Gamecock Digest

Dawn Staley Celebrates Her Players Flooding the WNBA Draft

Dawn Staley had glowing remarks for her players dominating the second round of the WNBA draft.

Joey Walraven

Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley hugs guard Bree Hall (23) during the second half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley hugs guard Bree Hall (23) during the second half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
In this story:

Last night, the WNBA draft took place and was headlined by UConn’s Paige Bueckers going number one overall to the Dallas Wings. Despite the newly-crowned national champ leading the headlines, the runner up South Carolina Gamecocks acted as a donation center for WNBA talent. This was the first draft since 2022 where a Gamecock has not gone in the first round, three of them were taken within minutes of each other in the second round. 

Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, and Sania Feagin were all taken within four picks of each other with the 18, 20, and 21 selections. Staley was very proud of her girls, taking to X to let their respective teams know they made the right selection, posting, 

“Thank you Lord!  Proud of @GamecockWBB @tehinapaopa0 @breezyhalll @supremenia for being selected in the @WNBA draft.  @AtlantaDream @IndianaFever @LASparks yall have some class act human beings and highly tested talented individuals!   Let’s gooooo!!

No matter where they are selected, it is always a pleasure for coach Staley to see her players go to the next level and live out their dreams. She has also grown accustomed to seeing her players be sprinkled all over the draft and will likely have the next draft littered with Gamecocks.

With training camp beginning in less than two weeks, the selected Gamecocks will soon get the chance to make their mark in the WNBA. A program that has alread littered the professional stage.

Join the community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and on Facebook!

You Might Also Like:

Published
Joey Walraven
JOEY WALRAVEN

Joey Walraven is a lover of all things sports and a graduate from the University of West Georgia with a bachelor’s in convergence journalism. He has covered West Georgia athletics as well as hosting his own football podcast. Early in his childhood, Joey knew sports journalism was his calling when he childishly wrote his own NBA articles at eight years old. Joey’s goal is to turn the most baseline sports headlines into rich stories. He also covers the NBA for several outlets.

Home/Basketball