“Her freshman year, she let Aaliyah Boston do what she needed to do”: Dawn Staley commends South Carolina star for living up to her potential

Coach Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks held off the Texas Longhorns, 67-50, on Sunday, Jan. 12, to stay unbeaten in the 2024-25 SEC. They played with poise on both ends of the floor to limit the AP No. 5-ranked team's offense, en route to their fourth consecutive conference victory.

Several factors contributed to their dominant defensive performance, one of which was senior forward Sania Feagin. The fourth-year stalwart posted an all-around statline with eight points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and an impressive six blocks, making her presence felt in the interior.

During the post-game presser, Staley praised Feagin for stepping up admirably in the absence of Ashlyn Watkins. She highlighted how her player has become a key component of the defending champions' frontcourt:

"The intangibles, she always kept her feet above the bigs. She was communicating out there, and directing. When you have someone that has set for as long as she sat, and played as well as she played, that is it. That's what we've been trying to get from Feagin for three years now," (Timestamp: 2:16)

Feagin, now in her fourth year under Staley's guidance, had always played second fiddle to WNBA star Aliyah Boston during her collegiate years. With Boston's graduation and Watkins out for the season, the 54-year-old mentor highlighted how Feagin is seizing all the opportunities presented to her.

"Her freshman year, she coasted. She just let Aliyah do what she needed to do. Then, she coasted a little bit more. But, now I think it's just her pure talent as well as will" (2:42).

With a slew of formidable conference opponents coming up for Staley and the Gamecocks, Feagin will need to maintain her impactful performance against Texas to secure her place in the rotation. Their next challenge will be against the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road on Thursday, Jan. 16.

Dawn Staley says that Sania Feagin has broken through with her potential

During the press conference, Dawn Staley shared her belief that Sania Feagin has broken through the Gamecocks' rotation and is finally showcasing her true potential, especially after her impressive performance on Sunday:

"She's just giving it up on both sides of the basketball. Once a player has a breakthrough of not putting obstacles in front of them, they just have the breakthrough. She had a pretty good game from a statistical standpoint," Staley said (1:50).

This season, Feagin is averaging 7.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. She'll have the chance to boost her stats further as she faces a series of intense conference matchups ahead.