Championship cities 'etched' in Dawn Staley's heart, except for undefeated run
Dawn Staley says each city South Carolina has won a title in is forever "etched in my heart." However, her most memorable one escaped her.
PHOENIX — Each city Dawn Staley has won a NCAA women's basketball championship in is forever "etched in her heart. " A'ja Wilson led South Carolina to its first national championship in Dallas in 2017. Then, there's South Carolina's 2022 national championship that Aliyah Boston and the Gamecocks won in 2022 in Minneapolis.
The Gamecocks' 2024 run may have been their most memorable. South Carolina defeated Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the national title game to complete an undefeated season, yet Staley couldn't recall the city where it happened. "Cleveland," Staley said with a smile at her Final Four press conference Thursday, April 2, after getting an assist from the media members in attendance.
"Damn, that was the undefeated one I forgot about. " Staley and the Gamecocks are making their sixth consecutive Final Four appearance . They will face off against fellow No.
1 seed UConn in the national semifinal Friday evening , and although the national stage and opponent is familiar, Phoenix marks a new Final Four venue for the team. "I think it's cool to go into different places," said Staley, who said the team is staying 20 minutes outside of the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. "It seems like there's a pretty good buzz around celebrating the last weekend of our season.