Look, you are right about them having every right to raise a statue to whomever they want to. I think even most of the people who are criticizing this would agree with that. I certainly do. Wilson is rightfully admired by most basketball fans. Most of the talk about this is really not about the statue anyway. I think most of the criticisms are rooted in the silliness of South Carolina’s (and specifically Dawn’s) perceived whining that they should be named national champions simply because they were ranked (not unanimously, by the way) number one when the NCAA tournament was canceled in 2020. This silliness was then exacerbated by their raising a banner that proclaimed (erroneously) that they were the unanimous number one when in fact they were not. In some people’s opinion, (including mine) this frantic grasping for credit that was not earned on the court was/is simply unseemly and unworthy of a program that is without doubt, one of the elites of women’s basketball. Most basketball fans (I believe) would agree that putting up a banner (especially an erroneous one) touting their position in the national rankings when they already have a national championship banner is just a bridge too far, especially in conjunction with the above mentioned perception of Dawn actually lobbying for the NCAA to simply declare them the national champions. Any of these in isolation would probably have not raised many eyebrows but all of them together with the perception that Dawn can be seen as a bit prickly, are imo, the reasons why some are raising their eyebrows at the statue. Also, not to beat a dead horse, but there are no statues of Stewie, Diana, Maya, Rebecca, or even Geno, all of whom at present have greater credentials than Wilson. In the end, of course, SC can do whatever they wish. I simply believe it’s better to earn your respect rather than demanding it.
