Connect with us

South-Carolina

Teary Wilson sees No. 22 retired by Gamecocks

Published

on

Teary Wilson sees No. 22 retired by Gamecocks


COLUMBIA, S.C. — Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson stood at center court of Colonial Life Arena on Sunday, her hand on her heart and her parents’ arms wrapped around her as they looked up to the rafters, where a lone spotlight shined on her collegiate No. 22 jersey being unveiled and officially retired by South Carolina.

Wilson gently shook as tears rolled down her face.

According to South Carolina athletic department policy, just because a jersey is retired doesn’t mean the number is. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley, however, made it clear: No one in a South Carolina uniform will ever wear No. 22 again.

“South Carolina shaped me, not just as an athlete but as a person,” Wilson said during the ceremony prior to the Gamecocks’ game against Auburn. “As I look in the rafters and see my jersey, I am reminded how important it is to chase your dreams without fear.”

Advertisement

The résumé Wilson built during her four years at South Carolina is long, and one Staley views as incomparable. The program’s first four-time All-American and the 2018 unanimous national player of the year, Wilson helped lead the Gamecocks to their first national title in 2017, its first Women’s Final Four in 2015, four SEC tournaments and three SEC regular-season titles.

She became the first player in league history to win SEC Player of the Year three times.

Individually, Wilson is the program’s all-time leader with 2,389 points and 363 blocks.

“There is no one more deserving than this weekend with A’ja,” Staley said Saturday. “She legitimized our program. She took it to another level, and we still feel her legacy to this day. Everybody still talks about her contributions to this program. Everyone is always comparing what her impact was when she was a student-athlete here, and that’s what legacy is.”

South Carolina requires a five-year waiting period before an athlete gets their jersey retired, which begins at the conclusion of their final year at the school.

Staley asked if they could shorten that time frame for Wilson. While the answer was no, the university did build a statue of her in 2021 — a plan they announced when Wilson graduated in 2018.

Advertisement

“It was almost a prelude to today,” Staley said. “If we couldn’t retire her jersey, what better way than to put a statue out in front.”

When Wilson’s statue was unveiled, it was still during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans weren’t allowed to attend. There was no ceremony. Wilson spoke with reporters over Zoom.

For her jersey retirement, there was a sellout crowd. The players wore black warmup shirts with the No. 22 on the back. Wilson danced around the court after the ceremony, posing for photos with fans and the current Gamecocks team.

“I am super blessed to be able to see my jersey being hung from the rafters in my home,” Wilson said Saturday. “To be able to have everyone come in and enjoy the moment, I can share the moment with everyone.”

Added Staley: “I don’t think it could happen at a more appropriate time with her being the best player in the world, with her having the type of success she’s had. She’s given our program another platform.”

Advertisement

The No. 1 overall pick in 2018, Wilson has won two WNBA titles with the Las Vegas Aces and three league MVP awards — her most recent was unanimous. She also won her second gold medal last summer at the Paris Olympics with Team USA.

A native of Hopkins, South Carolina, just outside of Columbia, Wilson was the Gamecocks’ first No. 1 recruit.

Since her time at South Carolina, the Gamecocks’ women’s basketball program has gone on to win two more NCAA titles (2022, ’24), won 43 consecutive games (ended in Nov. 2024) and became just the 10th team in Division I history to complete an undefeated season in 2023-24.

“I never would have imagined this,” Wilson said. “I just came here wanting to win, wanting to be a sponge of it all. So to see the legacy, the longevity of this program and where it’s going, I beam.”



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

South-Carolina

South Carolina WBB blasts Georgia 74-42, turns attention to Texas showdown

Published

on

South Carolina WBB blasts Georgia 74-42, turns attention to Texas showdown


ATHENS, Ga. — Business handled, and it’s on to Texas.

South Carolina women’s basketball entered its game against SEC cellar dwellers Georgia just needing to stay focused and avoid injuries before its road showdown at No. 4 Texas on Sunday, and the Gamecocks did just that. South Carolina stormed out to a 12-2 lead and never faced any serious game pressure in a 74-42 win at Stegeman Coliseum.

This is SEC win number 57 in a row for South Carolina (22-1, 10-0 SEC), and it was never really in doubt. After Georgia (9-15, 1-9 SEC) scored the opening basket of the game, the Gamecocks ripped off a dozen points in front of a mostly garnet and black crowd on the road. Georgia coach Kate Abrahamson-Henderson deployed her usual paint-packing 2-3 zone, a system which has given the Gamecocks trouble in all three meetings over the last two seasons.

