"It really woke up the sleeping giant": Ex-Gamecock A'ja Wilson recalls the time Dawn Staley kicked her out of practice 

Dawn Staley had a big impact on A'ja Wilson's conduct as one of the top players in women's basketball. This influence goes back to a memorable moment when Staley once kicked Wilson out of practice.

Wilson was at South Carolina's Colonial Life Arena on Saturday, preparing for her jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday, when the Gamecocks face the Auburn Tigers. She played for the program from 2014 to 2018, earning the National Player of the Year award and leading them to a national championship in 2017.

Reflecting on the moment when Staley kicked her out of practice, Wilson acknowledged that it served as a wake-up call, prompting her to improve herself in the long term.

"The only memory that's huge to me, that probably was, like, different was when coach Staley kicked me out of practice ... But it actually woke me up in a sense. To say, 'You're right.' ... I should be exactly the person she wants me to be. We bumped heads that day, yes, but I think it was a memory that's gonna last forever because it really woke the sleeping giant up," Wilson said.

Dawn Staley gives thoughts on A'ja Wilson's WNBA career

Thanks to Dawn Staley's disciplined methods, A'ja Wilson left a lasting legacy at South Carolina and is now building another one in her professional career in the WNBA.

Wilson is a cornerstone player for the Las Vegas Aces, who drafted her with the first pick of the 2018 WNBA Draft. Since then, she has won two championships and three MVP awards.

Despite Wilson's numerous accomplishments, Staley believes her journey is far from over.

"A'ja Wilson is, by far, a local hero [and] legend for us. But what she has been able to do, and touch so many lives in our community, nationally, internationally, is just a story that is not often written the way that she has displayed her talent, her voice, her everything," Dawn Staley said of A'ja Wilson.

"Everything that she has wanted to do and accomplish, she has done. And she's only 28 years old. She's not even in her prime yet! I think about 30, you're in your prime... If I'm A'ja, I'm bored. I'm bored! I've checked this off, I've checked that off, I've wanted this, I've wanted that."

Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks are striving to become back-to-back champions after winning the national championship last season. They currently hold a 20-1 record, having gone 8-0 in their first eight games of conference play.

Sunday's game will be a special moment for both Staley and Wilson, as they celebrate Wilson's jersey retirement and her remarkable career achievements with the Gamecocks.