Presbyterian coach shouts out USC’s Dawn Staley for classy pregame gesture

Dawn Staley could have said no.

That’s what Presbyterian coach Alaura Sharp kept reiterating to her team Tuesday night after Staley — the two-time national champion coach of the undefeated South Carolina women’s basketball team — took time out of her schedule to help make Presbyterian’s 2024 NCAA Tournament stay a little more unforgettable.

Three days before No. 1 overall seed USC cruised past No. 16 Presbyterian, 91-39, in a first-round NCAA Tournament game, Staley surprised the Blue Hose by meeting them at their team hotel and spending time with them ahead of their First Four game Wednesday in Columbia.

She did so at the request of Sharp, whose team was making its first NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Big South championship.

And after the Gamecocks routed the Blue Hose by 52 points Friday, Sharp praised Staley for what she described as a classy — and certainly not required — pregame gesture for her squad, which entered the game as a 54.5-point betting underdog.

“I made sure to tell them she didn’t have to come by,” Sharp said. “She didn’t have to do that. But she knows that she has a platform and how people feel about her. I just think that shows why she is who she is. She’s a good person. And I appreciate her investing in our program.”

Presbyterian College, a small private school in Clinton, South Carolina, roughly an hour west of Columbia, is one of the smallest Division I schools in the country, with an enrollment of just under 1,000 students. The Blue Hose lost a game to USC by 70 points earlier this year.

But PC made its way into the Big Dance by winning three straight games in the Big South conference tournament two weekends ago and scored a spot in the NCAA women’s First Four against Sacred Heart, another No. 16 seed and automatic bid, at Colonial Life Arena.

Once the field was set, Sharp and her staff reached out to gauge Staley’s willingness and availability to meet with the team ahead of their First Four game Wednesday.

Staley — who’s often gone viral for her displays of sportsmanship and kindness toward opponents, including footing a $5,000 dinner tab for Norfolk State during last year’s tournament and calling a timeout to assist an injured UCLA player — was happy to oblige.

“They requested it … and if they want to meet me, I’m gonna make it possible for them to meet me,” Staley said postgame, acknowledging it could have felt like a big (or slightly awkward) ask for PC. “I think it’s important for us, even if they just know some of the history of our game. I think that was really important. And I’m all for making sure our history is in a great place.”

A ‘really cool’ meeting

Once Staley’s visit was confirmed, Sharp said she and her staff started teasing a surprise visitor to the team hotel Tuesday night. The coach got a kick out of her players’ guesses: Someone said former President Barack Obama, since he’d picked the Blue Hose to win their First Four game in his annual women’s bracket, and another guessed it was North Carolina rap legend J. Cole.

And when Staley ultimately popped up?

“I watched the video of their reaction when she walked in probably 12 times because I wanted to see each person and how they reacted,” Sharp said, laughing. “I mean, their faces, it just shows what she means to everyone that’s either coaching or involved in the women’s game. Our players were excited.”

Asked about Staley’s surprise visit, Presbyterian center Bryanna Brady was honest. The team wasn’t just excited. They were starstruck.

“She was like, ‘Hi guys,’ and we were like, ‘Uhhhh,’ ” Brady said, imitating a deadpan, nervously excited face at the podium. “We were stuck. And she said hi again, and then we kind of broke that barrier that we were stuck in. But it was so cool.”

Brady, a senior forward from Arizona, said Staley congratulated the Presbyterian team on its record-breaking season and let the team pick her brain on various topics.

“I appreciate her taking her time to come out there,” Brady said. “It was really cool for me. I mean, you look up to people like her as you go through this process. … We’re all in the basketball world and the women’s basketball world, and it’s really exciting to meet somebody who’s doing such great things on that side.”

Added PC’s Tilda Sjökvist, a sophomore guard from Sweden: “She’s changing women’s basketball. And like we’ve said before, women’s basketball is growing. She’s definitely one of (the people) who make women’s basketball grow.”

Staley — who told the Dan Patrick Show she had a similar meeting with the Sacred Heart team staying in Columbia ahead of the First Four — said it was a pleasant visit and a laid-back conversation.

“We talked more about me being on ‘The Martin Show’ than actually basketball,” Staley said, laughing.

Presbyterian ended up winning its first NCAA Tournament game in program history the next night, beating Sacred Heart 49-42 in the First Four.

The Blue Hose didn’t have nearly as much luck in Friday’s 91-39 loss, which was more or less an expected result for USC, which moved to 33-0 and into a second-round matchup Sunday against No. 8 seed North Carolina.

But after Staley’s classy gesture, the Gamecocks have a new group of fans in nearby Clinton as they continue a journey they hope ends with a 2024 national championship.

“I’m rooting for South Carolina this tournament,” Sjökvist said.