Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks have built a strong culture and fanbase in Columbia. The defending national champions defeated Tennessee Tech and Indiana at home in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and Staley discussed the impact of their devoted fans.
During the press conference following Sunday’s 64-53 victory over the Hoosiers, Staley was asked about the commitment of the Gamecock traveling fans — many of whom traveled from out of state to attend the game at Colonial Life Arena.
"I mean, it’s like no other. The unity that’s created in this building — and we do take that act on the road — it’s quite incredible," Staley said (13:13 onwards).
Trending
"You look into our arena, and you can see every seat filled, It’s of every single ethnic background. We’ve won national championships, but I would say that we’ve been champions in uniting people.
"That’s the thing that I’m most proud of. That’s what has kept me here for 17 years. To walk away from what we’ve built here would be extremely hard — like, extremely hard. I think it’s just unmatched."
Dawn Staley also touched on the atmosphere created by Gamecock fans and how it gives the team a real home-court advantage, even on the road.
She said season ticket holders generally buy extra tickets for the games to bring in new fans, thus creating a "trickle-down effect" that is sure to grow the program's fanbase further.
Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin shine as Dawn Staley's South Carolina clinches Sweet 16 spot
South Carolina, a one-seed in the Birmingham 2 Regional, defeated 9-seed Indiana on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. They will take on the winner of the Maryland vs Alabama game on Friday at Legacy Arena, a neutral site in Birmingham, Alabama.
Junior forward Chloe Kitts recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while senior forward Sania Feagin added 10 points. Bree Hall led the Gamecocks with 11 points and the remaining two starters — Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao — combined for 14 points.
Tessa Johnson, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, contributed nine points and three rebounds off the bench for South Carolina.
Dawn Staley's squad trailed in the first quarter, but strong offensive efforts in the second and third quarters were crucial to their win. They outrebounded the Hoosiers 37-27 and recorded seven blocks compared to Indiana's two.
