South Carolina director of women’s basketball performance Molly Binetti has worked out on gamedays since she started with the program in 2018. Sometimes, in past seasons, she hit the gym alone or with a team manager, a graduate assistant, athletic trainer Craig Oates or a small group of staffers. But before the Gamecocks’ November contest against Maryland, Binetti received an inquiry from another member of the program who was curious about her morning workouts: Head coach Dawn Staley said she was interested in joining Binetti for a pregame lift.
On the eve of the Gamecocks’ game on Nov. 16, Binetti asked Staley if she’d be interested in joining her 10 a.m. workout. The next day, Staley showed up in South Carolina’s weight room, ready to go, but not knowing exactly what the training would entail.
A new tradition began that morning before the Gamecocks’ 109-40 win over Clemson. On every gameday since, around a dozen members of South Carolina’s coaching and support staffs gather for strength training and cardio. Assistant coach Lisa Boyer makes clear it’s not a superstition. Instead, she prefers to call it a routine. “That’s what we do,” she said. “This is who we are now.” Semantics aside, the No. 1 seeded Gamecocks enter Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup…
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://womenssportsnow.com/south-carolina-strong-dawn-staley-and-her-gameday-workout-crew/&media=https://womenssportsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-25-at-6.48.38 PM-1-e1711422565140.png&description="(It’s) a model for our players too," said South Carolina's director of performance. "Walking the walk, instead of just talking about it.”){kind=link}