On the subject of shaping the way forward for ladies’s basketball, Daybreak Staley has by no means shied away from main the cost. The Corridor of Famer and South Carolina head coach has constructed the Woman Gamecocks right into a nationwide powerhouse, however her affect stretches far past wins, titles, and trophies. For Staley, scheduling isn’t nearly aggressive stability—it’s about creating alternatives, particularly for HBCU ladies’s basketball applications.
“Scheduling is difficult”
This season, South Carolina’s non-conference slate options seven Energy 5 matchups in 15 video games, together with clashes towards Clemson, Duke, Louisville, and a possible showdown with UCLA or Texas. However Staley has made certain to carve out house for 2 video games that imply simply as a lot to her: matchups towards North Carolina Central and Coppin State, two HBCU applications representing the MEAC.
“Scheduling is difficult. Individuals don’t wanna play us,” Staley admitted throughout a latest media session. “Even having misplaced what we misplaced, it’s actually, actually a tough factor. So as a substitute of the massive aggressive video games, we’ve added some HBCUs. Simply to carry up each side of our sport. Not each workforce will go and play an HBCU on their residence court docket. And we really feel like [it’s a] nice sport, nice competitors, nice teaching. And if we may give some notoriety to the HBCUs, then we’ll try this.”
The Woman Gamecocks will host North Carolina Central on December 7 earlier than touring to Baltimore on January 18 to face Coppin State. It will mark one of many uncommon instances a nationwide contender visits an HBCU campus.
Greater than a sport
Coppin State already has a historical past with the Gamecocks. The Eagles confronted South Carolina final season, reaching out themselves to schedule the matchup. Daybreak Staley recalled that Coppin “moved some issues round” to make it occur, and in return, South Carolina promised a return journey to Baltimore.
For Coppin, these sorts of video games are pivotal. Regardless of dropping 92–60 to South Carolina final season, the Eagles completed with a robust 19–15 file and earned a spot within the WNIT, the place they notched a win over Colgate earlier than falling narrowly to Cleveland State. Taking part in applications like South Carolina boosts publicity and sharpens competitors for MEAC groups chasing postseason runs.
A balancing act
Critics would possibly level to the Gamecocks’ lighter non-conference slate in comparison with earlier years—9 Energy 5 opponents in 2024-25, all the way down to seven this season. However Staley has made it clear that this isn’t about ducking competitors. Final March, South Carolina was handed over for the No. 1 general NCAA Event seed regardless of main the nation with 16 Quad 1 wins. UCLA grabbed the highest seed after beating the Gamecocks head-to-head in November.
Staley’s takeaway wasn’t to overload her schedule however to stability it extra deliberately. “If that’s the usual, we will play any schedule and get the No. 1 seed,” she stated. “We manufactured a schedule that ought to’ve produced it. If it didn’t, then we have to rethink.”
That rethinking now consists of investing in HBCUs.
Why it issues
Massive-time applications not often journey to play HBCUs on their residence courts. By doing so, South Carolina sends a transparent message that visibility and respect for ladies’s basketball applications at HBCUs matter. It’s about lifting up the whole ecosystem of the game, not simply sustaining dominance on the prime.
For Daybreak Staley, it’s not charity—it’s competitors and neighborhood. “Nice sport, nice competitors, nice teaching,” she stated of her HBCU opponents. “If we will carry, as a result of we play the sport and provides some notoriety to the HBCUs, then we’ll try this.”
With a schedule that blends heavyweight showdowns and culturally vital matchups, Staley is as soon as once more proving that South Carolina ladies’s basketball is larger than basketball.
