South Carolina Dawn Staley WIN over LSU for SEC tourn. title, addresses Cardoso fight and ejection

welcome to the press conference for the

SEC tournament champion South Carolina

Gamecocks we're joined by head coach Don

Staley student athletes tahina powpow

and Malaysia F Wy we'll begin with

questions for the student athletes

please raise your hand we'll bring a

microphone to

you here in the in second row yeah my AG

obviously local product you've wanted to

be in A Moment Like This for South

Carolina ever since you were a kid to

come up big like that just how special

was this moment for you you know it

meant a lot to me uh considering the

fact that I'm only a freshman so it's my

first time around and this is a great

first experience for me and my team and

the other freshman Tessa Johnson and the

newcomer pop I'm just blessed to be here

and

excited front row we go here and then

there uh for either of you guys a hectic

moment there in the end how do you

maintain your composure and what's your

uh conversation like in the Huddle

before you go back out to end the

game the main point was just we got to

finish it out um these last two minutes

we just got to finish it out be composed

it's all it's a mental thing and we got

to stick together and at the end of the

game we just got to you know be there

for each other and finish with um High

heads High heads up right

here My AG you were right in the middle

of that I guess can you just kind of

take us through what you H what happened

there at least or at least what you

saw I'm not

sure Allan I I I'll answer that um well

I mean what you saw were two teams um

highly competitive teams um try to win

that try to win a a conference

Championship

and they did not handle it well our

players didn't their players didn't and

it escalated and and I you know I I want

to thank the officials and everybody

that jumped in and just kind of um calm

the situation down and then the

penalties

were um what they were like they were

well within the rules of ejecting the

players that that left the bench um even

if they just stepped over the the line

of the bench you can't you have to sit

there and keep your composure um but I'm

going to say this fly Jay came to me

after the game right after the game and

she just apologized and said she's not

that type of player and I really

appreciate that there something that

somebody won't ever hear if I didn't say

anything and she's not she's a really

good person um things just got escalated

um I'll take responsibility for what

happened from our side of it um which is

we

don't you

know we we we talk about these these

things as a you know as a as a team and

we we try to as much as possible um

Express to them how not to react in in

those type of situations um but real

time is real time and I know that you

know anybody Camila as well as the other

four or five players that were ejected I

know if they had a chance to do it all

over again they would do it differently

but now we have that I just don't want

um the people who are tuning in women's

basketball see that and think you know

that is our game because it isn't our

game is a really beautiful thing um and

to be quite honest this is this is a

part of it now so we have to fix it and

we have to move

on we'll continue with questions for

student athletes we'll go to the back

first this is for both athletes on a

positive note you two are newcomers this

year how does it feel to have your SEC

regular season championship and now your

SEC tour tournament championship

rings first um it hasn't sunk in just

yet um today's uh game but just being

able

to be called Champions is just a great

feeling it's a great blessing and a

great opportunity just to keep the the

journey going and just really blessed to

be here I'm very grateful for our team

the program and just everyone that's

been supporting us and um has been

living on us over here on the left

Rick Myer do you see uh one of your

important roles for this team is when

things are going a little stagnant

there's a lack of energy to come in and

provide that energy and that burst that

your teammates

need um my role on this team is just go

out there and be who I am so when I get

on the court I just feel like I just go

out there and do whatever's ask from the

coach here in the front well ladies you

guys have signed a lot of autographs and

taken a lot of selfies on a court

throughout this season but to do it here

and to see those fans stick around what

did that mean well I think you stopped

at every single person along that one

sideline what was that moment like what

were the fans telling you in this moment

with so much emotion around you guys um

they were just telling us how far they

traveled to see this game how much they

appreciate Us and how much they're happy

for us so I'm just appreciative to have

great fam like we do they come they

stick with us through thick and thin

it's just I just feel grateful to just

be in a predicament in a team like this

it's a blessing second row here

for myia after the quarterfinal you said

that you were really nervous but you

said tomorrow it's not going to be that

way and obviously you had a great

semi-final and even better Championship

can you just describe your mentality

going into these last two games that had

you completely locked

in um I feel like basketball is a

confidence that's the key to basketball

I feel like my confidence is out the

roofs when I step on the court feel like

nobody can guard me check me so I just

got it's really a mind thing and I just

told myself that I have to lock in and

