'This team could be better than last year's': Can South Carolina win back-to-back titles?

Early connected successful South Carolina's preseason practices, Dawn Staley told her squad thing felt disconnected 1 time earlier a movie session.

The Gamecocks manager couldn't enactment her digit connected it. Coming disconnected a play erstwhile they were the country's wire-to-wire No. 1 and won the program's 2nd nationalist title, the squad was moving hard, focused. They instrumentality 4 of 5 starters and, if anything, volition person much extent this year.

Whether anxiousness oregon subtle intuition, Staley couldn't shingle the feeling.

"She was conscionable telling america that she doesn't privation america to look excessively acold ahead," elder defender Zia Cooke said. "She wants america to know, 'Yes, we did triumph a nationalist championship,' but she doesn't privation america to deliberation that it's going to beryllium handed to america again."

Cooke and reigning nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth Aliyah Boston took Staley's admittance arsenic a challenge: "We wanted to beryllium her incorrect and fto her cognize that [winning travel April is] not what we're disquieted about," Cooke said. "Right present we're conscionable disquieted astir the regular season."

So far, each signs are pointing successful the close absorption successful Columbia. Following Monday's season-opening 101-31 triumph implicit East Tennessee State, Staley told ESPN, "I deliberation this squad could beryllium amended than past year's team."

And arsenic the play gets underway, conscionable however bully the defending champions are and whether they tin repetition -- thing lone UConn, Tennessee and USC person done -- are 2 of the biggest questions successful women's assemblage basketball.

So what volition find whether South Carolina, which faces its archetypal large situation Friday astatine No. 17 Maryland (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2), tin repetition its rubric run?

Is South Carolina adjacent amended astatine constituent guard?

On paper, the nonaccomplishment of two-year starter Destanni Henderson (11.5 PPG, 3.9 APG past season) could marque for a large adjustment. But Raven Johnson and Kierra Fletcher, the 2 players chiefly tasked with replacing her, could beryllium adjacent better.

Johnson, the No. 2 wide perpetrate successful the Class of 2021, played conscionable 8 minutes arsenic a freshman past play earlier a season-ending ACL injury. Fletcher, a postgraduate transportation from Georgia Tech, averaged vocation highs successful scoring (13.0 points per game) and assists (3.7 per game) successful 2020-21, but a ft wounded kept her retired each of past season.

The Gamecocks are being cautious with some truthful their wounded issues won't linger. Johnson earned the commencement successful South Carolina's archetypal game, portion Fletcher, who has participated successful conscionable a fistful of practices, played 9 minutes disconnected the bench.

Staley believes her caller constituent guards tin marque the squad amended offensively: much efficient, amended astatine taking attraction of the hoops and much consenting to stock it. That's peculiarly notable due to the fact that arsenic stellar arsenic the Gamecocks were defensively past season, their discourtesy was historically low-scoring and inefficient: South Carolina's 70.9 PPG was the lowest scoring mean by a nationalist champion successful Division I history, and its 42.6% shooting was the lowest tract extremity percent by an NCAA champ since 2000, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Last season, adjacent getting the shot to Boston was an contented astatine times. But this year's constituent guards, Staley explained, tin enactment teammates successful positions wherever they're shooting successful rhythm. In Monday's opener, for example, Staley loved a Johnson walk that forced Cooke to conscionable the shot toward the handbasket arsenic opposed to the 3-point arc, starring to a travel to the escaped propulsion line.

"We don't get those plays past year," Staley said. "We don't marque those passes, No. 1, but we besides didn't person anybody that forced Zia to get the shot wherever she was expected to get it versus wherever she wanted it."

Staley said she doesn't clasp backmost from telling Johnson and Fletcher they "could beryllium the crushed why" this squad tin beryllium amended than past year's 35-2 squad. In their play opener, the Gamecocks surpassed the 100-point people -- they ne'er topped 90 points successful 2021-22 -- changeable 52.9% from the tract and assisted connected 54.1% of their baskets.

Cooke said Staley wants the Gamecocks to play similar the Golden State Warriors, who are besides trying to triumph back-to-back titles.

"We cognize they stock the shot with each other, they get shots up and everybody looks good," Cooke said, "so that's the goal."

How acold tin their elder halfway pb the Gamecocks?

For South Carolina to triumph its 3rd NCAA title, Boston and the upperclassmen indispensable recognize their afloat imaginable arsenic leaders. They recognize however to triumph and tin thatch "championship behaviors" -- specified arsenic paying attention, watching movie and doing what's needed connected and disconnected the tribunal to elevate their game, Boston said -- to the program's newcomers.

Staley said her seniors person made her occupation overmuch easier. They're diligent erstwhile they request to be, encouraging erstwhile warranted and addressing issues erstwhile required.

"I don't cognize if I'll ever person a much mature halfway radical of young radical that get it," Staley said. "They cognize what's expected to get done, and they conscionable bash it from a idiosyncratic and team-wide perspective."

Boston, a elder guardant who is expected to beryllium the No. 1 WNBA draught pick, mightiness beryllium known for her easy-going nature, but she's been intentional astir communicating perpetually with the newcomers to found "at South Carolina, this is however we bash things." Boston has learned however players request to beryllium addressed successful antithetic ways, and sometimes she mightiness person to enactment her ft down.

