"Cut your fingers trying to dunk": When Dawn Staley reminisced how competitive household shaped her basketball journey

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley went down memory lane and relived the experiences that shaped her basketball journey. She remembered the guiding principles that fostered a competitive household.

She joined South Carolina in 2008 and rebuilt the Gamecocks into a formidable women's basketball program. In 16 seasons, she led the Gamecocks to eight SEC regular season championships and three NCAA women's basketball national championships.

In an interview on Cari Champion’s podcast three years ago, Dawn Staley went down memory lane, stating how her basketball journey was shaped because of her competitive household. Staley explained the situation she had to go through as the youngest of five children.

“We used to ball up aluminium foil and we would shoot jumpers, dunk on each other and cut your fingers trying to dunk on your sibling. I would say that it was just an incredible super competitive household, which made it easy to compete with anybody outside our household within the confines of our neighborhood.”

Dawn Staley’s childhood played an important part in her becoming the person she is today. Staley is a household name in basketball with the most steals in NCAA history, a two-time National Player of the Year, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a six-time WNBA All-Star.

Being a fierce competitor has translated into South Carolina's impressive start to the season (8-1). The Gamecocks are unbeaten in three games, with Chloe Kitts leading South Carolina with 12.1 PPG and 8.4 RPG.

Dawn Staley is full of praise for Kitts and Maddy McDaniel after the win over Duke

Kitts has been a key part of South Carolina's success this season with the numbers to show, while McDaniel has also held her own. After South Carolina successfully dispatched Duke (81-70) in their latest match, Dawn Staley was full of praise for the Gamecocks, particularly Kitts and McDaniel. The Gamecocks shot 57.4% from the field as Kitts put up 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. McDaniel added 7 points and three steals on 3/5 shooting.

"I'm happy because Chloe pours into herself,” Staley said, adding, “She does all the right things in regards to prepping herself and making lifestyle changes, in order for her to play this way. She wants to be a pro, so she's active in doing things and creating habits that will help her. She does all the extra, so I want basketball to repay her in this way a lot more times than it has.”

Still speaking after the game, Staley was quick to appreciate McDaniel’s effort off the bench.

"She's reliable and she doesn't turn the ball over a whole lot. She handles the ball well, she knows what we need and how we want to execute on both sides of the basket. She's delivering for us time and time again. Just solid," Staley said.

McDaniel's ability to manage the game and understand her role contributed to the Gamecocks' victory over Duke. South Carolina gears up to face TCU Horned Frogs on December 8 as they aim to win their fourth straight game.