play better stay in the second row uh

pal you got this team was on the biggest

stage you guys faced adversity in each

game in different ways describe how

closer this experience has brought this

group uh heading into a run where you

guys will have to go six and0 to cut

down the Nets yeah no this is a first

experience for everyone um as I said

before the emotions hasn't sunk in yet

and I don't know when that's going to

sink in but um it definitely brought us

closer together um you know their family

I love them so much we just love each

other very very much we're just so

genuine with each other we trust each

other we support each other in every

aspect and it's just it's going to help

us in the long run because we we felt

what it felt like yesterday we that

close game like we didn't want to feel

like that ever again but this feeling I

think everyone everyone wants to feel

this feeling again so we just got to get

back in the lab and uh get back to work

and just keep doing what we're doing

front row

Cor de I wanted to ask you about myah

saying she was going to be better the

next two games just the way she impacted

the next two games what did you think of

her Poise her confidence and just the

way that she got better with each game

man that's how she is um she's a

superstar she a Hooper she a baller

she's always going to come game ready um

I'm super proud of her performance today

um she C she stepped up really big for

us and I'm just really proud for her

proud of her she trusted the process um

she's still trusting it she's going to

write her journey and I'm just super

proud of how she um was so composed

today and her confidence was out the

roof as she said and when you got a

player like Le she's just you just got

to let her go be who she is and just let

her ride the wave and um I'm just super

proud couldn't couldn't say any much

front row of course for either of you

what ises that celebration like at the

end of the game when you're missing half

your

team good question it was

heartbreaking you know we couldn't have

done it without them I mean we're a team

for a reason we're a family and it was

it was really hard for us um just a lot

of emotions and we really wanted them to

celebrate with us but we went back in

the locker room and you know we did our

little celebrations together but it was

really heartbreaking but you know we're

a team we're going to get we're going to

bounce back from that and um learn from

our mistakes we'll take a couple more

for the student athletes second row

Pete Taha this was another game where

they came back at you um you know they

cut it to one I think it was up to 13

they cut it to one there what did you

guys do to dig in and and kind of get

this Victory we just told each other we

got to lock in and just get a stop once

you get a stop you got to get a bucket

and we just got to keep doing that you

know the game is a basketball is a game

of runs so they had their little run and

then we had our our run and we ended up

on top so we just got to keep being who

we

are take one more here in the

front Malaysia 10 points in that third

quarter and I don't think you missed a

shot in that quarter um at what point do

you realize that you're kind of in the

zone and you can kind kind of take over

a game like that when it is starting to

get pretty

tight um I really just be out there

hooping really honestly I just I just be

hoping I feel like my team they do a

great job with giving me the ball when

I'm open or getting me open so I'm just

thankful and blessed to have great

teammates like I

do ladies thank you for your

time

congratulations we'll now take questions

for Coach Staley right here in the

front coach some high highs and some low

lows for Camila this weekend did you get

a chance to talk with her during the

review or after the game about what she

should take away from this experience

overall I I haven't I haven't been back

I haven't been to the locker room yet um

but I mean Camila understands she she

really understands I think if you if you

talk to Camila about things she probably

say she let her emotions get the best of

her um and she's got to handle them

better she's got to she's got to be

better she's that important to our team

that important to the you know to the

state of women's basketball come's a

star and we just really can't have her

in a position where she's in the Locking

room um for anything other than have

time in the into the basketball

games in the back or second row first

two we go to the back he coach obviously

we've talked about F multiple points

during this season she's had huge

moments all year long but this one may

kind of take the cake a bit what's it

like for you to see her out there and be

hooping as she saying um I mean her

maturation process has been great you

like um she's a she's a learner I know

she just said she's out there hooping

but she's out there hooping and learning

and and and grasping what it takes to

play at a high level all the time like

all the time like she had it going on

today like you know she was able to

score she was able to um find teammates

um I think just her presence her speed

her ability to create her own shot was

needed today um like no

other back

row Don today's game was a game between

the the past two national champions uh I

know there's still a lot of games to be

played in March Madness but do you feel

like this is the best two teams in the

country and you could meet again in the

the final four in in the championship

game um

I don't I don't know if we're the best

