South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball

South Carolina Gamecocks
University University of South Carolina
Conference SEC
Location Columbia, SC
Head coach Dawn Staley (6th year)
Arena Colonial Life Arena
(Capacity: 18,000)
Nickname Gamecocks
Colors

Garnet and Black

            
Uniforms
Home
Away
Alternate
NCAA/AIAW Tournament Final Four
1980, 2015
NCAA/AIAW Tournament Elite Eight
1980, 2002, 2015
NCAA/AIAW Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1980, 1982, 1990, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015
NCAA/AIAW Tournament second round
1980, 1982, 1988, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
NCAA/AIAW Tournament appearances
1980, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Conference tournament champions
Metro Conference: 1986, 1988, 1989
SEC: 2015
Conference regular season champions
Metro Conference: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
SEC: 2014, 2015

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference.

The program enjoyed its great success under head coach Nancy Wilson during the 1980s in the Metro Conference when it won five regular season conference championships and three conference tournament championships.

Under current Head Coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks have improved their success every year, culminating in winning the SEC Championship in and gaining a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in both 2014 and 2015. Following the 2014 season, Staley signed the #2 ranked recruiting class in the country, highlighted by the overall #1 recruit A'ja Wilson.

History

The first Gamecocks women's basketball team to compete at an intercollegiate level dates back to 1923 when they were called the Pullets.

The first varsity team, known as the Carolina Chicks, took to the court in January 1974 under the guidance of Pam Backhaus. The inaugural team compiled a record of 15-7 and were the South Carolina AIAW Champions. In 1977, with Pam Parsons as the head coach the women's basketball team, they changed their nickname to the Lady Gamecocks and made post-season trips every year with her at the helm.

The program enjoyed its greatest run of success to date after joining the Metro Conference in 1983. During its eight seasons in the league, the Lady Gamecocks won the regular season championship five times and the conference tournament three times.[1]

When South Carolina joined the SEC, success was hard to come by during the first decade. The program struggled to compete in the premier Women's Basketball League under head coaches Wilson and Susan Walvius. Walvius' teams in 2001-02 and 2002-03 broke through to finish 25-7 and 23-8 respectively, earning trips to the NCAA tournament and reaching the Elite Eight in 2002.

Walvius resigned after the 2007-08 season and Dawn Staley was named the new head coach of the Lady Gamecocks on May 7.

Under Coach Staley, the Gamecocks improved every year between 2008 and 2015, starting with a record of 10-18 in 2008-09 up to claiming the SEC regular season and tournament Championship as well as reaching the NCAA Final Four with a 34-3 record in 2014-15.

Head coaches

Name Years Seasons Games Won Lost Pct.
Pam Backhaus 1974–1975
1976–1977		 3 78 41 37 .526
Frankie Porter 1975–1976 1 22 7 15 .318
Pam Parsons 1977–1981 5 144 101 43 .701
Terry Kelly 1982–1984 3 82 50 32 .610
Nancy Wilson 1984–1997 13 380 231 149 .608
Susan Walvius 1997–2008 11 325 165 160 .508
Dawn Staley 2008–Present 7 229 155 74 .677
All-Time 41 1260 750 510 .595

2014–15 Roster

2014–15 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year High School/Junior College Home town
G 0 Farmer, IndiaIndia Farmer style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So North Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
G 1 Cuevas, BiancaBianca Cuevas style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Fr Nazareth Regional Bronx, N.Y.
G 2 Gaines, OliviaOlivia Gaines style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Sr Louisburg College (N.C.) Chester, S.C.
G 3 Duckett, KaydraKaydra Duckett style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Fr Dreher Columbia, S.C.
G 4 Cliney, DoniyahDoniyah Cliney style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr Malcolm X Shabazz Newark, N.J.
G 5 Sessions, KhadijahKhadijah Sessions style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Jr Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach, S.C.
G 15 Davis, TiffanyTiffany Davis style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) RS So Westbury Christian Houston, Texas
G/F 22 Wilson, A'jaA'ja Wilson style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Fr Heathwood Hall Hopkins, S.C.
G 23 Roy, TinaTina Roy style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) RS Jr Kaplan Kaplan, La.
F 24 Welch, AleighsaAleighsa Welch style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Sr Goose Creek Goose Creek, S.C.
G 25 Mitchell, TiffanyTiffany Mitchell style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr Providence Day Charlotte, N.C.
G/F 31 Dozier, AsiaAsia Dozier style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr Spring Valley Columbia, S.C.
C 33 Ibiam, ElemElem Ibiam style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Sr Fayette County Fayetteville, Ga.
F 40 White, JatarieJatarie White style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Fr Providence Day Charlotte, N.C.
C 41 Coates, AlainaAlaina Coates style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) So Dutch Fork Irmo, S.C.
Head coach

