"IT'S GAME DAY": South Carolina HC Dawn Staley expresses excitement for Las Vegas Aces' 2024 preseason WNBA game

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is looking forward to the Las Vegas Aces' 2024 preseason tilt on Saturday. The two-time champion Aces will start their preseason against the Puerto Rico National Team at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

Coach Staley took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday to express her excitement for the Aces' preseason exhibition WNBA game.

“IT’S GAME DAY!!!” she wrote, tagging the Aces and their star player, A'ja Wilson, who is a two-time WNBA MVP.

Aces forward and WNBA star Wilson has clinched two championships with Las Vegas and earned two MVP awards, as well as WNBA Finals MVP, NCAA title and Olympic gold.

The coming game will serve as a warm-up for the upcoming 2024 WNBA regular season. Interestingly, after becoming the first WNBA team in over two decades to repeat as champions in the previous year, the 2024-25 season brings with it the potential for an even rarer three-peat.

Since being purchased by Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis in 2021, the Aces have won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023, much to the delight of their fans.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas has set a new record in WNBA history by selling more season tickets than any other team, as per the Colonial Life Arena report.

Dawn Staley’s former star player A'ja Wilson on returning to Columbia

Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson.

A'ja Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces forward, is all set to make a triumphant return to her hometown, where she grew up not far from the University of South Carolina campus. Wilson had multiple offers out of high school but chose to stay close to home and play under the guidance of Dawn Staley.

During her four-year tenure at the university, from 2015 to 2018, Wilson made a significant impact. The Gamecocks enjoyed an impressive record of 129-16 (.890), with Wilson playing a crucial role in securing four SEC Tournament titles, three SEC regular-season titles and the 2017 NCAA Tournament championship.

Her stats were equally impressive, with an average of 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game over 138 appearances. Her stellar performance earned her the title of Consensus National Player of the Year in 2018.

Wilson was asked about her return to Columbia with her Aces team for the exhibition game.

"It's my dream to be able to go back to the place where it all started and showcase what my skills are now," she said. "This means the world to me, and I'm very much looking forward to it."

As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, chosen by the Las Vegas Aces, A'ja Wilson eagerly anticipates showcasing her skills on a grand stage.

Are you excited to watch star A'ja Wilson after coach Dawn Staley's enthusiastic tweet about the game? Let us know in the comments section!