Dawn Staley will be extremely busy in the coming weeks.
Not only will she be training No. 4 Gamecocks, but she will also be conducting a US basketball training camp in South Carolina from February 4-7.
“We have been together for a training camp for a year now and I am excited to be back on the pitch with the US national team,” Staley, who is also the coach of the US Olympic team, told the AP. “We have a great mix of veteran leadership and younger players – most of whom know how I manage training – and I anticipate that we will have four extremely competitive training days here in South Carolina.
“We are missing some pieces of the puzzle. We have 36 players in our group, but it will be extremely helpful in our preparations for the Tokyo Olympics this summer.”
Sylvia Fowles, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner will be among the 19 players present. South Carolina’s great A’ja Wilson will also be there.
Staley’s university team plays in Auburn on the first night of the camp, so U.S. assistant coaches Cheryl Reeve and Dan Hughes will be in charge. South Carolina assistant Lisa Boyer and Dallas Wings coach Vickie Johnson will also serve as court coaches during the four-day camp.
Staley consolidated her position as one of the best coaches in the country. She was elected national coach of the year twice and took South Carolina to a national championship in 2018. She has 11 wins against 500 (489-179) in her career, which includes 317-99 in her 13th season in South Carolina. South.
The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to start on July 23. The United States has won six consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Unhappy return
Kyra Elzy enjoyed many good times at the Thompson-Boling Arena as a player, but Tennessee ruined her return as a head coach on Sunday.
The Lady Vols dominated Elzy’s Kentucky Wildcats 70-53.
She played for Tennessee from 1996-2001 and won national championships in 1997 and 1998 under the command of Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt. It was the first time that she returned to campus as head coach, facing former teammate and current Lady Vols Coach Kellie Harper.
Kentucky scored the fewest points of the season, shooting just 29% off the ground. Tennessee limited last year’s SEC player of the year Rhyne Howard to 14 points out of 3 out of 16 shots.
High tide
Veterans Ariyah Copeland, Jordan Lewis and Jasmine Walker added 55 of Alabama’s 67 points on Sunday, in the 67-55 victory over Auburn.
Walker ended as the team’s main rebound with 9 rebounds, and Lewis flirted with a triple-double with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
Lewis and Walker scored double digits in all seven SEC competitions this season.
Making an impact
Snudda Collins has established herself as one of the SEC’s best snipers as a freshman.
6-1 striker from Brookhaven, Mississippi – whose name is Silentianna – averages 8.3 points per game off the bench for Ole Miss. She finished 11 in Sunday’s loss to Florida, including 3 out of 5 out of three points. It was his sixth game, making at least 3 points from three points this season.
She is now shooting 46% (25 of 54) beyond the bow, which ranks third nationally among freshmen. Collins leads all SEC freshmen on three points.
Picking up the pace
South Carolina sometimes struggled against the LSU showdown zone, but the Gamecocks stepped up their counterattack to win a 69-65 victory on the road on Sunday.
Reserve guard LeLe Grissett stood out in the final stretch, scoring 8 points and 3 assists in the fourth period to help her team eliminate the two-point deficit.
After a while, South Carolina had only eight counterattack points. Gamecocks finished with 30 points in the transition, while Tigers stayed with six.
LSU was about 56-55 with 3:41 remaining, but scored only once in the next three minutes, with South Carolina ending the game. Gamecocks made their last six attempts at field goal – all layups.
Best players
South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston posted his second triple-double career against Georgia last Thursday, then helped the Gamecocks recover at the end of the week to defeat LSU and earn SEC’s player of the week honors. The 6-5 sophomore finished 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks against the Bulldogs, becoming the third SEC player to have two triple doubles in one season. She also added 20 points and 14 rebounds against LSU.
Marta Suarez, from Tennessee, received the freshman honors of the week. Spain’s 6-2 striker hit 64% off the ground, averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds this week.
Top to bottom
TEAM COMMENTARY RK LW NET (RECORDS)
1; 1; 3; South Carolina (12-1, 7-0) Aliyah Boston has Gamecocks running
two; two; 16; Texas A&M (14-1, 5-1) Aggies avoid disorders
3; 5; 13; Tennessee (10-3, 4-1) Lady Vols recovered from defeat at UConn
4; 4; 14; Georgia (13-2, 5-2) Gabby Connally stands out
5; 3; 20; Kentucky (11-4, 4-3) Difficult sled found on rocky top
6; 6; 75; LSU (6-7, 4-3) Tigers lose their bid against SC
7; 7; 35; Mississippi State (8-4, 3-3) Bulldogs lost two in a row
8; 8; 24; Arkansas (11-6, 2-5) Razorbacks fall late for Bulldogs
9; 9; 28; Alabama (12-2, 5-2) Crimson Tide tries to recover
10; 11; 46; Missouri (5-5, 1-4) Bid changed vs. A&M is insufficient
11; 12; 56; Florida (9-6, 2-5) Kiara Smith on the rise
12; 10; 62; Ole Miss (7-5, 1-5) Transfers helping rebels
13; 13; 133; Auburn (5-9, 0-6) Tigers still looking for a SEC victory
14; 14; 145; Vanderbilt (4-4, 0-3) Ended the season early
NOTE The NCAA instituted this season for women’s college basketball, a ranking system called NET Rankings, which replaced the Classification Percentage Index. Acronym for NCAA Evaluation Tool, NET rankings take into account the results of the games, the strength of the schedule, the location of the game, the scoring margin, the offensive and defensive efficiency of the network and the quality of the wins and losses.
Game of the week
Georgia No. 22 at Texas A&M No. 4 at 5 pm Sunday (SEC Network)
The Bulldogs had a rough week, hosting LSU tonight before traveling to College Station for a weekend showdown with the Aggies. Texas A&M had to meet late to beat Missouri in Columbia last weekend. The Aggies won in Columbia for the first time since February 5, 2015.
By the numbers
26 consecutive SEC wins by South Carolina
10 doubles this season by N’dea Jones from Texas A&M, which is the best in the country
14 Texas A&M wins this season, which is the biggest in the country
105 free throws made by the Arkansas senior Chelsea Dungee this season, who leads the country
Paul Boyd can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaulb.