South-Carolina
South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley takes in 76ers-Knicks, rings bell, hugs Allen Iverson
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is taking in another game of the NBA playoffs. After attending Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round series for the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks, she was back for Game 4 Sunday.
The ABC camera panned to her multiple times to show her celebrating. Before the game she got the opportunity to ring the bell and also shared an embrace with 76ers legend Allen Iverson. Staley was a good-luck charm for Philadelphia’s 125-114 victory on Friday to cut the series deficit to 2-1.
REQUIRED READING: Dawn Staley shares Beyoncé letter to South Carolina women’s basketball after national championship
Staley, who just led the Gamecocks to their third national championship, has been coach at South Carolina since 2008. But she was born in Philadelphia and also coached Temple from 2000-08. She earned Philadelphia’s “Best College Coach” in Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly” edition during that time.
Dawn Staley rings bell, waves goodbye to Isaiah Hartenstein, hugs Allen Iverson
Staley was active before and during the Game 4. When Isaiah Hartenstein picked up his fifth foul, Staley was among the Sixers fans who waved goodbye to the Knicks center.
Hartenstein headed to the bench. Of course, in the NBA, a player fouls out with six instead of five, like in college. But the Philly crowd still had fun with the moment.
Before the game, Staley embraced Iverson and had a chance to ring the bell. Staley also went to the Knicks huddle before the game and shared an embrace with New York guard Jalen Brunson.
South-Carolina
South Carolina takes commanding lead in Palmetto Series thus far
Every South Carolina native knows the impact and weight of the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry. As a well-known rivalry nationwide, it just means more around here.
The Gamecocks currently hold a commanding 4-0-2 lead in this year’s Palmetto Series. To put it into perspective, they went undefeated in the fall semester against their in-state rival.
Here’s how South Carolina has gotten its wins over Clemson so far.
Volleyball
After both soccer teams — men’s and women’s — tied in their two matchups with the Tigers, the volleyball team got the winning going in the Palmetto Series with a 3-0 shutout on Sept. 20.
Riley Whitesides led the team with 18 kills, including big swings in sets one and three to lock in the win, 34-32, 25-16, 25-23. The Gamecocks were able to move to 9-2 on the year with that win and finished their season 16-12 with a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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Women’s basketball
Women’s basketball earned a big win in the series on Nov 20. Head coach Dawn Staley had hoped to set the winning tone for other sports to follow.
“I mean it’s always great. When I first came here, I said we’ll take a UConn win over a Clemson win any way and then people started going crazy,” Staley said. “I’ll take a win against Clemson, obviously for the rivalry, for the Palmetto point, for hopefully opening the winning ways for men’s basketball as well as football.”
Previously ranked No. 1 South Carolina did just that. Handling the Tigers on their home court in dominant fashion to win 77-45, South Carolina’s defense held Clemson to just six points in the second quarter.
Just 10 days later, the Gamecocks defeated Clemson as the underdog on the Tigers home field. The Palmetto Bowl was a highly anticipated game with Clemson ranked No. 12 and South Carolina at No. 15. There were also possible playoff hopes for both teams on the line.
South Carolina’s 17-14 comeback win held a lot of weight for head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks.
“What about our team, to overcome some of the stuff that we had to overcome,” Beamer said. “So much of it self-inflicted and to just find a way to win at the end is really, really special.”
Men’s Basketball
South Carolina men’s basketball overcame adversity and found a way to win over No. 25 Clemson. The Gamecocks beat the Tigers 91-88 in overtime at Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday.
For head coach Lamont Paris, beating Clemson meant more for the large crowd of fans in attendance.
“I was really happy with the crowd and really there’s a part of you that wants to really win the game, it’s a small part. The rest of it’s for all these other reasons, but you also want to win for your fans — you do,” Paris said. “They made the effort, there’s plenty of things they could have been doing. They came, they cheered, they’re exhausted, they rode the highs and the lows with you for 45 minutes. You want to win badly for that fan base.”
Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles led the Gamecocks with 22 points on the night. Murry-Boyles said his fuel for this game came from passionate fans in the crowd.
“Shoutout to all the fans that were here supporting us,” Murray-Boyles said. “They really kept my energy high, and I feel like they kept the team’s energy high.”
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Upcoming matchups
Women’s golf: February 2-4; February 16-18
Men’s tennis: Feb. 7 (@ Clemson)
Women’s tennis: Feb. 11 (@ Clemson)
Baseball: February 28 (@ Clemson); March 1 (Greenville); March 2 (Columbia)
Softball: March 25 (Columbia); April 15 (@ Clemson)
South-Carolina
Vandrevius Jacobs Signs New NIL Deal to Stay in Columbia
South Carolina wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs signs NIL deal with the Garnet Trust to remain in Columbia next season.
The Garnet Trust is the official NIL partner of Gamecocks Athletics. On Thursday, the Collective announced Jacobs’ return to the Gamecocks with a new NIL deal.
The 6-foot-0 and 190 pound reciever our of Fort Pierce, Florida joined South Carolina after transferring from Florida State last offseason. The redhisrt freshman caught 12 passes for 181 yards in 2024.
Jacobs’ announcement comes two days after senior Jared Brown decided to return to Columbia as well.
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SWAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year commits to South Carolina
Grambling transfer linebacker Andrew Jones emerged as one of South Carolina’s top targets from the moment he entered the portal — today the Gamecocks got their guy.
Jones — the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Co-Defensive Player of the Year — has committed to South Carolina out of the portal and will step into a major role in the Gamecocks’ defense in 2025.
Jones, ranked the No. 9 linebacker in the portal, reported offers from Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, USF, and Georgia State, while he heard from over 20 schools.
South Carolina Transfer Portal Resources:
The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder tallied 122.0 total tackles (57 solo), 20.5 tackles of loss, 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown this season.
Jones will be expected to bring that productivity to a linebacker room that loses its top three contributors, Debo Williams, Demetrius Knight Jr., and Bam Martin-Scott, from this year’s squad.
Jones, who has one year of eligibility left, previously spent time at Memphis.
The Marrero, La. native is South Carolina’s fifth transfer portal pledge, joining OL Nick Sharpe (Wake Forest), EDGE Jaylen Brown (Missouri), TE Jordan Dingle (Kentucky), and DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M).
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