By the time her career is over, Las Vegas Aces superstar and 2024 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson could go down as the best post player in the history of women’s basketball.
Wilson would not have gotten to this point without Dawn Staley. Wilson spent four seasons playing for the legendary Gamecocks coach at South Carolina before becoming the No. 1 pick of the 2018 WNBA Draft.
Wilson having won a National Championship at South Carolina also adds to her impressive legacy. And this legacy is being immortalized on Sunday, February 2, as her No. 22 is being retired in the rafters of the Gamecocks’ Colonial Life Arena.
Andscape’s Sean Hurd wrote a January 29 article about this jersey retirement ceremony. At one point, Staley’s initial reaction to Wilson before she signed to South Carolina was conveyed.
A’ja “was good at everything but basketball,” Staley joked in the article, recalling when Wilson attended Staley’s local basketball camp before college.
“She was tall,” Staley added. “I don’t even think basketball was in the forefront of her mind.”
Of course, Wilson ultimately won Staley over enough so that the two teamed up at South Carolina — and the rest is history.
Later on in the article, Staley said, “When people have contributed to their university, their athletics department, their city, their state, and then nationally, it’s only fitting that we honor them. A’ja is probably the top of the top when it comes to what she’s meant to our program.”
Sunday, February 2 will be a special moment for Staley, Wilson, and the entire South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball program.