them comfort and peace.

“I once asked Lindsey what he considered his greatest accomplishment. His answer surprised me. He didn’t point to Supreme Court confirmations, national security victories, or the many defining moments that made headlines. Instead, he talked about the small victories—the constituent whose problem was solved, the small town that received long-overdue help, the quiet successes that never made the evening news. He believed those moments added up to a lifetime of meaningful service.

“That perspective defined him. Whether fighting for South Carolina’s military communities, championing our state, or simply making sure someone back home got the help they needed, Lindsey never lost sight of the people he represented.

“His legacy will be measured not only by history’s biggest moments, but by the countless lives he touched—one person, one family, and one community at a time. South Carolina is better because he served.”

Seat to be filled by appointment

McMaster said he will appoint someone to fill Graham’s Senate seat until Jan. 3.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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South-Carolina

Editorial: There’s an easy solution to SC budget impasse, but legislators won’t like it

Published

14 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Editorial: There’s an easy solution to SC budget impasse, but legislators won’t like it

South Carolina’s Legislature has one job it must complete every year: Pass the state budget. This year — or, since we’re past the July 1 start of the state’s new fiscal year, last year — lawmakers failed. Their failure continues.

We are nearly two weeks into the 2026-27 budget year, and there is still no 2026-27 budget. It remains in a conference committee, which has met a total of two times since House leaders presented the full House with their massive take-it-or-leave-it rewrite to the Senate budget on May 6.

Now, to be fair, lawmakers’ failure to do their one essential annual job is not even in the same league as Congress’ routine failure to do the same. Unlike the Congress, the Legislature passed what’s called a continuing resolution, which continues to fund state government at its 2025-26 level for the entire year, or until lawmakers pass a real 2026-27 budget.

But doing that absent extraordinary circumstances — like during the first year of COVID, when no one had any idea how long the tax collection freefall would continue — is a first step in the direction of D.C. dysfunction.

There are, as The Post and Courier’s Nick Reynolds reports, several important policy differences in the House and Senate versions of the budget, such as a save-the-bars provision that once again throws DUI victims under the bus, minor reforms for data centers and efforts to either demand a tiny bit of accountability from the Commerce Department for its overspending on the Scout Motors project or else sweep the whole mess under the rug.

But when our House and Senate negotiators held their second meeting on June 30, they said their main sticking points involved the Senate’s irresponsible idea of slashing property taxes for seniors and the House’s irresponsible idea of squandering money on unvetted give-always to nonprofits.

The hang-up, to be clear, isn’t that the House opposes irresponsible cuts that involve taxes the state doesn’t collect, and whose reduction likely will lead to more caps on how much local elected officials can raises taxes even when their constituents support them. Nor is it that senators oppose unvetted earmarks, although Senate Finance Chairman Harvey Peeler does and even his colleagues might oppose sending them to unvetted nonprofits — as opposed to simply unvetted local government programs.

The sticking point is that there’s not enough money to pay for both, and technical budgetary rules make it difficult to compromise. Not impossible, since lawmakers are in a special session called by the governor and so can work around those rules, but difficult.

Fortunately, there’s a really easy solution to this problem, and there’s no reason negotiators can’t adopt it when they meet Tuesday for what they hope will be their third and final session. It’s the solution Senate negotiators repeatedly used at the June 30 meeting to kill Senate provisions in the bill they didn’t actually like and House negotiators repeatedly used to kill House provisions they didn’t like: Strip them from the budget.

Kill the Senate’s $248 million plan to wipe out property taxes on the first $150,000 instead of just the first $50 000 of senior citizens’ residential property taxes; the homestead exemption cuts taxes for seniors of all incomes and wealth, including those who can easily pay them, while requiring struggling young homeowners to pay their full share, even if that forces them out of their homes.

And kill at the least the House earmarks that go to entities — sometimes quite questionable — that have managed to attain nonprofit certification. Better still, kill all $315 million in House earmarks, along with all $130 million in Senate earmarks. That way, we’ve got a budget agreement, and as a bonus we’ve gotten rid of two particularly irresponsible parts of it.

