Dawn Staley to critics: South Carolina 'not changing' its style

[bovwa10]

I really don’t think Boston’s foul trouble affected the game that much. I thought SC played their best quarter in the 2nd quarter when she was sitting on the bench.

 

[Rixxx]

OMG! I knew this was coming.

Come to think of it, the balls used seemed to be inflated to the max. Dribblers had the ball coming up to their chins with no effort. The missed 3 pointers that clanged of the iron about ricocheted to half court line. JMO

 

[jcoton56]

The best thing about this Tourney is that we get to see lots of ways to succeed. All the styles that seek to do the most with what the coach has in the toolbox. Throw in some luck, some team chemistry and voila a few upsets later and the improbable suddenly happens.

 

[#1florida]

Come to think of it, the balls used seemed to be inflated to the max. Dribblers had the ball coming up to their chins with no effort. The missed 3 pointers that clanged of the iron about ricocheted to half court line. JMO

 

[uconnever]

Agree. Just thought she may have had the athletic defensive talent to double team Caitlin and force someone else to beat them. I know that is easier said then done, but it was almost like “ we will wear her in down in the 3rd or 4th quarter like all others and they did not and never tried the double team.
Clark is not like all others and they did not adjust their style of defensive.

Yep they definitely should have let someone else beat them. Clark is such a household name that you really don’t want her running wild and allowing her to bait the refs. Just take it out of her hands and let someone else beat you. Mulkey I bet doesn’t let Clark beat them. If LSU loses it won’t be Clark running wild.

 

[fomalhaut]

But, but, but... SC out scored Iowa when Boston was on the bench...at least in 1st half according to stats shown by the announcers. ????

Yes. Without Cardoso, South Carolina loses by about 20. I hope we don't find out next year that she's actually better than Boston.

 

[Adesmar123]

Bad voice.

She can be an important voice or a problematic voice. Every coach has at some time used the "chip on our shoulder" motivator. It's turning that around to the outside that's problematic. Using "talk" to motivate is fine, using it to attack others is not.

 

[iri10]

It's not Dawn's responsibility to change the way she recruits, preps, and coaches her team just because some people don't like the type of basketball that results from it. Dawn has been very successful precisely because she understands what type of game can really shine under the way the college game is officiated.

Any responsibility for changing the college game must come from the top down. And frankly, I think it's something they should consider doing. College basketball (men's and women's both) favors a far more physical game than the pros, and it's often really ugly to watch. The pros were like that too, decades ago. They learned their lesson; maybe the college game should too.

 

[TB12]

Yes. Without Cardoso, South Carolina loses by about 20. I hope we don't find out next year that she's actually better than Boston.

I have thought Cardoso is better for a long time. She is unstoppable when she get the ball down low, yet they only tried a couple of times to do that and Cardoso was gold. Boston was made the front person for SC and dawn never wanted to change that. She was afraid to hurt Boston's confidence. SC was better with Boston on the bench. Dawn was out coached. Do I feel bad?? no

Go Hawkeyes

 

[bbsamjj]

One last thought on changing their style.

Dawn says she advised Boston to enter the draft with these words:

“There are defenses that played against her that won’t allow her to play her game,” she said, “and it’s hard to officiate that. She’s great. She’s ready.”

This says two things to me:

1) Boston's game is (perhaps has always been) overly dependent on a favorable style of reffing. She's been great for 4 years because she got officiating that suited her. As soon as she has to play in a game officiated differently, she's not nearly as great. Could she have adjusted her game and been great under different officiating? I think she absolutely could have.

2) This is all on Dawn -- this is how she coached her and encouraged her to play. Folks can defend Dawn by saying this was the way to win in the prevailing environment. And I'm moved by this. But the handwriting has been on the wall on freedom of movement fouls for a couple years now and she should have seen it coming at least as early as last November. When some of us here look for ways to articulate the limitations of Dawn's coaching, something like this is what I think of. As a game planner and skills trainer she seems narrow and rigid. Of course, she is a tremendous recruiter and program builder, perhaps the best in D1 over the past decade.

I hope -- and suspect -- a change is coming in the way the game is officiated, and that fan complaints about the rugby scrum in the paint (which has now migrated out to the perimeter) are going to be heard. Too many coaches have echoed this same concern.

I actually took her comment very differently. The way I understand it, she's talking about how Boston likely gets double to triple teamed most games, and given how strong and pro-ready her body has been, it can be hard to officiate against her posting up against smaller players.

Boston is going to get a lot more single coverage in the WNBA, and face players who are just as strong as her. I'm excited to see how she performs.