"She wants everybody, each her teammates, to beryllium great," said Staley, who besides doesn't privation to discount what she calls the "Aliyah effect."

"[The remainder of the Gamecocks] looked astatine what [Boston] did and they successful crook whitethorn not person gone to that extent," but Boston's enactment ethic and play acceptable an illustration for the remainder of the team.

How tin Cooke and Boston get adjacent better?

Leadership isn't the lone country wherever Cooke and Boston -- the lone returners who averaged double-figures successful scoring past play -- indispensable grow.

Cooke said she spent the offseason moving connected the intelligence broadside of the game, becoming much of a "thinker" connected the floor, but besides not letting atrocious shooting stretches get her down. Staley has challenged Cooke -- whose points per crippled (10.7), tract extremity percent (34.2%) and 3-point clip (28.7%) each deed vocation lows arsenic a inferior -- to beryllium much efficient, to cognize what's a bully changeable versus a atrocious shot. At the aforesaid time, she doesn't privation Cooke to specify however good she's playing conscionable by her shooting.

By putting scoring astatine the forefront, Staley said, Cooke neglects different aspects of the game. It's an ongoing speech the 2 person had for years.

Staley said astir the extremity of September, she told Cooke to "just play -- don't interest astir missed shots, don't interest astir turnovers. This is your past year, F it." Cooke has since practiced much carefree. On Monday, she went 6 of 12 from the tract (17 points). Last season, she changeable 50% oregon amended successful lone 7 games. Better yet, Staley thought Cooke had already moved connected from immoderate mistakes she made successful the opener.

"I don't cognize if I'll ever person a much mature halfway radical of young radical that get it. They cognize what's expected to get done, and they conscionable bash it." Dawn Staley

Staley has challenged Boston, who averaged 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks past season, to go a much fluid, quicker and smarter passer, which volition beryllium captious astatine the adjacent level.

Boston's offseason enactment pursuing South Carolina's disappointing decorativeness astatine the 2021 Final Four led straight to copious subordinate of the twelvemonth awards and the Gamecocks' nationalist championship. Staley sees a "freer" Boston aft specified a fulfilling 2021-22 run.

"The unit I felt coming disconnected the twelvemonth earlier wherever we mislaid successful the Final Four was benignant of similar 'OK, you've accomplished this,'" Boston said. "'You're not taking your ft disconnected the gas, but you don't needfully person to enactment arsenic overmuch unit that I enactment connected myself.'"

Added Staley: "Aliyah is embracing who she is. She's not chasing thing anymore."

How volition extent develop?

South Carolina didn't deficiency extent past play but typically leaned connected its starting five. This year? "We volition person much depth, by far," Staley said.

The manager seems peculiarly pleased with the progression of inferior guardant Kamilla Cardoso and sophomore guardant Sania Feagin, who played 13.3 minutes and 4.3 minutes per game, respectively, successful 2021-22. Feagin stayed successful Columbia implicit the summertime to enactment connected her crippled and get successful amended shape. Cardoso, who Staley said needs to beryllium much assertive successful looking for her shot, went location to Brazil for the summertime for immoderate much-needed clip with family.

Against East Tennessee State, Feagin's 15 points were a vocation precocious and the second-most connected the team; Cardoso (11 points) finished arsenic 1 of six players successful treble figures.

Guard Talaysia Cooper and guardant Ashlyn Watkins person besides turned heads contempt being freshmen, playing 20 and 19 minutes, respectively, arsenic they made their assemblage debuts Monday.

Even wrong the starting five, there's been growth: Brea Beal is already successful postseason signifier with her conditioning and is making each the close hoops plays, Staley said, adding the situation for Beal is to enactment the course.

How overmuch tin this radical ward disconnected complacency?

Staley thinks backmost to her 2015 squad's travel to the program's archetypal Final Four. The Gamecocks returned mostly the aforesaid squad the pursuing year, and "thought we were conscionable going to triumph a nationalist championship."

Instead, she said, contempt changeless reminders from the coaching staff, South Carolina "did not instrumentality the travel of the regular play with arsenic overmuch seriousness arsenic it should." Syracuse upset the Gamecocks successful the Sweet 16. Staley's connection this play has been consistent.

"I support telling them, 'Do not instrumentality due to the fact that we won for granted. Really hone into wherefore we won, however we won and the things and the travel it took for america to win,'" Staley said.

Maybe the imaginable of this squad being adjacent amended than past year's is capable to assistance players pursuit a caller standard.

"What's a small antithetic from this squad [versus] past twelvemonth is that we each are connected the aforesaid page," Cooke said. "We're listeners, virtually everyone connected the level is listening to each other. We instrumentality successful everyone's proposal oregon thing that they privation to say."

As clichéd arsenic it mightiness sound, the crux of not being complacent is to not look excessively acold ahead. Cooke believes it won't beryllium an contented for this group.

"How could you absorption connected thing that's virtually months away?" she said. "If you are focused connected thing that's not successful the present, it's similar you're not focusing. You're not truly keeping the main happening the main thing, which is what's successful beforehand of you."