South-Carolina

What to know about Las Vegas Aces, including A’ja Wilson, ahead of game at South Carolina

Published

2 weeks ago

May 8, 2024

What to know about Las Vegas Aces, including A’ja Wilson, ahead of game at South Carolina

COLUMBIA — The two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces will play a preseason game in Colonial Life Arena on Saturday against Team Puerto Rico. Game time is 1 p.m.

Led by former South Carolina women’s basketball star forward A’ja Wilson, the Aces will close their preseason in the home arena of the 2024 NCAA champions.

From Wilson to coach Becky Hammon and guard Kelsey Plum, here’s five things to know about the Aces before Saturday’s game.

Aces forward A’ja Wilson returns home

Wilson grew up in Columbia and is South Carolina women’s basketball most decorated player.

Wilson was on the team that won the program’s first NCAA title in 2017 and was named MVP of the tournament that year. In her senior season, she was selected the consensus National Player of the Year, All-America First Team, SEC Player of the Year and SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Wilson holds the program’s career records in points (2,389), blocked shots (363), free throws made (597) and free throws attempted (835).

In 2018, she was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft. Her success continued at the professional level with the Aces.

Wilson has won two WNBA championships with the Aces and was named finals MVP in 2023. Wilson is a two-time league MVP (2020, 2022), two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and a five time WNBA All-Star.

Aces coach Becky Hammon transforming the WNBA

After spending time coaching in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, where she became the first full-time female assistant in the league, Hammon took over as coach of the Aces in 2021. Hammon and the Aces won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023.

She was named Coach of the Year in 2022. In her first two seasons, she had a 60-16 (.789) record in the regular season and lost only three playoff games in two years.

Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA and was a six-time All-Star. In 2016, had her jersey was retired by the San Antonio Stars (now the Aces). She also played for the New York Liberty.

Aces point guard Kelsey Plum’s work with WNBA rookies

Plum, 29, has dominated the college level and WNBA for nearly a decade and is now working with many young players ahead of the WNBA season. Plum began her “Dawg’s Class” in partnership with Under Armor in 2023. Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson was part of the first class in 2023 and again in 2024 along with South Carolina sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley.

Becky Hammon and Dawn Staley say ‘nobody wants to play us’

After revealing that the Gamecocks’ 2024 season will start in Las Vegas, coach Dawn Staley said that its been difficult forming a schedule because nobody wants to play South Carolina. To Aces reporters, Hammon said something similar.

“We couldn’t get anyone to play us,” Hammon said.

The Aces won the past two WNBA championships, and Staley won her second title in three years with the Gamecocks in April.

REQUIRED READING: How WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, A’ja Wilson scheduled preseason game vs Puerto Rico at South Carolina

Former Iowa star, South Carolina rival Kate Martin looks to make Aces roster

Former Iowa guard Kate Martin was drafted by the Aces on April 15 and is hoping to make the final roster.

In the 2024 NCAA championship game, Martin scored 16 points and had five rebounds against South Carolina. In the Gamecocks’ 2023 Final Four loss to the Hawkeyes, Martin had seven points and seven rebounds.

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

South Carolina Small Town Named Best for a Summer Vacation by Experts

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6 hours ago

May 19, 2024

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South Carolina Small Town Named Best for a Summer Vacation by Experts

There’s something extra special about taking a summer vacation at a small town. For those who want to escape the rat race, adventuring to a small town is a great idea. Now, one South Carolina small town has been named one of the best for a summer vacation in America by travel experts. It’s a cozy sp

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Court records detail accused cop killer’s flight from South Carolina

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13 hours ago

May 19, 2024

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Court records detail accused cop killer’s flight from South Carolina

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'Magic United': Disneyland characters vote to unionize

Published

20 hours ago

May 18, 2024

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'Magic United': Disneyland characters vote to unionize

Updated May 18, 2024 at 23:07 PM ET

Turns out, Disneyland is not the happiest place on earth.

At least, it’s not for some of the workers who walk around the park as Mickey Mouse and Elsa and Chewbacca and other beloved Disney characters.

In a union election that ended Saturday, the Anaheim, Calif.-based performers voted overwhelmingly to unionize, by a vote of 953 to 258. The employees will be represented by Actors’ Equity Association, a union known for representing actors and stage managers on Broadway.

The election was open to some 1,700 employees in the character and parade departments, including those who roam Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park greeting visitors and performing in the daily parades.

The union campaign grew out of the pandemic, when performers started having health and safety concerns around sharing costumes and having physical contact with visitors, including hugs from adoring children.

/ Disneyland Resort via Getty Images

Disneyland Resort via Getty Images

At Disneyland, fans of a galaxy far, far away are treated to character encounters.

Like many other workers in Southern California, the Disney employees also found their base wages — which went from $20 to $24.15 in January — no match for the rising cost of living.

Calling themselves “Magic United,” the workers leading the organizing campaign called for higher wages and more reliable schedules, noting that parade performers in particular have trouble getting full-time hours.

Mai Vo, who first got a job at Disneyland at 16 and put herself through college performing as a number of Disney characters, says there’s a sense of exhaustion that comes with the job.

“[It] gets really hard to make magic when you’re burnt out,” she says.

In a statement, Disneyland said, “We support our cast members’ right to a confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices,” while noting that non-union employees do receive annual raises and paid sick leave aligned with industry standards.

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