"It’s not addition by subtraction with her": Dawn Staley gets candid on understanding MiLaysia Fulwiley's "superpower"

Dawn Staley saw a lot of potential in MiLaysia Fulwiley while recruiting her out of high school. What mattered to the South Carolina women's basketball coach was getting the young player to see how she could maximize her best traits on and off the court.

In an article published by The Greenville News on Monday, Staley discussed the recruiting process for Fulwiley. The young player had many offers to play at colleges across the country, as her talents garnered a lot of attention, but South Carolina stood out from the rest, Staley said.

"It’s not addition by subtraction with her, it’s just addition. We recruited her flash, we knew that was what she was bringing to the table. When the flash isn’t working, you have to have something to fall back on," Staley was quoted as saying.

"She knew there’s more, she just didn’t know what that looked like, she (came) to a place that understands what her superpower is."

Dawn Staley wants women's basketball to keep growing

Dawn Staley believes women’s basketball is on the rise, noting the increased value and investment in the sport.

"For women’s basketball, I’ve seen where we’ve come from. But now, we’re at a place where we are valued a little bit differently. We’re in high demand," Staley said.

"We’ve grown to the point of talking about the current happenings of our game... If you’re not willing to speak up on the disparities, we’re not going to advance our game."

Staley is enjoying a strong start to the 2024-25 season with South Carolina, boasting an 11-1 record so far. The Gamecocks are averaging 80.5 points on 46.5% shooting from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc.

On defense, they are limiting opponents to 55.2 ppg on 36.1% shooting and 34% from 3.

Te-Hina Paopao is the team's leading scorer with 11.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds on shooting splits of 49.1% overall and 42.9% from 3. Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and Fulwiley are also scoring double-digit points per game.

Dawn Staley and No. 2 South Carolina have one more game to close out 2024, hosting Wofford at the Colonial Life Arena on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. ET.