"Makes my heart full": Dawn Staley reunites with former South Carolina stars at Valkyries vs Storm WNBA matchup

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was courtside to watch the Seattle Storm take on the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday night at Chase Center. She was on hand to support three of her former South Carolina players: Bree Hall, Laeticia Amihere and Zia Cooke in action.

Staley saw all three former Gamecocks come off the bench for their respective teams as the Valkyries defeated the Storm 84-57. Amihere, who won a national championship under Staley in 2022, finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in the win.

"This makes my heart full! @gamecockwbb make us proud. …@breezyhall @z.loading_ @_theblackqueen_ love you ladies!!!"

The post featured a photo of Dawn Staley posing with Hall, Amihere and Cooke after the game. Cooke was holding the coach's new book, "Uncommon Favor," which was released in May.

Zia Cooke recorded 10 points and three rebounds for Seattle, while Hall added one rebound in five minutes of action for the Valkyries. Amihere and Cooke were drafted into the WNBA in 2023, while Hall was selected this year.

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Dawn Staley cheers loudly as Gamecocks women rise in the WNBA

As the South Carolina coach, Dawn Staley couldn't be prouder to see her former players thriving in the WNBA.

Staley, who attended the Seattle-Golden State game on Sunday in San Francisco, captured photographs of Laeticia Amihere, Zia Cook and Bree Hall during their game and posted them on X (formerly called Twitter).

"Can you spot our @GamecockWBB ? 1 2 3 of them! Let’s gooooo LADIES!! @WNBA franchises you too can have a gamecock! They are ready!! 🥰🥰🥰," she wrote.

The Gamecocks have a rich history in the WNBA, with numerous players going on to have successful careers, like A'ja Wilson, Allisha Gray, Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso, who have made an impact in the league.

This year, three South Carolina players were selected in the WNBA draft. The Atlanta Dream picked Te-Hina Paopao with the No. 18 pick, while the Indiana Fever selected Hall at No. 20, though she was later waived. The Los Angeles Sparks then drafted another Gamecock, Sania Feagin, with the following pick.

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