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South Carolina’s Dawn Staley to receive Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at 2024 ESPYS

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South Carolina’s Dawn Staley to receive Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at 2024 ESPYS


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COLUMBIA — ESPN revealed Thursday that South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley will receive one of the highest honors at the 2024 ESPY Awards on July 11 (ABC, 8 p.m. ET).

Staley will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and she is the first woman to receive the award alone since the inaugural award in 2007, when Kay Yow was honored.

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Yow was a basketball coach at NC State who led the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament after breast cancer chemotherapy before she died in 2009.

Staley’s sister, Tracey Underwood, and her friend and former assistant coach, Nikki McCray-Penson, were both diagnosed with cancer in the last several years.

“The award not only recognizes her resilience on the court and ongoing support for women’s sports and equality in the sports world, but also for her leadership in the fight against cancer,” ESPN wrote in a press release.

Underwood was diagnosed with leukemia in 2020 and needed a bone-marrow transplant. July 7 marks the one-year anniversary of McCray-Penson’s death after battling breast cancer.

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“Their battles motivated Staley to take action and become a prominent advocate for cancer research. She partnered with an organization to mobilize potential donors – especially those in the Black community – to sign up on a bone-marrow registry, Be The Match; she advocated for patient care, research and resources; and she visited and supported those undergoing treatment. In her 24-year coaching career, Staley has tirelessly stood up for women in sports, speaking out regularly to ensure gender equality and diversity in sports, particularly basketball.”

Winners include Dick Vitale, Jim Kelly, Craig Sager and Stuart Scott. The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, former NC State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. 

On Wednesday, ESPN revealed the 2024 nominees and South Carolina women’s basketball is nominated for the “Best Team” award, following the Gamecocks 38-0 season and national championship. Staley’s former player A’ja Wilson is a two-time nominee as well.

Staley became the first Black coach in Division I basketball to go undefeated and win a championship, the first coach to have a solo cover on SLAM Magazine and was selected for Nike’s Athlete Think Tank 3.0.

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SC IN THE WNBA: Former South Carolina standouts A’ja Wilson, Kamilla Cardoso set to battle Thursday in WNBA

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin





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South-Carolina

Priority South Carolina target, top-100 prospect reclassfies to 2026

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Priority South Carolina target, top-100 prospect reclassfies to 2026


One of South Carolina’s top targets in the class of 2027 has reclassified to 2026. Elite Indian Land High School athlete Sequel Patterson will graduate early to get a jump on his collegiate career. At this time, it is unclear if he will be a winter or spring graduate.

Patterson is a big-time talent on both sides of the ball, hence his designation as an “athlete” by the recruiting industry. He has the talent and physical makeup to be an impact player at wide receiver or cornerback at the next level. The Gamecocks and receivers coach Mike Furrey want him on offense.

Listed at 6-0 and 170 pounds, Patterson is explosive and versatile. On offense, he logged over 1200 yards of offense as a receiver, rusher, and passer, and on defense, he was a lockdown player on the outside of the Indian Land defense.

Stay on top of all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer today!

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Tennessee has seemed to be the major competition for South Carolina in Patterson’s recruitment. Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Arkansas, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, and West Virginia are the other power conference programs with offers in for the talented Palmetto State native. Clemson hasn’t offered yet but has been (and will be) involved.

Ahead of his reclassification, On3’s industry ranking listed Patterson as the country’s No. 79 overall prospect. He was also No. 2 in South Carolina and No. 3 nationally among athletes. 247Sports had him firmly in 5-star territory as the No. 18 overall player in America. If his current rating of 92.13 doesn’t change, he would rank as the No. 141 player in On3’s industry ranking.



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Potential 2028 presidential hopefuls Moore, Walz steal show at South Carolina Democratic weekend

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Potential 2028 presidential hopefuls Moore, Walz steal show at South Carolina Democratic weekend


South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn’s annual fish fry is a must for Democrats seeking local and national office and this year was no different, even if Gov. Wes Moore and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz insist they’re not chasing the 2028 presidential nomination.



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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's next move: Energizing Democrats in South Carolina and California

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's next move: Energizing Democrats in South Carolina and California


MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will seek to energize activists at Democratic state conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, as the party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee works to keep up the high national profile he gained when Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate.

Walz, a former schoolteacher who went to Congress and then became his state’s governor, will keynote the South Carolina gathering in Columbia, traditionally a showcase for national-level Democrats and White House hopefuls. Another leader who often appears on those lists, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, spoke Friday night at the party’s fundraising dinner.

South Carolina held the first Democratic presidential primary of the 2024 campaign, and the party hopes for a repeat as first in line in 2028. But the national party organizations haven’t settled their 2028 calendars yet, and party officials in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada are also vying to go first.

”From the classroom to the governor’s office, Tim Walz leads with compassion and common sense,” the South Carolina party posted on social media earlier this month when it announced his appearance. ”He’s proof that you can govern with both heart and backbone, and he’s bringing that message to South Carolina.”

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Walz, who’s on a long list of potential 2028 candidates who have been traveling to early-voting states, will also be a featured speaker as California Democrats gather in Anaheim on Saturday.

”We’re fired up to welcome Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to the Convention stage in Anaheim,” state chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement. ”He’s a former teacher, a veteran, and a trailblazer who’s spent his career fighting for working families and standing up for the values we all share — fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.”

Democrats have been debating since Harris lost to President Donald Trump in November over which direction the party should take. That self-examination reflects deep frustrations among Democratic voters that their leaders are failing to put up enough resistance against Trump, who has taken a much more aggressive approach to his second term in the White House.

Walz hasn’t officially said if he’ll seek a third term in 2026, but acknowledges he’s thinking about it. He said in a recent interview with KSTP-TV that he would probably wait to decide until July, after he calls a special session of the closely divided Minnesota Legislature to finish work on the state’s next budget. Those negotiations have gone slowly despite his frequent meetings with legislative leaders.



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