South Carolina's Dawn Staley suggests ESPN's framing of her comments on Paige Bueckers was misleading: 'Lies'

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The two preeminent coaches in women's college basketball will meet in Sunday's NCAA Division I women's basketball national championship game.

Geno Auriemma has coached UConn to 11 national titles, while South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks to three championships – including the 2024 title. UConn and South Carolina will battle for the 2025 championship in Tampa, Florida, later Sunday.

Staley is one of college basketball's high-profile figures, and she has often shared her thoughts on whatever issue the sport may be contending with at a given moment. Amid the Gamecocks' pursuit of back-to-back national titles, Staley spoke out on the narratives surrounding UConn star Paige Bueckers as it relates to the framework of women's college basketball.

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Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Texas Longhorns game at the NCAA semifinal game at Amalie Arena on April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Staley pointed out the narratives surrounding former Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark when she spoke about the conversations currently being thrown around about Bueckers.

Clark's individual accomplishments during her rise to stardom over the last couple of years dominated media coverage. Clark was largely, and in some instances solely, credited with women's basketball's steep rise in popularity.

UCONN STAR PAIGE BUECKERS' LACK OF POPULARITY IN TOURNEY HAS RACIAL COMPONENT TO IT, EX-NBA PLAYER SUGGESTS

When speaking about Bueckers and the pursuit of her first career championship, Staley suggested there was a tendency