Reigning NCAA champion head coach Dawn Staley has been enjoying her time at the 2024 Paris Olympics , but has found herself in a scheduling dilemma for the upcoming 2024-25 college basketball season. With the season fast approaching, Staley took to social media to plead with opposing coaches to help her complete South Carolina's schedule.
Staley, a former Team USA player who won gold at the Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, and Athens 2004 Olympics, has been a prominent figure throughout the Paris Games . In addition to giving interviews and supporting Team USA , Staley has also reminisced about her time as an Olympian, during which she was the flag bearer and later named 2004 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.
The Gamecocks coach had to switch her focus back to business amid her Olympic festivities. With just three months remaining until the start of the regular season in early November, Staley took to X to express her frustration with the slow progress in finalizing South Carolina’s schedule.
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Her post read: "Really sorry I have to resort to this but—we need a game. I’ve had some nice, funny, and outlandish convos regarding scheduling a game H/H with a guarantee and guaranteed a great student-athlete experience—any interest please let me know. Need to finish this schedule."
The reigning national champions released part of their 2024-25 schedule in July. The schedule includes high-profile matchups, such as a February showdown against UConn , ranked No. 3 in preseason rankings compared to the Gamecocks' No. 1 ranking.
Last season, South Carolina opened their title campaign with a dominant 100-71 victory over No. 10 ranked Notre Dame, led by Kamilla Cardoso , who scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. However, the team will be without Cardoso this season, as the Chicago Sky selected her with the No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA Draft .
Despite losing Cardoso, South Carolina will still have a strong roster for the upcoming season. MiLaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao, the second and third leading scorers from last season, are set to return. Additionally, former Arkansas forward Maryam Dauda has committed to South Carolina via the transfer portal, choosing the Gamecocks over Baylor to help fill the void left by Cardoso.
Ashlyn Watkins , the 12th best-ranked player in the class of 2022, is heading into her second year with the program and is known for her scoring abilities, adding further depth to the team.
South Carolina’s Listed 2024-25 Home Games
- Nov. 4: vs. Michigan (Las Vegas, Nev.)
- Nov. 10: vs. NC State (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Nov. 17: vs. East Carolina
- Nov. 24: at UCLA
- Nov. 28: vs. Iowa State (Fort Myers, Fla.)
- Nov. 30: vs. Purdue (Fort Myers, Fla.)
- Dec. 5: vs. Duke
- Dec. 8: at TCU
- Dec. 15: vs. USF
- Dec. 19: vs. Charleston Southern
- Dec. 29: vs. Wofford
- Feb. 16: vs. UConn
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