“Not over yet”: Dawn Staley makes endearing statement for South Carolina’s Shane Beamer amid electric 9-3 record in 2024

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and Gamecocks football coach Shane Beamer have cultivated a strong, supportive professional relationship since the latter arrived in 2021.

On Monday at Colonial Life Arena during the team's ring ceremony, Staley showed her affinity for her colleague by giving a shoutout to Beamer and the Gamecocks football team's impressive 9-3 record this year.

"I got a chance to congratulate our football team," Staley said. "We really want to congratulate Coach Beamer, his staff, and the fellas for taking us on an incredible ride that is not over yet. We gotta put some Gamecock love, some uncommon favor up on the college playoffs for our football team. Yes, we do."

Shane Beamer responded to Staley's comments on Twitter, thanking the women's basketball coach for her support.

"THANK YOU @dawnstaley!!!! I’m grateful for your friendship. And we’re working hard so @GamecockFB can have our own ring ceremony like you’re having tonight," Beamer wrote.

The football team is ranked 15th in the country. They defeated three top-25 teams in a row for the first time in program history, securing their highest ranking since 2013 under Steve Spurrier.

On November 16, Beamer's team defeated Missouri 34-30 to capture the Mayor's Cup, followed by victories over Wofford on November 23 and Clemson on November 30 to end the regular season.

Shane Beamer talked about her friendship with Dawn Staley

During the preshow "College GameDay” in September prior to the LSU game, Dawn Staley joined ESPN during the broadcast. Coach Beamer then reacted to the news of Staley appearing on ESPN.

"Dawn is someone I've admired since she was in college at (Virginia) and I was part of the Virginia Tech community," Beamer said (via The Greenville News).

"She's become a great friend and a huge supporter of our football team. I appreciate her willingness for me to bounce ideas off of her and spend time around her team."

Dawn Staley's South Carolina team suffered a rare loss on Nov. 24 against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins, 77-62. However, the Gamecocks bounced back four days later with a 76-36 win over No. 20 Iowa State in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

The Gamecocks (7-1) have two top-10 matchups coming up on their schedule against No. 8 Duke on Thursday and No. 9 TCU on Sunday.