March might still be months away, but the wheels are already turning. South Carolina is once again the favorite to win the SEC women’s basketball title in 2026, and Texas star Madison Booker has been picked as the Preseason Player of the Year. The votes came in from a panel of SEC and national media members. But if there’s one thing we know about Dawn Staley, it’s that she doesn’t get caught up in predictions. Even when her team’s on top, she’s already scanning for cracks, thinking about what could be sharper, cleaner, stronger. Satisfaction isn’t her language, not until it’s all done her way and all the way.

So, she’s got an urgent message to share that might set the tone for an entire season. It comes as the Gamecocks prepare for the season with an injury-riddled roster. Both senior bigs, Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts, are out for the season. Watkins is sitting out to recover from her January ACL tear, and Kitts has recently suffered her own ACL tear, leaving the Gamecocks’ frontcourt a lot emptier. So, a heads-up is pretty much needed, and Staley knows it.

“They’re probably a little too nice… so we need to add a little nasty to that,” she said recently, according to Julia Westerman. Simply put, Staley wants more nasty than nice from her players. Reminds you of Leo Durocher’s “nice guys finish last,” doesn’t it? And honestly, this isn’t the first time Staley has emphasized this. 

In fact, she’s been all about this motto since 2021. “In one of our timeouts during our quarterfinal game against Alabama – we had a 27-point lead and Alabama had cut it to 7 – I’m just like, ‘If you think nice people can win a national championship, you’re crazy. You can’t even win the SEC championship playing the way we are playing’“, she had said after her players agreed that nice people can win championships.

Now, you might think that it’s too early for her to say stuff like this. However, as hinted at earlier, there is no such thing as “too early”. And Staley had answered such a question in 2021 as well. “You just don’t get rid of niceness over a weekend. Nastiness is a lifestyle, really; nice, nasty, that balance of doing it that way,” Staley had said. So, she’s preparing her players, again, before it’s too late.

Those injuries add that urgency, especially that of Kitts’. After all, she is the third-leading scorer, leading rebounder, third in assists, and second at the free-throw line. Hence, other players need to elevate their games to compensate for the loss of senior players by doing their extra bit. “I just really need them to be themselves… Chloe is irreplaceable for what she brings so tangibly and intangibly. It’s not like we’re going to ask somebody to be Chloe because that’s impossible,” Staley said in an interview with 247 Sports.

South Carolina, however, seems to have figured out much already. According to Staley, Maryam Dauda is “playing extremely well” at the four position, while Adhel Tac has “improved” too. But the task of filling a Kitts-sized gap will fall majorly in Joyce Edwards’ lap. 

“Joyce is Joyce… Joyce is going to probably take the brunt of it because she’s just got more playing experience under us. The same conversations I’m having with Joyce, with or without Chloe, I’m having,” Staley added. As a sophomore, Edwards was the team’s leader with 12.7 points while adding five rebounds per game.

And while Edwards is giving her all to replace Kitts’ 7.7 rpg, even she knows it all too well: “You can never replace Chloe… I hope she has a speedy recovery. It’s not just up to me to step up for the team, it’s a team thing to step up to try to replace her production, her effort, her rebounding, and so many things that she brings to the table,” Edwards said.

And yes, just like the entire UConn has to step up to deal with Paige Bueckers’ absence, the entire Gamecocks team will have to step up to deal with Kitts’. That is, if they want to avoid a fate similar to last season.

How Gamecocks Can Play an Unseen Battle on Court

Ever since taking the helm as South Carolina’s head coach, Staley has ensured to fuel her players-not just with skills but also with mental toughness. There’s a reason behind it: this skill helps her squad win against competitive opponents in crucial games. Don’t believe it? Just rewind to South Carolina’s 67-50 win against Texas last year.

The Gamecocks were at a 16-1 record. Up by 18-9 after one quarter, they still lost the battle on the boards, 17-9. But then they rallied for a comeback and grabbed 42 rebounds compared to 40 for Texas. And that’s how South Carolina added the win.

“Thought South Carolina was much tougher, much more aggressive, and much more disciplined,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said about the opponent back then. “They were who I thought they were. I’ve been here enough… their teams are always very tough; their competitive spirit just oozes in the arena… toughness isn’t just physical, it’s the mental piece… when I think of South Carolina I always think of their defense… that’s a credit to Dawn and her staff.”

Now, while they didn’t win it all, that’s the kind of team Staley led last season. For this squad, adding more responsibilities to their roles is expected to replicate the same effect. But the question is: will they be able to do what’s asked of them? Yes, if they come together, as said earlier. 

Well, South Carolina has plenty of pieces that can make a difference this season. Tessa Johnson, a strong presence on the boards and a natural leader, is one of those players who can steady the team when it matters most. In fact, the entire backcourt would have to show what they have if the Gamecocks are aiming for their 10th SEC regular-season and tournament title.

Enter newcomer Ta’Niya Latson. The senior guard led the nation in scoring at Florida State last season, and her ability to put up points consistently gives South Carolina a level of backcourt firepower they haven’t often had. Pair Latson’s scoring with the court vision and playmaking of senior Raven Johnson, the sharp shooting of Johnson, and the potential breakout from second-year player Maddy McDaniel, and suddenly the Gamecocks might have a new way to dominate.

But it will fall upon Staley a lot to make this work. Again, to pull her own 2021 quotes, “As coaches, we have to pull that out of them, or else they’re just going to be comfortably in their skin. That’s not the way the world works, because more times than not, nice people finish, maybe not last place, but surely not first place.”