Dawn Staley Talks Pressure, New Regions, And How To Stop Caitlin Clark
On Tuesday afternoon, South Carolina's head women's basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke to a panel of reporters and voiced her opinions on feeling pressure going into Friday's game, the new region setups, and most importantly, how they are going to slow down the Caitlin Clark show.
Pressure
Riding an undefeated record heading into the Final Four, Dawn Staley indicated, from an individual standpoint, that the pressure she feels is different compared to what some might expect.
"Of course, I feel pressure - it's not the driving force though," Dawn explained. "I don't want to let our fans down, I want what this team is supposed to have, and we feel like that is a national championship, and there lies more pressure to win."
Staley also articulated about her last visit to Dallas, TX, in 2017, which led to her first National Title, and could lead to added pressure heading into this year's Final Four, stating "Dallas will be etched in my memory forever."
New Region Setup
One quirk in South Carolina's 2023 March Madness run was the regional setup that allowed them to play their Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games right up the road in Greenville, SC. Although it would've likely led to this same result, it makes it easier when you're within state borders and also allowed for access that the previous setup didn't give to such a significant degree.
"If you had an off day, you can go watch some other teams play, and the student-athletes had an opportunity to get out of their hotel rooms and support other teams and be around basketball," said Staley. "I thought it was managed and organized extremely well, and I would welcome it to be like this from here on out," she added.
How To Stop Caitlin Clark Show
For South Carolina to play for a national championship on Sunday night, they'll have to slow down Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who's averaged 27.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game to this point in the season. Clark has yet to see a team with South Carolina's size and athleticism, a credit to how Dawn's built her roster, and while there will likely be no one player assigned to Clark, her game will offer everyone different challenges.
"We haven't played against a player like Caitlin with her ability to have a big game, so obviously, we have to take something away," Staley said about Clark. "Whether it's her ability to score in bunches or her ability to distribute the basketball, she can't have the full tilt of what she does."
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