“I could do something great, but she’s still yelling at me”: When A'ja Wilson talked about being fed up of Dawn Staley's intensity

The relationship between South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and her former player A'ja Wilson has been a topic of fascination for basketball fans. Wilson is one of the best players to have played for Staley, but their dynamic has not always been smooth sailing.

In an ESPN YouTube video from March 2018, featuring Staley and poet Nikky Finney passionately talking about basketball, there is also a small clip of Wilson discussing her experience playing under Staley.

"Coach Staley and I push each other's buttons like there's no other. She really likes to yell at me all the time," A'ja said (2:07). "I could do something great, but she's still yelling at me, and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, Dawn, just get it. I just need a break.'"

A'ja Wilson also pointed out that Dawn Staley's tough love approach has been instrumental in shaping her into the player she is today.

"Coach is a very, very important person in my life, and it's just so simple, but just these simple words of 'just go,' she really tells me, 'just go, go, go, no matter what.' And I think that's just something that really pushes me in life, is just go for it, like just go for it."

Wilson, the two-time WNBA champion, joined South Carolina in 2014 as the top recruit in the country. She averaged 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a junior in 2016-17, leading the Gamecocks to the national championship glory.

A'ja Wilson opens up about getting kicked out of practice by Dawn Staley

A'ja Wilson played at South Carolina under Dawn Staley for four years. She won SEC Player of the Year three times and National Player of the Year once during her college career before being selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2018 WNBA draft.

Wilson recently appeared on the 'Roommates Show,' where cohost Jalen Brunson asked her to share a story about a time when things were not so peachy with coach Staley.

"There's plenty, but one I would have to say — she kicked me out of practice," A'ja said (49:58). "Coach Staley likes to push her buttons, she gets the nitty-gritty and it's kind of bad."

"She kicked me out of practice because apparently I wasn't doing one practice. I was looking average," she continued. "I just didn't have it that day. I was exhausted like when it got to the last 45 minutes to an hour, I'm like, 'Alright, I'm checking out.' So that's when I was checked out and she spazzed on me."

Even after six years since Wilson left college, she and Dawn Staley still have fun interactions on social media. Staley is always there to congratulate Wilson on her big accomplishments.