Dawn Staley recalls joking with Paige Bueckers about her potentially gaining weight due to southern cuisine during South Carolina recruitment pitch

Ahead of the South Carolina-UConn clash on Sunday, Gamecocks' coach Dawn Staley shared an anecdote about her recruitment of the Huskies star Paige Bueckers. The 6-foot guard received offers from numerous elite programs including South Carolina, Duke, Notre Dame and UCLA.

Staley joined ABC Columbia for an interview on Saturday, where she recalled the lighthearted ribbing she had given Bueckers during the recruiting process.

"I did tell her that if she came to South Carolina, I'm almost certain we could've put 10-15 pounds on her with all this Southern cooking down here and the sweet tea. So we joked about that," Staley said, laughing (at 1:13).

The three-time national champion coach mentioned she spoke to Bueckers regularly during thre recruitment process and had planned to go watch her play in Minneapolis, but she let Staley know she had already made her decision to join UConn.

Dawn Staley further praised Bueckers' character and mentality, calling her "super savvy" and "super unselfish" while also highlighting her on-court skills.

"You don't turn the page when you're playing Paige. You have to stay current with her," Staley added. "And Paige defends, Paige just gives it up, like for winning, for the sake of winning."

Sarah Strong's UConn move still puzzling for South Carolina’s Dawn Staley

Not only did Paige Bueckers spurn South Carolina for UConn, but Dawn Staley also lost out on another top recruit in Sarah Strong, who also chose the Huskies over the Gamecocks last year.

Despite being a native of North Carolina and her mother, Allison Feaster, having played with Staley in the WNBA, Strong decided to take her talents to Storrs, Connecticut, instead.

During the pregame media availability before Sunday's highly anticipated matchup between the two top-10 teams, Staley shared her thoughts on losing out on Strong's recruitment.

"As far as Allison [Feaster], I don't know how we don't get Sarah Strong, right?" she said. But [UConn] did a great job recruiting her.

"I think she felt comfortable there, and it seems like a really good fit for her, and her being able to utilize all of her skill set. And I haven't talked to Allison since. No, I'm kidding."

Bueckers, who is in her senior year at UConn, has become the face of women's college basketball and freshman forward Sarah Strong has also seen her stock rise quickly with the Huskies. She is averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season.