It’s only been two years, but a lot sure has changed.
The last time South Carolina was in the Final Four, A’ja Wilson wasn’t up for the Wooden Award. Wilson, then a freshman, was coming off the bench as Tiffany Mitchell and Aleighsa Welch dominated the headlines.
Wilson scored a team-high 20 points in that heartbreaking Final Four loss to Notre Dame, as the Gamecocks’ comeback fell just short in Tampa Bay. But with plenty of stars returning, the expectation was that they’d have another crack at the title the following year.
It wasn’t that easy. After a heartbreaking loss in the 2016 Sweet 16, plenty of roster turnover and now an injury to a dominant All-American, South Carolina and Wilson finally have a shot at redemption, with a completely new supporting cast.
“I don’t want them to feel the way I felt,” Wilson said of her teammates when asked about the 2015 national semifinal. “I’m going to try my best so that they don’t get that feeling.”
Wilson and Bianca Cuevas-Moore are the only active players who experienced that feeling — Alaina Coates will not play Friday — and South Carolina’s many newcomers are turning to their veterans for experience about handling the pressure of the Final Four.
“A’ja has been a big help I think to everybody, as far as keeping this team level-headed and where we need to be,” Kaela Davis said Thursday.
Davis, a Georgia Tech transfer, may be new to the spotlight, but she hasn’t played like it, scoring at least 20 points in each of the last three games on her way to being named MVP of the Stockton Region.
Davis is one of seven newcomers to this year’s team, including fellow starters Allisha Gray and Tyasha Harris. Even with all the new faces, the Gamecocks have some Final Four experience on the bench in head coach Dawn Staley.
Staley played in three straight Final Fours from 1990-92, and this will be her second as a coach after the 2015 run. The closest Staley has ever come to her “Shining Moment” was in 1991, when her Virginia team lost in the final to Tennessee in overtime. That’s Staley’s only appearance in the title game as a player or coach, and the Gamecocks are motivated to help her fulfill her lifelong dream.
“It would mean the world to me to help her reach that goal, and of course a goal of mine,” Wilson said. “But for her, she’s done so much for this game, and she’s brought so much to this game. I can’t even put it into words. It would just mean a lot to help her get that national championship.”
“I would be honored to say ‘hey, I helped coach Staley do something,’” Davis added.
Davis points out that while it may be the Final Four, the game doesn’t change regardless of the stage.
“I’ve played a lot of basketball,” Davis said. “I definitely try to rely on that experience a little bit to just figure out the best way to work through these types of situations.”
Davis and the other new faces may have never played on this stage before, but they have plenty of experience to turn to in Wilson and Staley. But when the lights come on, the former All-ACC guard will tell you how she feels about the moment.
“It’s just basketball.”