Dawn Staley

Assistant coach(es)

Lisa Boyer
Nikki McCray
Darius Taylor

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2014-10-08

Year-by-year results

Conference tournament winners noted with # Source[2]

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason Coaches' poll AP poll
Pam Backhaus (Independent) (1974–1975)
1974-75 Pam Backhaus 18–12 – AIAW Region II
Frankie Porter (Independent) (1975–1976)
1975-76 Frankie Porter 7–15 –
Frankie Porter: 7–15 –
Pam Backhaus (Independent) (1976–1977)
1976-77 Pam Backhaus 8–18 – SCAIAW
Pam Backhaus: 26–30 –
Pam Parsons (Independent) (1977–1982)
1977-78 Pam Parsons 24–10 – AIAW Region II
1978-79 Pam Parsons 27–10 – AIAW Region II, NWIT Champions 15
1979-80 Pam Parsons 30–6 – AIAW Third Place 4
1980-81 Pam Parsons 21–11 – AIAW Region II
1981 Pam Parsons 7–0 –
Pam Parsons: 109–37 –
Terry Kelly (Independent, Metro) (1982–1985)
1982 Terry Kelly 16–8 – NCAA Sixteen
1982-83 Terry Kelly 16–12 –
1983-84 Terry Kelly 18–12 7–3
Terry Kelly: 50–32 7–3
Nancy Wilson (Metro, SEC) (1984–1997)
1984-85 Nancy Wilson 18–10 8–3
1985-86 Nancy Wilson 19–11 9–1 # NCAA First Round
1986-87 Nancy Wilson 18–12 8–4
1987-88 Nancy Wilson 23–11 10–2 # NCAA Second Round (Play-In) 24
1988-89 Nancy Wilson 23–7 10–2 # NCAA First Round 22 17
1989-90 Nancy Wilson 24–9 13–1 NCAA Sweet Sixteen 16 19
1990-91 Nancy Wilson 22–9 12–2 NCAA First Round
1991-92 Nancy Wilson 13–15 2–9 12th (SEC)
1992-93 Nancy Wilson 17–10 5–6 T-6th
1993-94 Nancy Wilson 14–13 2–9 T-10th
1994-95 Nancy Wilson 12–15 1–10 T-10th
1995-96 Nancy Wilson 16–12 2–9 T-11th
1996-97 Nancy Wilson 12–15 1–11 T-11th
Nancy Wilson: 231–149 83–69
Susan Walvius (SEC) (1997–2008)
1997-98 Susan Walvius 13–15 3–11 T-11th
1998-99 Susan Walvius 11–16 0–14 12th
1999-2000 Susan Walvius 13–15 3–11 11th
2000-01 Susan Walvius 11–17 6–8 T-6th
2001-02 Susan Walvius 25–7 10–4 T-2nd NCAA Elite Eight 6 13
2002-03 Susan Walvius 23–8 9–5 T-5th NCAA Second Round 18 16
2003-04 Susan Walvius 10–18 1–13 12th
2004-05 Susan Walvius 8–21 2–12 12th
2005-06 Susan Walvius 17–12 7–7 7th WNIT First Round (Bye)
2006-07 Susan Walvius 18–15 6–8 T-7th WNIT Sixteen
2007-08 Susan Walvius 16–16 4–10 T-9th WNIT First Round (Play-In)
Susan Walvius: 165–160 51–103
Dawn Staley (SEC) (2008–present)
2008-09 Dawn Staley 10–18 2–12 11th
2009-10 Dawn Staley 14–15 7–9 T-7th
2010-11 Dawn Staley 18–15 8–8 T-5th WNIT Second Round
2011-12 Dawn Staley 25–10 10–6 T-4th NCAA Sweet Sixteen 21 25
2012-13 Dawn Staley 25–8 11–5 T-4th NCAA Second Round 14 17
2013-14 Dawn Staley 29–5 14–2 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen 8 9
2014-15 Dawn Staley 34–2 15–1 1st NCAA Final Four 3 4
Dawn Staley: 155–74 67–43
Total: 750–510

