C
ChrisWellbaum
Guest
Dawn Staley and A'ja Wilson met with the media Wednesday before flying out to California for the Sweet 16. Here is a quick recap of their comments.
Most importantly, Allisha Gray, who suffered a bad-looking injury against Arizona State, practice d Wednesday and will play Saturday. She had what Staley called a "bad Charlie horse," not a knee injury. "She's going to go," Staley said. "She's not going to let this opportunity pass her by. It wasn't her knee. That was the great news."
Gray's health is critical because the Gamecocks are already without one starter, Alaina Coates. They only played seven players against Arizona State, and are perilously thin. "You've got to g with what you have," Staley said. "We've got to go with what feels good and what's working. We shortened our bench a little against Arizona State because it's what was working for us."
South Carolina will play a surprise opponent, the 12-seed Quinnipiac (I want you to know I spelled it right on the first try) Bobcats. And while fans might be thinking that South Carolina got lucky by playing a lower seed, Staley and Wilson both think the unknown opponent can be more dangerous.
"At this stage of the game, everybody's a threat. The ones who are supposed to be here are here," Staley said. "We're going to approach it as any other team. They play a different style. It's a style we have time to prep for. If we had one day it might be a different deal, but we have four days."
"They're the Cinderella team in our bracket. They're a good team, we can't sleep on them.
They played great team defense and fed off that," Wilson said. "You never want to play a team with a story. Cinderella teams are dangerous because they have nothing to lose. I'm definitely not going to look at their seed number."
South Carolina, especially Staley, expressed displeasure when it was announced they would be playing in Stockton, Ca. The anger has subsided, but Staley said playing on the west coast does present some logistical problems due to the time difference. "You leave one day earlier than you would (for eastern or central time)," she said. "The first game is at one, so you don't really feel it as much. We'll practice during the same time as the games to get acclimated."
Wilson admitted she doesn't know much about Stockton. She said the first time she heard of Stockton was "when I saw it on the screen. I'm used to Los Angeles and stuff."
Wilson said she is excited for the men's team to also be playing in the Sweet 16. "We're really close with our men's team. It's great to see them doing well," she said. She added that she didn't intend to watch the men's win over Duke, but when she found out they were ahead she started watching. "I was in Wild Wings and I heard a bunch of people screaming and I was like, 'Oh my god, our guys are up!' It was a bad day to be a Devil, whether it's Sun or Blue.
Most importantly, Allisha Gray, who suffered a bad-looking injury against Arizona State, practice d Wednesday and will play Saturday. She had what Staley called a "bad Charlie horse," not a knee injury. "She's going to go," Staley said. "She's not going to let this opportunity pass her by. It wasn't her knee. That was the great news."
Gray's health is critical because the Gamecocks are already without one starter, Alaina Coates. They only played seven players against Arizona State, and are perilously thin. "You've got to g with what you have," Staley said. "We've got to go with what feels good and what's working. We shortened our bench a little against Arizona State because it's what was working for us."
South Carolina will play a surprise opponent, the 12-seed Quinnipiac (I want you to know I spelled it right on the first try) Bobcats. And while fans might be thinking that South Carolina got lucky by playing a lower seed, Staley and Wilson both think the unknown opponent can be more dangerous.
"At this stage of the game, everybody's a threat. The ones who are supposed to be here are here," Staley said. "We're going to approach it as any other team. They play a different style. It's a style we have time to prep for. If we had one day it might be a different deal, but we have four days."
"They're the Cinderella team in our bracket. They're a good team, we can't sleep on them.
They played great team defense and fed off that," Wilson said. "You never want to play a team with a story. Cinderella teams are dangerous because they have nothing to lose. I'm definitely not going to look at their seed number."
South Carolina, especially Staley, expressed displeasure when it was announced they would be playing in Stockton, Ca. The anger has subsided, but Staley said playing on the west coast does present some logistical problems due to the time difference. "You leave one day earlier than you would (for eastern or central time)," she said. "The first game is at one, so you don't really feel it as much. We'll practice during the same time as the games to get acclimated."
Wilson admitted she doesn't know much about Stockton. She said the first time she heard of Stockton was "when I saw it on the screen. I'm used to Los Angeles and stuff."
Wilson said she is excited for the men's team to also be playing in the Sweet 16. "We're really close with our men's team. It's great to see them doing well," she said. She added that she didn't intend to watch the men's win over Duke, but when she found out they were ahead she started watching. "I was in Wild Wings and I heard a bunch of people screaming and I was like, 'Oh my god, our guys are up!' It was a bad day to be a Devil, whether it's Sun or Blue.
Last edited by a moderator:
