South Carolina’s Dawn Staley explains how she keeps players’ confidence high while managing deep roster

The South Carolina women’s basketball team has a very deep roster, and figuring out a starting lineup would be a tough task for most coaches — but not Dawn Staley. In a recent conversation on the weekly radio show “Carolina Calls,” Staley explained how she handles having an abundance of players with starting-caliber talent. 

“I don’t think it’s difficult, I think our coaching staff does a great job communicating,” Staley said. “We are very open, honest and frank with our players about where they are, where they stand … I think the most important thing when working with young people is just communicate with them, don’t leave them in a space where they have to think about, ‘Oh what do they want from me?”

The Gamecocks have looked like a budding dynasty in recent years. They’ve only lost three games over the last three seasons, and are fresh off a perfect 38-0 season in which they won their second national title since 2022. Other than Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina returned most of the key players who contributed to last season’s success. 

One returner who could miss time is Ashlyn Watkins, who is suspended indefinitely from the team after being charged with first-degree assault, battery and kidnapping in August. Staley maintains that Watkins is still a part of the program, but will not change her status until the legal situation “settles down a little bit.” 

Still, depth is one of South Carolina’s biggest strengths. MiLaysia Fulwiley was the team’s second-leading scorer as a freshman last season, and she has been described by Staley as a generational talent. However, Fulwiley is one of the best examples of Staley waiting until a player is fully ready to give them more time on the court — as Staley recently discussed in a recent interview with CBS Sports.

While players at many programs wouldn’t be happy about coming off the bench considering their recruiting pedigree, Staley said she and her staff make sure to build everyone’s confidence and reassure players their time to shine will come.

“You will know why you are playing, why you’re not playing, but we won’t allow your confidence to drop,” Staley said. “We’ll continue to build you up to a place where once you get out there on the floor, you’re super productive.”