South Carolina ladies’s basketball coach Daybreak Staley has been making the media rounds lately to advertise her new ebook, “Unusual Favor.” Earlier this week, the three-time national-championship-winning coach appeared on the favored New York-based morning radio present “The Breakfast Membership” to speak about her ebook and a lot extra.
Matters veered into Staley’s ideas about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and even officiating in ladies’s basketball. At a sure level although, the dialog shifted to one of many largest tales in faculty basketball this offseason: MiLaysia Fulwiley leaving Staley’s Gamecocks to hitch Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers.
When requested about Fulwiley’s resolution to switch by host Charlamagne tha God, Staley revealed that she wasn’t shocked.
“Stunning? No,” Staley mentioned. “I believe, being on this area, you turn out to be (sic) to anticipate the sudden, proper? I nonetheless have a lot love for MiLaysia. Like, a lot love. Like, I need her glad.”
Staley mentioned that Fulwiley and her mom got here in for a post-season assembly with the coach and the sophomore informed her, “I believe I wish to get into the switch portal.”
To which Staley responded, “You assume, or you understand?”
Staley then says she informed Fulwiley that she simply desires her to be glad.
“I informed her, ‘Don’t look again. … You’re at all times going to be a Gamecock. You’re at all times going to be welcomed right here,’” Staley mentioned. “I want her the most effective. And once I say that… I do. I actually do.”
Staley continued: “I believe she’s going to have a promising profession. I do assume she’s a generational expertise. That can by no means depart. She does issues on the basketball court docket that I’ve by no means seen a girl do. And he or she’ll proceed to try this, and we’ll proceed to be glad for her, apart from the one or two occasions we now have to play them.”
In @staley05’s ebook ‘Unusual Favor’, within the chapter titled “Respect the Energy of Behavior,” she speaks on this chapter which displays on MiLaysia Fulwiley . pic.twitter.com/6XxdAONzSB
— The Breakfast Membership (@breakfastclubam) Could 22, 2025
During the last two years at South Carolina, the 5-foot-10 native of Columbia confirmed flashes of her superior athleticism and unimaginable abilities. With swagger, creativeness and head-turning talents, it turned clear that she had the potential to be one of many sport’s stars.
Nonetheless, Fulwiley’s improvement appeared to stall below Staley this previous season. She performed simply .5 minutes extra per sport, by no means began as a sophomore, and plenty of of her stats — from her 3-point taking pictures share to her PER to her assist-turnover ratio — worsened from her freshman marketing campaign. Nonetheless, there have been occasions the place Staley turned the keys of the crew over to Fulwiley in essential contests and the electrical guard powered the Gamecocks to victories. Notably, she had 23 factors and 5 rebounds in a four-point win over Maryland within the Candy 16.
Following South Carolina’s loss to UConn within the nationwide title sport, the shortage of progress in a job and enjoying time for Fulwiley led to hypothesis about whether or not she may enter the switch portal. Positive sufficient, inside every week of South Carolina touchdown a dedication from Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, Fulwiley did.
“I although MiLaysia was getting higher… LSU goes to get the most effective of her now. We went by the arduous a part of smoothing some tough edges and getting her to create good habits,” Staley mentioned. “The enjoying time, the no matter, us possibly taking her out of the sport when she felt like she wished to maintain enjoying by issues — now, she most likely questions that a part of it, and I’m OK with that. Quite a lot of gamers depart due to enjoying time. It’s not for all the opposite stuff — we deal with them like royalty.”
Charlamagne then requested Staley if she would give Mulkey any tips about the right way to coach Fulwiley, to which the South Carolina coach responded with fun, “You by yourself.”
