Daybreak Staley addresses media protection of her feedback on Paige Bueckers

[ad_1] The 2 preeminent coaches in ladies's school basketball will meet in Sunday's NCAA Division I ladies's basketball nationwide championship sport.

Geno Auriemma has coached UConn to 11 nationwide titles, whereas South Carolina head coach Daybreak Staley has led the Gamecocks to 3 championships – together with the 2024 title. UConn and South Carolina will battle for the 2025 championship in Tampa, Florida, later Sunday.

Staley is one in all school basketball's high-profile figures, and she or he has usually shared her ideas on no matter problem the game could also be contending with at a given second. Amid the Gamecocks' pursuit of back-to-back nationwide titles, Staley spoke out on the narratives surrounding UConn star Paige Bueckers because it pertains to the framework of ladies's school basketball.

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Head coach Daybreak Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks through the Texas Longhorns sport on the NCAA semifinal sport at Amalie Enviornment on April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Images through Getty Photos)

Staley identified the narratives surrounding former Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark when she spoke in regards to the conversations at the moment being thrown round about Bueckers.

Clark's particular person accomplishments throughout her rise to stardom over the past couple of years dominated media protection. Clark was largely, and in some situations solely, credited with ladies's basketball's steep rise in reputation.

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When talking about Bueckers and the pursuit of her first profession championship, Staley steered there was an inclination "to neglect the narrative about what (South Carolina gamers) have been capable of do, going for his or her third (nationwide championship) in 4 years."

Head coach Daybreak Staley of the Gamecocks gestures through the Georgia Girl Bulldogs sport at Colonial Life Enviornment on Feb. 18, 2024, in Columbia, South Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Photos)

"Typically we create these narratives about nice gamers – Caitlin was one in all them; Paige is one in all them proper now – and we are inclined to neglect the narrative about what our youngsters have been capable of do, going for his or her third in 4 years," Staley said throughout a press convention on Saturday.

"There’s a sentimental narrative about Paige. An amazing freakin’ participant. Anyone would begin their franchise with Paige due to her environment friendly approach of taking part in, as a result of she’s a winner, as a result of she cerebrally simply is aware of the sport, simply has an aura about her. And she or he’ll be the primary decide within the WNBA draft. And she or he’ll be an Olympian. She’ll be all these issues. However if you put a story on the market, everyone sees that, and it places us at an obstacle, whether or not you wish to imagine so or not. Officers see it. It’s throughout TikTok. It’s throughout ‘SportsCenter.’ It’s throughout all of that."

"And she or he’s a fantastic participant however simply since you’re a fantastic participant doesn’t imply it is advisable win the nationwide championship to legitimize it. Paige is legit. She was legit from the second she stepped on this stage or previous to, in Minnesota. Her profession is famous. She's going to depart a legacy at UConn whether or not she wins one or not."

Staley then pointed to South Carolina's expertise throughout final 12 months's run to the nationwide title.

"I simply wish to put it on the market. I can’t not deal with it as a result of it’s occurring. It occurred to us final 12 months. The whole lot was about Caitlin Clark and her legacy and her potential to win a nationwide championship. But we had been coming into this factor undefeated, doing one thing that’s unprecedented on the time, as a result of it’s exhausting. It’s exhausting. We discover ourselves again right here in an identical state of affairs."

UConn guard Paige Bueckers passes the ball through the Candy 16 sport in opposition to Oklahoma, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Spokane, Washington. (AP Photograph/Jenny Kane)

Staley then expressed her hopes for a extra balanced method.

"I would like the feelings to be about our gamers and what our gamers have been capable of do – equally, as a result of there's room to do each," she stated. "We are able to elevate Paige up as a result of she deserves that and lift our gamers up as a result of they deserve that. And that’s not talked about sufficient. There’s room for it in our sport. Room for Jose. Room for our sport, for all of us to be coated. Let’s not select a historical past, one’s historical past over one other program’s historical past. Let’s not select one participant over one other participant’s historical past as a result of we’re all creating historical past for our sport."

On Saturday, ESPN included quotes from Staley's media session in an article protecting the Bueckers narrative. The community's ladies's hoops X, previously referred to as Twitter, account, additionally shared a submit with a hyperlink to the story.

"Daybreak Staley says narrative round Paige Bueckers and her quest to win a title has overshadowed South Carolina’s feats," the submit on X learn. Staley took problem with how her feedback had been being offered and responded to the submit. "LIES! Repair your headline, please!" the South Carolina wrote on X.

South Carolina went undefeated final season and defeated Clark and the Hawkeyes within the championship sport. Iowa additionally got here up brief within the 2023 nationwide title sport, as LSU dominated the Hawkeyes in that 12 months's title sport.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark through the LSU sport at American Airways Enviornment Dallas. (Greg Nelson /Sports activities Illustrated through Getty Photos)

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Clark by no means gained a championship throughout her school profession. Nonetheless, she is extensively seen as one in all ladies's school basketball's biggest gamers – which appears to talk to Staley's level about Bueckers not needing to "win the nationwide championship to legitimize" a participant's greatness.