Dawn Staley Gets Honest About Understanding MiLaysia Fulwiley’s “Super Power”

On By Littum

Dawn Staley saw great potential in MiLaysia Fulwiley while recruiting her out of high school. What mattered to the South Carolina women’s basketball coach was getting the young player to see how she could maximize her best attributes on and off the court.

In an article published by The Greenville News on Monday, Staley discussed the recruiting process for Fulwiley. The young player had many offers to play at colleges across the country as her talents received a lot of attention, but South Carolina stood out from the crowd, Staley said.

“It’s not addition by subtraction with her, it’s just addition. We recruited her flash, we knew that’s what she brought to the table. When the flash doesn’t work, you have to have something to fall back on,” Staley was quoted as saying.

“She knew there was more, she just didn’t know what it looked like, she (came) to a place that understands what her superpower is.”

Dawn Staley wants women’s basketball to continue to grow

Dawn Staley believes women’s basketball is on the rise, noting the increased value and investment in the sport.

“For women’s basketball, I’ve seen where we’ve come from. But now we’re in a place where we’re valued a little bit differently. We’re in high demand,” Staley said.

“We’ve grown to the point where we talk about current events in our game… If you’re not willing to talk about the disparities, we’re not going to advance our game.”

Staley is enjoying a strong start to the 2024-25 season with South Carolina, posting an 11-1 record thus far. The Gamecocks are averaging 80.5 points on 46.5% shooting from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc.

Defensively, they limit opponents to 55.2 ppg on 36.1% shooting and 34% from 3.

Te-Hina Paopao is the team’s leading scorer with 11.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds on 49.1% shooting overall and 42.9% from 3. Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and Fulwiley also score in double figures per match.

Dawn Staley and no. 2 South Carolina has one more game to close out 2024, hosting Wofford at Colonial Life Arena on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. 14 A.M.