ALBANY, N.Y. — Dawn Staley began her familiar ascent up the ladder positioned under the basket nearest to South Carolina’s bench 30 minutes after the final buzzer sounded. She had hugged her assistant coaches in the waning moments of the Gamecocks’ 70-58 win over Oregon State, then embarked on a celebration of a fourth consecutive Final Four. As she climbed, left foot, then right, she fist-pumped, danced, posed for pictures and eventually put a snipped net around her neck. Before touching back on the ground, she joked to the crowd around her, “Turn the cameras off before I fall.”
Of course, she didn’t stumble Sunday. Nor did her team. Not against the Beavers. And not against any of the 35 opponents the Gamecocks had faced before the Elite Eight. But just because South Carolina remains undefeated doesn’t mean its victory was assumed. For those at its center, this year is different. In many ways, it’s all new.
As Staley instructed, Sania Feagin held the Albany 1 Regional championship trophy as the Gamecocks posed for their team picture. “It was amazing to pick it up and know what it feels like,” Feagin said. Through her first two seasons, the junior forward averaged less than eight minutes a game. Though still a role player, she is now a key contributor…