team in the country um I know there's a

ranking that says we're number one um

but I I think that's subjective um LSU

is really good like for them to be where

they are you know having um lost a

couple of players along the way and

still stay where they stand and while

I'm at it I I really hope that um

um um last tier PO is okay I I know

she's was back at the hotel um I hope

she gets healthy quickly um because she

makes them better um to to have who they

have um Angel playing the way she plays

Ana playing the way she's playing I

think fly J is has much improved there

were if there was a you know a most

improv I would certainly give fly Jay uh

my vote um her ability to play on both

sides of the basketball you know

Michaela Williams is

um our our rookie of the year in this

league and can take over basketball

games um Haley van lift is playing her

best basketball for LSU right now so um

I do think they have the experience and

the talent um to be considered one of

the best teams in our in the country

we'll go here in the

middle Don you've experienced this

winning feeling so often but can you

take us through what you're feeling just

today after this win yeah it's

bittersweet it really is it's it's you

know I I I want to be there for the

players that were able to to end the

game and celebrate with them you know

but part of me was want wanted to be in

the locker room to to celebrate with the

players who weren't able to to do that

um but we put ourselves in that position

we we made decisions

that that that forc Force our hand to be

in that situation so I'm hoping that

it's the last of a last hope it's the

biggest lesson

any of our any of our teams have to

experience front row on the right Don

I've talked to you so many times about

your fam but today to be able to connect

with them after a moment like this and I

don't know was it uplifting in all when

you talk about those conflicted feelings

you were having but to know that that

they're there and what they mean to you

guys and vice versa I mean they were

professing their love for you and

respect for you and especially that

apology that you made there on that

court in the biggest moment um I'm

always going to find time for our fam

always always um they've uh they've

created something truly special at South

Carolina uh for them to come for for

them to travel for them come to our home

games um anywhere we are there's there's

always somebody in the stands um

cheering us on um and welcoming us to to

town um

so there's always going to be a special

place in my heart for for our fam and I

will I will I will always take a picture

I will always sign an autograph I might

not be able to do all of them but a you

know a lot of them I'm going to do and

for time's sake um I'll get as many in

as I can go

here Don you've got some time now before

your next game what's going to be the

plan the process to get this team ready

for the NCA tournament especially your

players who are going through this for

the first time y I mean rest rest a lot

of rest like we'll we'll probably take

uh the next 3 or 4 days off from

practice uh spring break usually lands

on this week but it was on I mean this

the next week but it actually was this

week so they'll they'll have their days

off from practice but not from class um

and some of the stuff that uh they'll

have to do with um our athletic trainer

and our performance coach no practice

though front

row

after everything kind of happened your

team looked pretty comfortable over the

last two minutes stretch to close out

the game what did you tell them before

everyone went back on the court to kind

of refocus them on on winning a

tournament

Championship well I mean we we had a lot

of time to just kind of

um just

deescalate um and you know before we

knew exactly what was going to happen I

didn't I didn't I didn't I mean I knew

Camila was gone I knew she was going to

be uh

disqualified um I did not know we were

going to have two like four other

players

disqualified um cuz I I was I was

unaware that they left the bench um so

we just talked about strategy like what

we wanted to do what kind of ball screen

coverage um that we wanted to have and

what type of offenses that we wanted to

run um to milk the clock a little bit um

you know but just like LSU they found

themselves back into the basketball game

so we had the fight and Claw to finish

it and I thought we did a great job um

making free throws at the end of the

game and Breezy hitting a couple of big

shots to you know to give us give us a

lead in which where we didn't have to

panic right second

row Don you talked about or you said

multiple times how young this team is

but it was some of your youngest players

Tessa and the the first game then

malasia today what does it say that this

young core could show up in the big

spots and and how critical was it for

the experience that they got here for

the Run that's uh fast approaching yeah

I'm I'm I'm super proud of our our

youngsters um they their experience is

is a little bit different than when some

of our experienced players were

youngsters like they have to play for us

um and you know if you if you ask them

if they saw themselves playing how

they're playing today like three months

ago or four months ago before the season

I'm sure um they would say no because

their heads were spinning about um the

pace of play about you know how we

Implement offenses and defenses and this

the pace of you know what we need to

learn um it took it took them a while to

actually acclimate to that but now that

they have it and they put in a lot of

