“We ended up having the best talent in the country”: When Dawn Staley talked about A’ja Wilson & other South Carolina star’s legacy 

Dawn Staley built her way up the ranks to become one of the best coaches in college basketball. She is also known for the impact she had on A'ja Wilson and other former South Carolina Gamecocks stars.

Staley was a special guest in a video shared on the "AthleticDirectorU" YouTube channel in October 2021. She chatted with Washington State Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Operating Officer Bryan Blair, discussing the transition to coaching after an elite playing career, building a program, equity, and more topics.

Staley talked about her recruiting in the early 2010s, going after the likes of Wilson among other key players who represented the Gamecocks from 2012 to 2018. In that span, they won the national championship in 2017 while making runs to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four.

"From that year on, we had the likes of Tiffany Mitchell, who was from Charlotte, North Carolina. And then after her, we had Lisa Welch, right from Charleston, South Carolina. Then we had, you know, A'ja Wilson, she came up, Alaina Coates, right here in Irmo, South Carolina," Staley said.

"I don't know why it turned out that way, but we ended up having the best talent in the country, like right here. There's nobody in the country that can recruit them like we can recruit them, because if you get seven times to see them, you're going to their place to see them play," she added.

(from 32:51 mark onwards)

What's next for Dawn Staley, Gamecocks

Dawn Staley's success as a head coach is demonstrated by her dominance in the regular season and deep runs in the postseason. And her ability to recruit the best players in the country is a testament to her coaching talent.

This season, No. 2 South Carolina boasts an 18-1 record that features a perfect 6-0 start in conference play and an active win streak of 13 consecutive games. They are putting up 82.7 points on 47.2% shooting from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc, blowing out opponents by a margin of 27.6 points per game.

Joyce Edwards leads what is currently a balanced offense averaging 12.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg off the bench. MiLaysia Fulwiley comes next with 11.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg while Te-Hina Paopao provides 11.1 ppg, 2.8 apg and 2.5 rpg.

Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks have a big matchup on the way, hosting the No. 5 LSU Tigers at Colonial Life Arena on Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET.