Jalen Brunson and Dawn Staley seem to have had a lifelong connection. However, on the court, the two are connected through their impeccable mark on the NCAA history. While Brunson is years separated from his Villanova Wildcats days, he is still remembered for his titles in 2016 and 2018. Moreover, Dawn has recently won her third championship as a coach, leading the South Carolina Gamecocks on the back of an undefeated record.

Now, as the basketball world unites to bestow praise on Dawn Staley’s coaching acumen, Jalen Brunson’s sister hints at the childhood days spent with the 53-year-old coach. Taking to her Instagram, Erica Brunson shared quite an old image of Jalen and herself alongside Dawn. With that, Erica simply tagged Jalen’s account to the post, while citing a goat emoji to congratulate Dawn.

As Jalen and Dawn continue to rise the ranks in their fields, there has been an influx in fans’ curiosity about whether the two have ever shared a tip or two. Till now, neither of the stars has had the opportunity to open up on their court time together. However, with Jalen Brunson’s father’s ties with the esteemed coach, chances are that Staley could have given Jalen and Erica a few tips. Brunson’s father, Rick Brunson, played for Temple Owls during 1991–1995, before transitioning to the NBA. While Dawn did not coach Rick directly, she remains connected to his alma mater through a coaching stint from 2000 to 2008.

Moreover, Jalen’s mother, Sandra, has a similar connection albeit while representing the university in Volleyball. Regardless, with Rick’s videos of coaching his son revolving around social media, the gap remains on the all-star’s coaching connection with the Gamecocks coach.

Dawn Staley’s record anchors the completion of a cycle against Iowa

Last year, Dawn Staley led the South Carolina team to an undefeated regular season record. However, their hopes were destroyed in the final 4, losing 73-77 to Iowa Hawkeyes. “I didn’t want what happened last year to happen this year,” she admitted the lingers of the past after the win.

The Gamecocks secured a 38-0 season run, defeating their past season executioners, the Hawkeyes, with an 87-75 win. “I had a little bit of PTSD,” as Dawn continued to touch on the previous season, global names like LeBron James and Barack Obama had high praise for the coach. “Protect Dawn Staley AT ALL COST!! No if, ands or buts! 🔒🫡,” James wrote on his X, while former President Barack Obama spoke about her stint anchoring a revolution within the women’s basketball world.

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She led a young and naive roster, having lost her 6 key players last year. While imbibing confidence in the unit, she paved the way for open communication, all while helping them on and off the court. Interestingly, her squad lacked a star player, unlike most teams. This forced the team to stay together throughout their run, often seeing bench players posting team-highs (Tessa Johnson’s 19 points in the finals).

With that, when talking about Brunson’s connection with Dawn, the concept of how they know each other remains. Nevertheless, if the two have not paired up to talk ball yet, then as her record radiates, there is a lot Brunson can learn from Dawn Staley. If not how to elevate his scoring, a lot about leading an inexperienced unit into the high-intensity and high-stakes matchups.

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