work to get to where they are like it

just doesn't happen overnight I'm sure

they will would have wanted to happen

overnight it just doesn't like as much

as we saw them um perform the way they

have in this tournament there's been you

know times where they didn't perform and

there'll probably be more times that

they won't perform up to that level so

it's just learning how to maintain that

that high level of play and it only

experience will will will teach them

that take two or three more right here

front on the

left Don it's the second straight game

in a row that you know was coming down

to the final few minutes and you know

fighting off a a massive comeback

yesterday and then fighting off a

smaller one today what have you kind of

learned from your team here in these

last 48 hours about how they fight off

teams and how they close out a lot of

these games uh I mean they're they're

pretty poised they they feel like um

they their competitiveness goes to

another level you know when when the

game gets close and they don't panic um

you know I think think a lot of it is

just how close they are they don't want

to let each other down they don't they

hold each other accountable like this is

probably the team that holds each other

more accountable than any team that I've

been around and maybe that's the that

maybe that's the trick um is that some

of the things that we're we're

addressing um in a Timeout they've

already addressed on the court so

they're already talking about what

happened out there on the way um back to

the bench so it's pretty cool to see the

closeness of this group and this group

really just get in each other and they

also will will will definitely encourage

and they they surely would you know have

multiple conversations about something

they did that deserves

um a highlight or uh or a patter on the

back they do that a lot as well front

row

Cor

uh I know you just talked about their

Poise but specifically today it was a

super long review and you know only to

have six players to finish the game what

do you feel like it said about your team

that the players that you know were

finishing the game did it even though it

was tight and and they you know overcame

that you know everything that happened

and in a super long break um I

mean they they are free like they play

they play without pressure and is the

most amazing thing like you know even

even I put pressure on them you know I

put pressure on them um probably at some

point in each game and they look at me

and the other ones that I'm talking to

well aren't talking directly to they're

encouraging them they are holding them

accountable for it um so it's they're

resilient you know I

don't I'm happy for them but also know

that

you can't keep winning the close games

at some point you know the law averages

say I mean you got to you got to build a

lead you got to keep a lead if you can

get

one take two more star in the

front you mentioned the uniqueness of

this group in the accountability a

couple times was there a point over the

summer maybe early in the year where you

kind of realize that this group had

something specific like that that the

other ones

haven't no no because I I learn each day

there is something that that makes

me it's like and and they don't even

know it's happening I'm just

listening um it's conversations that

they have in the locker room cuz they're

loud um it is you know if I watch them

in practice and they're whispering to

each other about what's what's happening

out there on the floor well that's what

I that's what I think they're talking

about um it's just really cool to see

and it's

you know it's genuine like it's it's

genuine like you could have some teams

in which you know they have clicks and

they get along with this click and they

get and it could it could lead to some

dissension you know and I mean this team

they do have clicks but they integrate

like like it's the the most beautiful

amazing thing um that this that this

team has the chemistry that they have

and they've created from the very

beginning until now has been um really

refreshing to be around all right last

one

Pete Don you've got to have some

conflicting emotions about the way this

unfolded in the sense that like a parent

you may not be happy with one of your

children did but if they're standing up

for their sibling you know you part of

you is really proud of that too I mean

you talk about how close this team is

yeah you know they showed they stood up

for one another no matter what the

situation was that's got to be a you

know it's got to be something to balance

there man there there is and and you

know a lot of people ask me to compare

last year's team to this year's

team that that would have never happened

in in last year's team you know CU they

would have they would have been so

political about it if if that would have

happened and aiyah would have probably

just been the referee and just kind of

no don't do that like um and then you

got this team

that that they're protectors

um so yeah it's it's a it's a

Bittersweet like you you want them to

protect their their sisters at the same

time you want them to do it in a way in

which you don't get penalized um and you

you're not in a position to not be able

to celebrate um which is something super

hard to do like super hard to do um to

win the SEC tournament Championship so

um we'll talk about it but I know they

will draw strength from it and they

they'll get closer

all right thank you coach

congratulations pretty catchy tweet that

you put out the leading three-point SHO