COLUMBIA – They were supposed to play Ole Miss, so it was said that they would have Florida instead. This happened after eight of the 11 players in the fifth place in the ranking of South Carolina returned home for the holidays, opening the possibility of contamination of COVID.
The 2020 effect will continue into 2021, although it is not as bleak as it may seem to the USC women’s basketball team.
“I think it’s cool, I think. I like the fact that you have to be alert, ”said trainer Dawn Staley. “I think we are a team that is together and we know. We know exactly what should happen if we have to spin. “
The Gamecocks (5-1) host the Gators (7-1) at their SEC opening on Thursday, after the rebels had to refuse due to their own COVID problems. Staley said his team is ready to go, outside the guard Destiny Littleton, who is not available after going home for Christmas, but is expected to return soon.
Gamecocks have nine non-South Carolina players in their squad and were eliminated after a December 17 prank on Temple. Littleton is from California, Laeticia Amihere from Canada.
“The protocol for Canada is that if you come from an international country, you need to be quarantined, so I stayed at home with my family all the time,” said Amihere.
They reported on Christmas Day, preparing for Ole Miss. They were told on Sunday that the Rebels were out and Florida was in. Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt were forced to postpone the games due to COVID.
But the USC team took care of that.
“We always planned ahead, we couldn’t plan much ahead, with Florida (originally scheduled for February 25), but it was nice to see Coach (Jolette) Law under pressure a little bit, but she did it,” said Staley. “We were working with us until yesterday and it was fun in itself to try to get our players back on track to play good basketball.”
Banner to be raised
USC has announced it will raise flags for the team’s achievements last season, ahead of Thursday’s game. The SEC regular season and tournament championship tracks are lockable, but the big track, which Staley and athletic director Ray Tanner said when the season was canceled in March, will be raised, is the question.
The team’s first consensus in each of the top 25 polls is likely to be on the flag, not on any type of claimed national championship.
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.