Staley fends off Virginia rumors, prepares South Carolina for Buffalo (Mar 22, 2018)
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley's team just beat Virginia in the second round of the NCAA tournament, but she continues to battle her alma mater when it comes to the distraction of a coaching vacancy there.
Staley is trying to prepare the second-seeded Gamecocks (28-6) for Saturday's Sweet 16 game against surprise team Buffalo (29-5), the 11th seed, at Albany, N.Y.
After South Carolina eliminated Virginia on Sunday, Cavaliers coach Joanne Boyle announced her retirement, citing a family concern.
The rumors of Staley being linked to the Virginia job immediately surfaced. She led the Cavaliers to three Final Fours in her career there, which included national player of the year honors in 1991 and 1992.
Staley, in her ninth season at South Carolina, was contacted about the Virginia job in 2011, but she was never offered the position, which still offends her. She was asked Wednesday if she has interest in returning to her alma mater.
"In Virginia? No, I have no interest in Virginia," Staley said. "I'm sure people are going to link me to the job because it's my alma mater. I think a few years ago kind of left a sour taste in my mouth."
Staley is likely more concerned about preparing her team for Buffalo, which pulled off upset wins over No. 6 South Florida and No. 3 Florida State last week in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Bulls now play South Carolina only about 300 miles from home in Albany. The winner faces the possibility of going against No. 1 seed Connecticut in the Elite Eight.
"I think the most important thing is to advance," Staley said. "I think this team has played close games all season long. This team has made adjustments on the fly and I think we've just got to play."
South Carolina had 19 turnovers against North Carolina A&T. The Gamecocks cut that down to 10 in the Virginia win, four of those, however, by point guard Tyasha Harris.
"I just think we've got to take better care of the ball," Staley said. "I think it's going to come down to the team that can make plays outside of rhythm plays, the ones you set up and diagram.
"So the intangibles are going to be key, making sure we're locked in to getting loose balls, understanding what we need to do and that we don't have any large mental breaks."
South Carolina standout forward A'ja Wilson had 44 points in the wins over North Carolina A&T and Virginia last week. She shot 14 of 32 from the field, a decline from her nearly 55 percent from the floor.
Buffalo, playing in its second NCAA tournament, is in the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
"We really want to put Buffalo on the map and I think we've done a really great job of doing that this year," said Buffalo point guard Stephanie Reid, an Australian who averages 12.2 points and 6.9 assists per game. "We've just grown together so much.
"We've been a team that's traveled a lot on the road this season, and I think being away and being together all the time has brought us closer, and that really comes out on the court.
"We're just sisters. We honestly are, and it's through the tough times and the good, we're together and we're a family. And we take pride in that."
