South Carolina HC Dawn Staley hypes up former Gamecocks Aliyah Boston, A'ja Wilson and more following strong WNBA outings

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley shared words of encouragement for her former players who were in action on Sunday night. Staley tweeted the stats of her ex-Gamecocks stars who did well.

Aliyah Boston led the way for her Indiana Fever team with 26 points and 10 rebounds. However, Indiana lost 89-81 to the Las Vegas Aces, who had A'ja Wilson post 24 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Kamilla Cardoso's Chicago Sky lost 93-80 to Te-Hina Paopao and Allisha Gray's Atlanta Dream. Cardoso had seven points and five rebounds for Chicago, while Atlanta's Paopao posted 16 points, with five 3s and Gray recorded 19 points with five 3s.

"Did yall see all the @GamecockWBB won today! @aa_boston lead us with 26pts/10rebs! @_ajawilson22 24pts/7rebs. @tehinapaopaoo 16pts (5 3s) @Graytness_15 19pts (5 3s) @Kamillascsilva 7pts/5rebs! @WNBA is in a great place!!," Staley tweeted.

Staley appears to be enjoying the WNBA amid the college basketball offseason. She also likes to hype her former South Carolina stars, who have grown in the pro league.

Staley's South Carolina was on course to defend its national title this year but lost the championship game to Geno Auriemma's UConn.

South Carolina HC Dawn Staley is a big fan of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark

South Carolina HC Dawn Staley - Source: Imagn

Amid the spotlight on Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley voiced her opinion on the former Iowa player.

"She (Clark) is quite incredible, quite an anomaly when it comes to how many eyeballs she’s bringing on the game," Staley said during an appearance on Kylie Kelce's Not Gonna Lie" podcast this week.

"And the newness of those eyeballs — they only want her to do well. Only want you to speak very highly of her. Only, you know, want you to agree with what they agree with. And that’s kind of hard."

While praising Clark and her heroics in the WNBA, Staley also pointed out that the reigning Rookie of the Year can be criticized at times. However, the South Carolina coach added that Clark's best attribute is her passing rather than shooting ability.

Notably, Staley's Gamecocks had beaten Clark's Iowa in the national title game in 2024.

About the author

Arnold is a journalist covering College Sports and the NFL at Sportskeeda. He has been with the company since August 2022.

Arnold graduated with a degree in Mass Media from MIC. As a sports fanatic, he pursued writing to express his thoughts and opinions on sports events across the globe. He has also worked at Wizcraft and Publicis.

Arnold began supporting the Kansas City Chiefs after watching Patrick Mahomes lead them to Super Bowl glory in 2020. He also has a soft corner for the New York Yankees since he's lived in New York for two years. Arnold's favorite coach of all time is Andy Reid, and the Chiefs dynasty looks far from over.

In his free time, Arnold enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He follows several other sports including football, cricket, tennis, basketball, boxing and F1.

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Edited by Bhargav