Dawn Staley explains why she didn't storm court in South Carolina men's basketball's upset win
The women’s college basketball world runs through Dawn Staley and South Carolina. But on Tuesday, the men’s basketball world was shocked as Lamont Paris’ Gamecocks rolled by Kentucky.
Staley was at the game and had high praises about the win ahead of their squad’s game with No. 9 LSU.
“It’s great. When football wins, everybody feels good. When men’s basketball wins, everybody feels good. And when we win, everybody feels good. When our men’s tennis team takes down number one and is number two now, I mean, it feels really good,” Staley said.
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Everyone was talking about the Gamecocks on Wednesday morning. Lots of folks coming off a night of sleep after a job well done.
“All of us, all of our Gamecocks woke up a lot happier because of the big game and all eyeballs were on our team pulling of the upset. I couldn’t be more happier,” Staley said. “I think The Cockpit, our students, did their job. When everybody’s able to do their job and we get a win, we feel good.'”
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Staley also had a joke for Athletics Director Ray Tanner: “Everybody except Ray, he’s probably feeling a little out of pocket right now.”
The celebration was on at South Carolina. As students and fans piled onto the floor to celebrate the win, Staley held back.
“It looked a little bit too dangerous for me. It’s a young person’s thing. I was like ‘I want to’ but my body said ‘girl please’,” Staley said.
When asked about if she was helping students onto the floor, Staley defended her case with a chuckle.
“I didn’t do anything. But I didn’t mind seeing the students cheer for our men’s basketball team and the way that they did because it didn’t happen very often so we’ve gotta really celebrate it. Cause we want more. We want more and the guys will play harder for that kind of appreciation.”
