Head Coach Dawn Staley joins Cole Bryson & Diesel to preview the 2026 SEC Tournament

SPEAKER_1 (0:01)

Still a couple of days until we see the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks on the court here in Greenville, South Carolina, but we know that they are in route as we speak up the road to Greenville. And we're joined right now by Dawn Staley, the head basketball coach of the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks here on Wire 2 Wire with Diesel and Cole Bryson. Coach, this is Diesel here. Good to talk to you again. It's been a while. How does match up preparation, what does it look like for you when right now you still don't know who your opponent is going to be? You know it's either Kentucky or Georgia. So how do you dedicate the time that you split between those two teams? Or do you just sort of play the odds of who you think you might face?

Dawn Staley (0:43)

No, well we just play Kentucky on Sunday, so they're fresh in our minds. I've had to play Georgia and fight some time, couple of weeks, but we split the film session today prior to practice, so we're giving both equal amount of time and then you just got to, you know, for us, you just have to, the top three and four points that will go over tomorrow in our practice, and then, you know, then you just have to play it. Sometimes you go in the game, you know, not being able to, especially tournament time, not being able to fully prep like you would normally prep. But, you know, our players are also the challenge, and you can't, you can't forget, they have to, they also have to prep for you, so they have, they actually have less time to prep for you, you know, when they're playing, and then having to play the next day. So, I think it's, we're all at a disadvantage at some point, but the players are going to be the ones that make, actually make the plays when it's time to make the plays on both sides.

Cole Bryson (1:53)

Yeah. Coach, as Cole will hear, you're not as much at a disadvantage as Vic Schaefer is, though, here in a couple of days. Appreciate you hopping on with us as always. Coach, sorry about that. I shouldn't have gone there, but I did. On a serious note, Coach, let me get your thoughts. I know there was a four-year gap from the time that Coach Holtz left South Carolina to the time that you were hired in 2008, but we just got the news. Former Gamecock football coach, Lou Holtz, did pass away. His family released. Did you ever have any crossings? Like I said, there was a little bit of a gap there, but did you ever have any crossings time spent with Coach Holtz?

Dawn Staley (2:27)

Yeah, I never got a chance to meet Coach Holtz.

I mean, obviously, they talked so extremely well about him and what he did to our Gamecocks and prayers up to his family. I hope his soul is resting in peace. And I know that we all, even if we didn't have a lot of contact with him, know his legacy here in Gamecock country. And we feel bad that hopefully he'll sit down some days out there up above.

SPEAKER_1 (3:02)

Yeah, it's a tragic passing. I know a lot of us around here thought so, so very highly of Lou and the job that he did bringing that football program back to respectability that allowed it to be what it was after him. It can never be forgotten there in Columbia. Coach, I'm sure you probably didn't see this, but kind of a weird situation at the Sun Belt Women's Tournament today. There was a brawl on the court. Eight players ejected, seven of them off of one team and a referee went down on the court. Can you talk to me about your evaluation process of emotional intelligence in those key situations? How do you look for it in a recruit, in somebody that you may be bringing in via the transfer portal? How do you make sure that they can keep their cool in those big time situations?

Dawn Staley (3:49)

I mean, you really don't know. I mean, when it's, when it's, you know, when it's competition on the line, I think we're all susceptible to cross the line. And I don't think anybody goes into the game intentionally doing that. We had that, you know, maybe two years ago at the SEC tournament, where things got out of hand. And it's, it's, it's, you try to control the control group. I do think when you're in that type of situation, you know, you really have to just educate. As much as you educate your team on, don't leave the bench, you know, control the control group, don't let, you know, they're not robots, they're human beings. And things happen out there that, that, that are unexpected.