The style and substance of South Carolina basketball's Dawn Staley

DAWN STALEY STARTS the game against Stanford on the bench. Clad in a Burberry hoodie, the South Carolina women's basketball coach claps and encourages the Gamecocks from her seated position, occasionally getting up to relay instructions or give a referee an earful. You know, as she does.

It's a brisk December night in Columbia, just a few days before Christmas, and No. 1 South Carolina is hosting No. 2 and reigning national champion Stanford in a rematch of the 2021 national semifinals. The holiday cheer quickly dissipates in Colonial Life Arena as the Cardinal bury South Carolina under an 18-point deficit in the second quarter. Clutching a rolled-up piece of paper, Staley furiously points to the spots on the floor where she wants her players to go. Doubling as a stress ball and operating as an extension of her hand, this poor rolled-up tube is getting crushed underneath the pressure of Staley's palm. South Carolina's scars from the tournament loss a season ago might never heal, but a win on this night would certainly help. Though the scoreboard is increasingly making even that look unlikely.

As South Carolina begins to chip away at Stanford's lead in the third quarter, Staley rises to her feet. She stomps, clenches her arms and shakes the paper in her hand. For good measure, she pulls her mask down just to make sure her team can hear what she's saying. You know, so there ain't no misunderstanding. She demands more from her team, and she's matching their energy.

Staley occupies a unique place in women's basketball. The star player-turned-star coach built South Carolina from an SEC afterthought to a perennial championship contender that has led the nation in attendance every season since 2015. As a Black woman with a