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Notable players

Gamecocks in the WNBA

Retired jerseys

Retired jerseys[3]
No.PlayerYears
53 Sheila Foster 1978-1982
13 Martha Parker 1985-1989

Attendance

Over the years, the Gamecocks have played in three different venues. At first games were played at the Blatt P.E. Center. Later games moved to the Carolina Coliseum, which saw the first sell out for a women's basketball game on January 17, 2002. That day, 12,168 fans turned out to see the South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Tennessee Lady Vols.

On November 22, 2002, the Lady Gamecocks opened the newly constructed Colonial Center (later renamed the Colonial Life Arena). A near sell out crowd of 17,712 saw the Lady Gamecocks defeat the Clemson Lady Tigers.

Top crowds at Colonial Life Arena for Women's Basketball games:

Date Attendance Opponent Result
11-22-2002 17,712 Clemson W 72–58
01-11-2015 17,156 Kentucky W 68–60
01-02-2015 16,465 Auburn W 77–58
02-16-2015 15,255 Vanderbilt W 89–59
02-26-2015 15,047 Mississippi State W 69-50
02-23-2015 14,390 Tennessee W 71-66
01-26-2015 13,546 Texas A&M W 79-61
02-27-2014 12,458 Georgia W 67-56
02-12-2015 12,342 LSU W 86-62
01-29-2015 11,927 Alabama W 85-54
11-20-2014 11,012 Clemson W 99–41
03-20-2015 * 10,644 Savannah State W 81–48
03-22-2015 * 10,485 Syracuse W 97–68
11-23-2014 10,301 San Diego State W 89–38
11-15-2014 10,057 Southern California W 70–61
02-23-2014 10,547 Florida W 69–55

Starting with the 2013-14 season, the South Carolina Gamecocks became one of the national leaders in attendance for Women's Basketball. In 2014-15, the Gamecocks led the Nation in attendance with 12,540 fans per game.

Year Games Overall W–L Overall Win Pct NCAA W–L NCAA Win Pct Total Attendance (SEC/Nat Rank) Avg Attendance (SEC/Nat Rank)
2013-14 16 16–0 1.000 0–0 101,935 (3rd/13th) 6,371 (3rd/10th)
2014-15 16 16–0 1.000 2–0 1.000 196,684 (1st/1st) 12,293 (1st/1st)
Totals 32 32–0 1.000 2–0 1.000 298,619 9,332

Player awards

National awards

Dawn Staley - 2014 - Basketball Times
Tiffany Mitchell - 2015

SEC Awards

Susan Walvius - 2002
Dawn Staley - 2014, 2015*
Tiffany Mitchell - 2014, 2015
Ieasia Walker - 2013
Kelsey Bone - 2010
Alaina Coates - 2014
A'ja Wilson - 2015
Alaina Coates - 2014*
Aleighsa Welch - 2015
Aleighsa Welch - 2015

Metro awards

Nancy Wilson - 1985, 1991
Brantley Southers - 1986
Martha Parker - 1988, 1989
Beth Hunt - 1990
Martha Parker - 1986
Schonna Banner - 1987
Brantley Southers - 1986
Martha Parker - 1988
Beth Hunt - 1989

References

  1. ↑ "South Carolina Women's Basketball History".
  2. ↑ "History" (PDF). University of South Carolina. Retrieved 10 Aug 2013.
  3. ↑ "Carolina History".

External links