“People started going crazy”: Dawn Staley recalls her quote about Geno Auriemma’s UConn and rivals Clemson when she started at South Carolina

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley took a trip down memory lane ahead of Wednesday's showdown with Clemson. The three-time national champion recalled one of her quotes early in her career as Gamecocks coach about their bitter rivals and Geno Auriemma's UConn, which caused some controversy in the state.

Staley drew some laughs from reporters during a November 19 practice session when she answered a question about the rivalry game with Clemson.

"It’s always great. I mean, when I first came here, I’ll say we’ll take a UConn win over a Clemson win any day, right, and people started going crazy. I’ll take a win against Clemson, obviously for the rivalry, for hopefully opening the winning ways for men’s basketball, as well as football."

Why did Dawn Staley make that quote about UConn and Clemson?

It's easy to understand why Staley made the comment about UConn at the time. Geno Auriemma and the Huskies were the standard in women's basketball, winning the NCAA Tournament championship 11 times from 1995 to 2016.

That mentality served Staley and South Carolina well, helping her team become one of the country's best women's basketball programs.

Under her reign, the Gamecocks have won three NCAA Tournament titles, one by beating UConn in the national championship game in 2022.

Coach Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate their victory over the UConn Huskies in the 2022 Final Four championship game (Image via Imagn)

However, Staley's comment about UConn drew the ire of fans in South Carolina, who considered the rivalry between Clemson and the Gamecocks one of the biggest in college sports.

South Carolina and Clemson face off in a battle of unbeaten teams

The two teams will renew their rivalry in the Palmetto Series, and both programs will look to preserve their unbeaten records this season.

The Tigers have started the season like a house on fire, winning their opening three games against Jackson State, NC Central and Presbyterian by an average of 46.7 points.

The same can be said of the Gamecocks, who have lived up to their billing as the nation's No. 1 team. They won the first four games of the 2024-25 season, beating Michigan, No. 20 NC State, Coppin State and East Carolina.

South Carolina's offense woke up in their last two games, scoring an average of 93.5 points in the wins against Coppin State and East Carolina. The Gamecocks achieved that feat without Tessa Johnson, who missed both games with an ankle injury.

South Carolina's Tessa Johnson (5) drives to the basket during their game against Memphis in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic at FedExForum on October 15, 2024 (Image via Imagn)

The good news for Staley is that her star player will be back in action for the game against Clemson. Johnson confirmed that herself when asked by Staley during her news conference, saying, "I'm playing."