South-Carolina

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley says Lady Vols system is good for SEC

Published

1 year ago

January 27, 2025

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley says Lady Vols system is good for SEC

This season, the Lady Vols have added a wrinkle into the yearly gauntlet of the SEC for their opponents.

Tennessee hired Kim Caldwell who has employed her full-game full-court press and transition offense that won her a Division II National Championship with Glenville State and Sun Belt title with Marshall.

The Lady Vols next opponent is the defending national title winners, South Carolina. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, who has already won a trio of championships, is welcoming the new opposing coach into the conference.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

“I’ve seen the style. Not by any team in our league,” Staley said. “They’re very consistent and persistent with that and they make you adjust. Which I think is good. It’s good for our league. It’s good for just different styles of play. And it’s good for if you have a team like that in the NCAA Tournament, it’s good to have played that style.”

Staley has taken the time to dissect what her team will need to do have success. With the shooting ability of almost everyone on the roster, it spaces things out and emphasizes the need to win one-on-one defensive opportunities.

She is also hoping to prevent turnovers on offense. In the inevitable situation that her team does cough the ball up, she’s just hoping they do a good job of getting back on defense.

“It’s great. It’s a great up-tempo style,” Staley said. “It’s fluid. Anybody has an opportunity to shoot threes. They space you out. It’s just really different. They rebound the basketball, as well. They pressure you. There’s certain things that we need to take care of. The ball is one. Two is defending our turnovers if we do turn it over. Three is obviously transition and the 3-point line. And fourth, we’ve got to defend. Although you’re not going to disrupt them so much because they space you out, we’ve got to be able to guard one-on-one.”

The result that Staley envisions is a close game. That’s what Tennessee has been able to do against other top teams its played.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell said about birth, South Carolina

In clashes against top-10 opponents LSU and Oklahoma at home, it was just one-possession separating the teams. In another game against a top-10 squad, the Lady Vols fell by four to Texas in a game they led in late.

The difference Staley thinks will decide the game is simply who gets on timely streaks.

“I got to think it’s going to be a close game,” Staley said. “It’s at their place. Hard to win on the road. Different style will probably take a little bit to adjust to. We got to make them adjust to us and the whole objective is for us to adjust to them. And then somewhere in the middle, a team is going to have a run. I just hope it’s us.”

Spearheading the effective system for Tennessee on both ends of the floor is Talaysia Cooper.

Staley has a strong familiarity with Cooper with the Tennessee star beginning her career with the Gamecocks. Cooper spent her true freshman year under Staley before entering the transfer portal after the window. This forced her to sit out last season.

Despite the pair parting ways, Staley is happy that Cooper has found a situation that fits her. Cooper’s success is no surprise to her former coach, though.

“Great player,” Staley said. “We recruit great players. We have great players in our program. I’m happy for Coop. I’m really happy that she found her happy place and she’s in there and she can do it all. She can defend. She can score all three levels. She can play multiple positions. I think that style of play fits perfectly for her.”

Tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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South-Carolina

NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

Published

8 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.

Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:

Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina

Projected round 2-3.

Concern level 2/10

While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.

With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.

What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD

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South-Carolina

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

Published

20 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).

Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.

MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.

One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.

Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.

The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Alyssia Hamilton
| Special to USA TODAY

COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.

That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.

For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.

Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.

“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”

The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.

“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”

The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.

“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”

Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.

“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”

Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.

“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”

As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.

“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.

She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.

“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.

She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.

Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.

“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”

Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.

“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”

She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.

“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”

On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.

It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.

With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.

Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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