When you win as much as the South Carolina womens basketball team does, the act of winning goes from being exceptional to expectation. But what happens when they dont win? Amidst their 30-3 record so far this season, its just three lossesto UCLA, Texas and UConnthat caused crash outs in real time. Whether its Twitter analysts or the media likeThe State, who ran the headline,South Carolinas WBB Final Four chances suddenly feel not so certain, everyone has something to say about the Gamecocks.
I feel like people kind of forget that its normal to lose, you cant win them all, MiLaysia Fulwiley said to us in February. I mean I wish we could, but its been a year. Its coming. Its been years, like, we just keep winning so easily. These losses aint gonna do nothing but prepare us more for when it matters the most.
Prior to winning the SEC Championship, we sat down with MiLaysia Fulwiley, Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards to talk about this season, their preparation, the meaning of legacy and so much more. Because really, who better to speak on where this team is at right now? And if the Gamecocks can win another national championship and go back-to-back, theyll be the ones to sayI told you so
WSLAM: From the first time yall got to play on the court together, what kind of growth have you seen from then to now?
Joyce Edwards: Its just surreal, kind of full circle. You play these girls in high schoolyou think youll never really see them again. Theyre gonna go their ways [and] youre gonna go your way. But the fact that were all on the same team, and were literally three McDonalds All-Americanswere so tough. Like Lay said, I just feel bad for our opponents because its crazy to think about.
MiLaysia Fulwiley: Definitely. Everything she said.
WSLAM: When did you realize this team was ready for this season? When did it all click?
Chloe Kitts: I feel like we knew right away. Some workouts this year were really good. Everyone was hooping. We were like,Dang, were gelling really good. Because last year, we didnt really see that, but it ended up working out good for us. But this year, from the beginning, from the get-go, everyone was ready, everyone was excited. You can see everyones main focus is winning. You can just see it.
MF: I agree, because last year, some workouts was pretty bad. We had a lot of hard days, and I
feel like this year, it was completely opposite. We came in knowing what we wanted to do and what we wanted to execute. I feel like we did that every practice, and that helped us grow into who we are now. Were still trying to find us as a team, as a whole. So I also feel like our freshmen played a big role in that. They came in ready to hoop. Joyce Edwards, Maddy McDaniel, they came in ready to dominate, ready to fill in. And Joyce did a great job with just being confident in herself and remembering who she is as a player. Because coming into college, that can be the hardest part about it, and having a freshman that plays like a senior is really good for us. That really gels us together, helps us be confident and believe who we are.
JE: For me, I wasnt really here last summer. I came late from [Team] USA, but this is by far the best team I ever played on, so I cant say if I knew we [were] ready for that, because I didnt know what we were getting ready for exactly; I never experienced it before. I just knew that everybody on the floor had a huge impact on what we did in practice, and we were all talented. So I knew that anybody whos going to face this is gonna have a hard time beating usthat was really my mindset.
WSLAM: What does South Carolina mean to each of you?
MF: To me, it means a lot. I came from South Carolina, born and raised in South Carolina.
Growing up here, it means a lot to me, but not only me, with my family and my friends, putting
a jersey on for any college level, it means a lot. So just saying that I can be able to represent my hometown, my home state, it means a lot to me, and I love it. I appreciate [Coach] Dawn [Staley]
and the University of South Carolina for giving me the opportunity to play here.
CK: For me, growing up, South Carolina is your dream school. Im from Seattle, and everybodys like,Thats a dream school, South Carolina. I mean, South Carolina, and UConn, but it was just different, and it just means a lot. Coming here and playing in front of 18,000 fans, and you go into the grocery store and people ask for pictures, youre walking down the street and people are like,Can I get your autograph?I mean, thats really cool. A lot of people dont get to experience that in college, so I appreciate that a lot. And of course, winning. I mean, South Carolina, were winners over here, and we get held to a higher standard.
JE: South Carolina is really just home. You know, I feel like my basketball career really took off in South Carolina, just from high school to college, being able to do what I wanted to without any limitations. And having the support of people from South Carolina being theremy family being there for meto grow up in South Carolina and play basketball here. Like they said, playing for Dawn Staley, whos the embodiment of head coaches in womens basketball. South Carolina is this school [that] every female basketball player wants to come to because were just winners, our culture. Being in South Carolina, its like being a part of a big family, not even just in university, but outside as well.
WSLAM: What do you all think is the it factor that makes this place what it is?
JE: Us people, literally us three, the whole team. Its the people that make South Carolina, South Carolina. We want the best for each other. We literally love each other, we support each other and everything. I feel like thats the it factor, because you can have statues anywhere, you can have championships anywhere, but its really all about the people.
CK: I also feel like a lot of us come from different backgrounds. Everybodys kind of different. We all are one big family, and we all want to learn about each other, their culture and everything like that.
WSLAM: Whats one word to describe this team at the beginning of the season, one word to describe the team right now and one where you hope to be at the end of the season?
