Dawn Staley, South Carolina women's basketball get love from … – Greenville News

PARIS — South Carolina women’s basketball and coach Dawn Staley got a video message of support on Sunday from Colorado football coach Deion Sanders ahead of the team’s historic season opener against Notre Dame in France.
Sanders and Staley are both partnered with Aflac, which is also the title sponsor of the “Oui-Play” game Monday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Halle Georges Arena. The Gamecocks coach has appeared in commercials for the insurance company alongside legendary former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski since March, while Sanders is paired with Alabama football coach Nick Saban.
“Coach Staley, I love you. I appreciate you, what you bring to those young ladies,” Sanders said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter. “What you’ve accomplished in life, in victory, in defeat, how classy, how strong, the bravado, the compassion, the love that you give off, it’s infectious.”
Sanders also shouted out Staley’s playing days a point guard, first for Virginia, then in the WNBA and for Team USA. Staley was a six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist during her career on the court, and she has led South Carolina to two NCAA championships and earned three Naismith Coach of the Year awards in 15 years with the Gamecocks.
“First of all, I loved you when you was locking them down. You know how we get down,” Sanders said, laughing. “I love you, and I appreciate you so much and I glean from you. Yeah, I’m watching you, so I’m going to watch you get down and do your thing in France … Who else deserves it more than you do? Nobody. God bless you sister.”
Staley sent love back to Sanders in a post of her own, sharing encouragement after the Buffaloes suffered a 26-19 loss to Oregon State on Saturday.
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“Back at you! And yeah I know you coming!!” Staley wrote on X. “Appreciate you and love you and the impact you’re making….stay prayed up!”
The No. 4 Gamecocks and No. 10 Irish will play the first regular-season NCAA basketball game on Parisian soil, and it also marks the first meeting between the two teams since 2017. South Carolina lost the matchup 92-85, and Notre Dame went on to win the national championship that season.
The Gamecocks trail the all-time series 2-3 and have lost the last three consecutive meetings. South Carolina’s last win came in 1982, the same year the program made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Follow South Carolina women’s basketball reporter Emily Adams on X @eaadams6 and subscribe to The Greenville News for exclusive coverage of the Gamecocks in Paris: https://subscribe.greenvilleonline.com/offers.
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