Dawn Staley makes her feelings known on Tennessee legend Pat Summitt ahead of Lady Vols vs Gamecocks match-up

Dawn Staley and Pat Summitt are two of the greatest coaches in women’s college basketball history, with a combined 11 NCAA championships between them. The South Carolina coach spoke about the Tennessee legend during Friday’s news conference ahead of the Gamecocks’ showdown with the Oklahoma Sooners.

A reporter asked Staley about her ability to continue honoring the longtime Lady Vols coach during "We Back Pat Week," an initiative organized by the SEC and its 16 members to raise awareness for the Pat Summitt Foundation’s fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

"It’s only right. Pat Summitt has been the standard in our game," Staley said (Timestamp 4:06). "She’s done things that you can only imagine in such a short period of time. I think her legacy got cut short but we need to honor all the foremothers of our sport because of their standards."

Dawn Staley also praised Summitt for the quality of players she developed during her time at Tennessee.

"When you see Tennessee, it was a standard of doing business and it was all attributed to Coach Summitt and her ability to bring out the best in all of her players," Staley said.

"I had the great fortune of playing with and against her players and there’s something about them. Her players are the type of players you want to be in the foxhole with."

Dawn Staley's South Carolina and Tennessee set to lock horns in heavyweight SEC clash

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers are set to square off on Jan. 27, with college basketball fans already buzzing about the upcoming SEC showdown. Both teams have started the season strong, combining for 32 wins in 35 games.

Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts during their game against the Wofford Terriers at Colonial Life Arena on December 29, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. Photo: Getty

Second-ranked South Carolina has been on fire since losing to top-ranked UCLA on Nov. 4, winning 12 consecutive games.

Staley’s team has defeated Iowa State, Purdue, Duke, TCU, South Florida, Charleston Southern, Wofford, Missouri, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Texas and Alabama during that stretch by an average of 30.3 points.

Meanwhile, the Lady Vols have bounced back after back-to-back losses to SEC rivals Oklahoma and LSU. No. 15 Tennessee secured victories over Arkansas and Mississippi State in their last two games.

The Lady Vols crushed the Razorbacks 93-63 behind Talaysia Cooper’s 20-point performance on Sunday and followed up with an 86-73 win against the Bulldogs on Thursday night.