JE: I want to say anxious, but not in a bad way, like, we were just itching to play, wanting to show the world what we could do. We just wanted to play, like, just anxious. We just wanted to play.
MF: Determined. Everybody is so determined.
JE: Thats perfect. We had our setbacks in the season, but the way that we come out of them
is crazy.
CK: Its just the early season. I think at the end of the season, hopefully we can say winners.
MF: Champs.
CK: Its exactly what we want.
MF: I also feel like people kind of forget that its normal to lose, you cant win them all. I mean, I wish we could, but its been a year. Its coming. Its been years, like, we just keep winning so easily. I feel like these losses aint gonna do nothing but prepare us more for when it matters the most.
JE: The way that we come out of losses, its really insane. We go on, we just destroy everybody else in our path.
CK: I mean, wed rather lose now than later on. People try and play their best game against us, people scout [us] forever just to play against us because they want to beat us so bad. I mean, its
OK to lose. Were not going to lose when it matters, and thats all that matters.
WSLAM: This team carries a lot with them: the pressure of everyone watching, people rooting for you, people rooting against you. How do you keep your composure through the season?
CK: You have to realize that you go through highs and lows. Everyone goes through highs and lows. You might have a good stretch of games, you might have a horrible stretch of games. You just have to find a healthy balance and know that everythings gonna be OK. Thats for me, especially because you cant get too high with the highs [and] too low with the lows. Just try your hardest to stay consistent.
MF: I agree. When youre playing basketball, its a mental thing, and if your mental is not there, then your game, your play, isnt going to be there. I feel like its very important for all of us to keep our mental together. Just always remember that the main goal is winning a national championship, and you win some, you lose some, but we just all need to be locked in on that one goal. And I feel like thats what keeps us together and keeps us able to get through the pressure.
JE: I feel like were composed because we have to be. I mean, you get uncomposed after the season, after you win the end goal. But the end goal is still the end goal, and you havent reached that yet. So theres no need to be happy or sad because you havent reached that yet. You have to be composed, because every team in the SEC is there trying to kill you every single time. You dont have time to get high with the highs or get low [with the] lows, because at the end of the day, nobodys gonna care about your emotions or how youre feeling. You have to stay composed to get to the end goal. And if youre not, then youre not gonna succeed.
WSLAM: Can you talk about legacy and what it means to you individually, for each other and for the future of this program?
MF: I feel like were doing a great job of creating legacy. Last year was a historical year. I dont think no team in South Carolina history has ever went undefeated and won a national championship. Things like that would be how we create our legacy. Every single person whos on that team last year has now created a legacy just because of that. So doing things like that, just being great people, not only on the court but off the court, too, helps create legacy. Its not all about what you do on the court or what we do as a team.
CK: What you do in the community
MF: We did a whole lot of community things, giving back, donations and stuff, and I felt like that helped play a big role in the legacy that we created not only last year, but this whole past decade.
JE: We understand legacy is important because it inspires the next generation of little girls who want to play basketball. So we uphold ourselves to a certain standard on and off the court that we have to be consistent with. And thats what we do. So every day we go out there, we work hard on the court. We donate, like they said. We do charities and stuff, because we want to uphold that legacy, to inspire the next generation.
WSLAM: Playing for a national championship, the path to back-to-back, what does it mean to you? How do you prepare for the big stage, and how do you make sure the whole team knows whats about to happen?
CK: We have to all be on the same page, like we kind of just talked about before. Were gonna go through highs and lows, and that means wins and losses. But were gonna win when it matters and try and get through this hump, and were gonna come out as strong as we can.
MF: Yeah, and I feel us as a team, we do a great job with understandingeverything she just saidandactually understanding, not just hearing it. And the freshmen, they seem to catch on very quickly, and they understand that assignment, from what I see. They know that we really want it and how much it will mean to us if we have it. Its all up to us now.
JE: We prepared for the national championship game in the beginning of the season. So the preparation isnt necessarily any different than it was for the first week of the season. Its all about being consistent, all about having that same mindset and that same goal, and all about all of us being determined.
WSLAM: In 10 years, when you look back at your cover, at everything you all have been able to accomplish at South Carolina, what do you hope to see?
CK: I hope I reached my goals, everything I wanted to do since I was younger, since I was at SLAM in high school. And hopefully I can look back then in New York, when I played [at] Rucker Park in the SLAM Summer Classic, and hopefully I can see in 10 years how far it came.
MF: Hopefully I can be proud of my younger self and basically tell my younger self that I did everything that I work hard for.
JE: Yeah, hopefully, it seems Im still playingIll be 29 I probably wouldnt look back that early, but lets say I retired, something happened. I dont know if I look back, I want to know that Ive reached my potential. Looking back at all the things I did when I was younger, I want to look at myself and not be disappointed in what I did when I was older. That makes sense, because I was younger, I was ambitious, I worked hard. I got the goals that I wanted. I got the goals that I wanted to get to. So to me, I just hope that I dont disappoint myself.
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Portraits by Diwang Valdez.