 

[bovwa10]

I have thought Cardoso is better for a long time. She is unstoppable when she get the ball down low, yet they only tried a couple of times to do that and Cardoso was gold. Boston was made the front person for SC and dawn never wanted to change that. She was afraid to hurt Boston's confidence. SC was better with Boston on the bench. Dawn was out coached. Do I feel bad?? no

Go Hawkeyes

I can see definitely see that argument on the offensive side but defensively they’re not even close. Boston is light years better than Cardoso on the defensive side.

 

[bovwa10]

Yes. Without Cardoso, South Carolina loses by about 20. I hope we don't find out next year that she's actually better than Boston.

I think Cooke kept SC in the game more than Cardoso did

 

[sun]

Johnson and Boston were composed and gracious. Dawn was a sore loser. Gave almost no credit to Iowa. And now whines about the lack of finesse and "extra" physical style of play that SC will continue to do.

I agree. Dawn should have taken the high road and focused much more on praising Clark. Dawn was much too willing to let the media questions bring out her negativity. Playing the victim card didn't make her look good at all, even though I truly believe that Dawn has a very regard for Clark's talent. She should have ignored the media questions that created a mine field but I think that Dawn fell for it because she was upset about losing. I expected a better post game media appearance by her.

 

[Heytherego]

I agree. Dawn should have taken the high road and focused much more on praising Clark. Dawn was much too willing to let the media questions bring out her negativity. Playing the victim card didn't make her look good at all, even though I truly believe that Dawn has a very regard for Clark's talent. She should have expressed it more & ignored the media questions.

Yeah it wasn’t a good look. The comments below ESPN’s Instagram post of Dawn’s quote seems the people agree. “Take the L and move on”

 

[undersized]

Just reading the quotes from the South Carolina players, you'd think there was a huge disparity in foul calls. But the box score shows Iowa with 18 fouls and South Carolina with 20 -- 3 of which were in the final 20 seconds when they had to foul to put Iowa at the line to get the ball back. So really Iowa got called for more fouls! And Iowa's posts (Czinano, Warnock, and Stuelke) -- plus Clark -- were in as much foul trouble as South Carolina's posts all game. But Iowa played through it more successfully.

 

[temery]

That's enough. Find something positive to talk about or take it to a dm.

 

[Rb335]

I agree with her than members of the media shouldn’t be making derogatory comments about players. From what I’ve observed, all of her players have seemed like great and supportive teammates. As well as a talented group of athletes.

With respect to criticism about the style they play? Fair game to me. They played the ugliest brand of basketball I’ve seen in a while this season. When a missed shot is as good as an assist, it’s just not aesthetically pleasing basketball. But it was highly effective for most of the year. Dawn definitely played to her strengths which any coach would.

 

[JellyBean]

Coach Staley's program is okay. Their style of play defensively is tough and gritty. Offensively, they were pretty decent. Like any program, you can't do it all. South Carolina is a great program, and the way Coach Staley keeps adding top notch players, they are going to be around for a long time.

 

[wingsfan055]

Staley is a good recruiter & she built a great Program in the last several years based on physical play. But, she's had some bad in-game coaching games in big pressure games over the years. Last night, she was bad. Period. Not even attempting to disrupt Clark. She let one player beat her dominant team.

 

[hoopsfan22]

It wouldn’t surprise me if Dawn retires the next 5-8 years she has seemed off all season.

Isn't she like 50 and just signed a 7 year deal? Why would she retire?

 

[bovwa10]

It wouldn’t surprise me if Dawn retires the next 5-8 years she has seemed off all season.

Agreed, I don't see her coaching at 70 like Geno and Tara.

 

[ABCDFE]

I agree. Dawn should have taken the high road and focused much more on praising Clark. Dawn was much too willing to let the media questions bring out her negativity. Playing the victim card didn't make her look good at all, even though I truly believe that Dawn has a very regard for Clark's talent. She should have ignored the media questions that created a mine field but I think that Dawn fell for it because she was upset about losing. I expected a better post game media appearance by her.

What she should have said is I wish that "birdie" on the Iowa team flew to my nest. Instead she got a nice piece of humble pie, especially the way she was talking all year.

 

[temery]

Agreed, I don't see her coaching at 70 like Geno and Tara.

I see her as someone who would gnaw her leg off to get out of a trap. She isn't going anywhere.

 

[hard2please]

sing a song of repeats, a pocket full of rye, four and ten little birdies, baked in a pie, when the pie was opened the birdies began to cry, wasnt that a dainty dish to set before a hawkeye. yummy boston pie !

 

[choclate45]

Isn't she like 50 and just signed a 7 year deal? Why would she retire?

She said last year she was hoping she wouldn’t be coaching into her 60s.