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Editorial: SC Legislature left DUI and THC bills for dead; DUI restrictions can be revived

Published

1 day ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Editorial: SC Legislature left DUI and THC bills for dead; DUI restrictions can be revived

It’s astounding, in a state that won’t even allow tightly controlled medical marijuana use, that South Carolina has no restrictions on what is essentially recreational marijuana, in the form of highly intoxicating THC products that are sold at convenience stores to anyone who wants them.

It’s the result of hardline Republicans and Freedom Caucuseers on the right who insist on an outright ban even though there’s clearly not sufficient support for that and Democrats who — in a repeat of the alliances that allowed video gambling to thrive for years in our state — reject even the most modest of limits on convenience-store and other small-business sales of hemp-derived products.

This unholy coalition means that for another year — barring federal changes that might be coming — kids who can’t even legally purchase alcohol will be able to walk into convenience stores and purchase THC-infused gummies and seltzers, no questions asked.

What’s even more astounding — and outrageous — is that the stalemate over this matter has endangered a hard-fought effort to reduce South Carolina’s status as the most deadly state for DUI deaths per capita and per mile driven.

Our distinction comes largely as a result of a state law that practically begs drivers to refuse the breath test that is nearly essential for a conviction. A law that requires police to produce a practically perfect video of any tests they manage to administer. A law that forces judges to tell jurors it’s just fine for them to ignore that 0.15 percent blood-alcohol content if the driver just didn’t look all that drunk to them on the perfect video.

Sen. Tom Davis, the chief sponsor of S.52 (and coincidentally, the chief sponsor of bills to legalize medical marijuana), tells us a central effort behind his anti-driving-under-the-influence bill was to make it easier to do blood tests on intoxicated drivers, since breath tests detect only alcohol. We don’t know for sure how big a role legal and illegal cannabis plays in crashes and even deaths — some estimates go as high as 40 percent — but we are certain it’s not zero.

S.52 also would raise penalties for repeat drunken drivers and remove some of the provisions that make it easy for drunk drivers to get off on technicalities.

But the blood-test efforts — which were watered down but not eliminated in a House-Senate conference committee — weren’t the reason the Legislature failed to pass a DUI bill on June 25. The THC provisions in the DUI bill, after all, were not particularly tough. The DUI bill instead was held hostage when Senate Democrats refused to vote for bills that needed a two-thirds vote to pass because they included language that wasn’t in either the House or Senate version. S.52 was on that short list.

The weird good news is that the House voted to reject the THC bill, which Sen. Davis hopes will free up that bill’s supporters to vote for the DUI compromise. And that needs to happen when the Legislature returns to Columbia to pass a budget.

Of course even if budget negotiators do reach a deal on the budget and the Legislature returns to pass it and the DUI bill does become law, it won’t do as much to save lives as the Senate-passed version of the bill, because House leaders, many of whom make a living representing drunk drivers, oppose a DUI law that includes many of the provisions that are commonplace in nearly every other state.

As Mothers Against Drunk Drivers’ Steven Burritt tells us, while the compromise contains some significant improvements, it also creates new loopholes. “It’s frustrating,” he said, “that the original mission of only making the DUI law simpler, fairer and tougher was apparently too much to ask for some.”

But while we urge Senate negotiators to try once more to get some concessions from House negotiators, the fact is that even the inadequate current version will result in the conviction and punishment of a few more people who are driving while they’re drunk or under the influence of THC or cocaine or pain pills or another intoxicant. It will require a few more intoxicated drivers to use ride-share or ride with friends because they have an ignition-interlock system that prevents them from starting their vehicle while impaired. It might even cause a few more people to decide not to drive when they have absolutely no business driving.

And that in turn will prevent a few crashes that leave innocent victims with bills they shouldn’t have to pay and inconveniences they shouldn’t have to endure and injuries they shouldn’t have to suffer. It’ll save a few more lives — and save a few more of our neighbors and friends from the heartbreak of their loved ones’ deaths. And it will cost innocent members of our society absolutely nothing.

But only if the Legislature finally passes S.52. There is no acceptable excuse not to do so.

Click here for more opinion content from The Post and Courier.

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