But there would be no halftime deficit or single-digit game in the fourth quarter tonight. Joyce Edwards, Sania Feagin and Chloe Kitts took turns camping out in the middle of the zone, collecting passes and either going up strong or distributing the ball back out to open guards. Te-Hina Paopao knocked down two 3-pointers in the run, and Bree Hall had the first of her two in the game. On the evening South Carolina shot 8-of-19 from 3-point range, its most made in a game since it beat Oklahoma on Jan. 19.

Advertisement

And as always playing a zone as opposed to a straight man-to-man, rebounding was a problem for Georgia. It always is for opponents against South Carolina’s large front line, but the positioning of the zone made the Bulldogs ripe for the picking. The Gamecocks won the rebounding battle 46-28 and 13-7 on the offensive glass, led by Feagin’s nine.

“I thought we did a better job of boxing out,” Dawn Staley said. “I thought we did a better job of just scapping. If we couldn’t get it, hit it out. Chloe was gret, Feagin was great, I thought Tessa [Johnson] got in there, and just was scrappy. We’ll need every bit of that as we move forward.

Late in the first half with a 16-point lead already in tow, Staley started experimenting. Specifically, she busted out a concept she has not used all season. With Paopao, Raven Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Maddy McDaniel on the court, it was a four-guard look.

Four guards, and true freshman center Adhel Tac anchoring it.

The group only played a little over two minutes together, but did outscore the Bulldogs by four and at least provided Staley with some proof of concept for her idea.

Advertisement

“It was just to get a shooter in there,” Staley said. “They were playing small ball, too, so we just kind of matched up with them and spaced the floor to see if we could get some penetration and some kickouts and just move the zone a little bit. I thought Maddy did a great job today. We’ve been working with her to get her back to her pre-Christmas form, and I think she’s getting there. She’s about there.”

The fact she could test out lineups in the first half summed up the evening, though. The Gamecocks allowed an SEC-low 42 points, blocked eight shots, forced 17 turnovers and took over defensively for as straightforward a win as you will ever find at this time of year.

All the better for this team, too, because Sunday figures to be anything but with the re-match at Texas on the horizon.

“They’re a great team, and we’re a great team” Kitts said. “It’ll be very fun, especially because we get to go to Texas. We’ve never been to Texas and played over there, so I’m super excited for that.”

*******************************************************************************************

Advertisement

Looking to continue the conversation? Join us on the insider’s forum to talk all things South Carolina women’s basketball.



Source link

Continue Reading

South-Carolina

Dawn Staley’s Super Bowl 59 prediction for her beloved Eagles: ‘Tush push us over the finish line’

Published

on

Dawn Staley’s Super Bowl 59 prediction for her beloved Eagles: ‘Tush push us over the finish line’


South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is confident in the Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl 59.

The Eagles, Staley’s hometown team, face the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Sunday and she believes the Vince Lombardi Trophy is heading back to Pennsylvania.

“Rest assured my Eagles fans, we got this one,” Staley said Wednesday. “Now, get mad if we turn the ball over, get mad if we fumble the ball, get mad if they score on us. Just remember, when the clock strikes zero, we will be winners.”

Advertisement

Staley didn’t give an exact score and said she was thinking a win by two touchdowns but felt like that was a little bit bold. The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are trying to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. The Eagles last Super Bowl win was in 2018.

“But it doesn’t matter, tush push us over the finish line to get us a Super Bowl,” Staley said, in reference to a signature play call from the Eagles.

Despite South Carolina facing Texas on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, Staley was planning on going to the Super Bowl in New Orleans but no longer can. President Donald Trump announced he will attend the Super Bowl and according to the Federal Aviation Administration, there are laws that restrict air traffic in proximity to the president. Staley said that is why she can’t go.

Advertisement

Ahead of the NFC Championship game on Jan. 26, Staley said she wanted a comfortable lead by the time she boarded the plane to go to Knoxville for a game on the 27th. The Eagles ended up beating the Washington Commanders 55-23.

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



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

South-Carolina

Protesters rally at State House in protest of Project 2025

Published

on

Protesters rally at State House in protest of Project 2025


COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – A South Carolina Couple gathered at the State House Wednesday in protest of Project 2025.

Haley Weaver and Blake Justice have come together as organizers in the 50501 movement to lead the rally today.

Organizers said the rally’s purpose is to encourage SC residents to be educated on Project 2025, and the infringements they say the project has on the constitution and rights of American Citizens.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending