Dawn Staley does not take kindly to losing. After their deflating overtime loss against an Oklahoma team that was on a losing streak, Staley had a simple reason behind the result. “We ran into a team that actually wanted to win more,” Staley said. “They made winning plays, we didn’t. It’s not really rocket science, it’s really a simplistic thing.” Yet if there’s one thing Staley’s teams are known for, it’s responding with purpose, and Vanderbilt felt the full force of that reset.

Staley hadn’t lost back-to-back games since 2019, and she was not starting now. The Gamecocks took care of No.4 Vanderbilt 103-74, who were unbeaten coming into the game. According to ESPN, that is the largest victory margin against an AP top 5 team in the poll era. However, it was not as easy as the scoreline suggests. First of all, Staley changed up her lineup. Madina Okot was benched as she gave guard Agot Makeer the start. Staley later explained that it was inspired by the same strategy she used for A’ja Wilson.

“I know she felt better that she wasn’t in at the beginning of the game, and she could see how they were playing, what they might do, and get her mind ready to play it, and sometimes that’s all some players need is a different look at it. We did that,” Staley started. Okot was ineffective against Oklahoma, scoring 6 points and getting 4 rebounds while going 3-9 from the field and committing 3 turnovers. This time around, she poured in 17 points and 7 rebounds from the bench.

“We did that with A’ja Wilson. A’ja Wilson started her first game, a collegiate game, and you could see the pressure to perform, and you saw her wilt to that pressure, and then when we made the change to bring her off the bench,” Staley further said. “I mean, the entire crowd anticipated A’ja anticipated coming in and just doing all the things that she would normally do if she were a starter. So, we just kind of took a page out of that book to make sure Madina gives us something.”

Wilson started that first game and shot just 2-for-7, committing three turnovers in 16 minutes. Staley has already told this story publicly, to ease some pressure off the talented freshman, Wilson was moved to the bench. “I was like, ‘Good, with my freshman behind, I don’t know what I’m getting myself into anyway,” Wilson has recalled with a laugh. “It allowed me to understand my role as a person, as a player, and how to adjust.” 

Comparatively, there is less attention coming off the bench than there is starting. It allowed Wilson and now Okot play their natural game. It also implored them to understand the dynamic of a game from the outside and then fit in. The mental preparation can also make things easier. As everyone knows, Wilson went on to earn the SEC Freshman of the Year and made the All-SEC first team. 

Clearly, the method is tried and tested. As long as players can swallow their ego, Staley will continue trying to improve their output. That applies to her team as well. Adapting to the opponent even before the game starts is what makes a contender. And Staley made a change in her strategy to surprise the Commodores. 

Dawn Staley Unleashes Tactical Shake-Up to Shred Vanderbilt’s Defense

Just changing the starting lineup was not going to work. Dawn Staley needed a creative method to outmaneuver Shea Ralph and Vanderbilt. They had dominated until this game, including teams like LSU and Michigan. The Commodores had the momentum. To change things up, the four-guard one-big starting lineup needed a strategic tweak. 

“We’re a team that, prior to today, we’ve been really aggressive, one-pass shots, keeping the ball on one side of the floor,” Staley said. “So we wanted to be a little bit more patient and get ball reversals. Once we got ball reversals, I thought we got clean looks. We really concentrated on that, and it was whether it was Raven or Maddie, they were going to execute that part of the game.”

With Makeer in and Okot out, the size of the lineup came down. Its implication was to improve their perimeter defense and prevent Vanderbilt from showering threes like they normally do. For context, Vanderbilt entered the game shooting 9.8 threes per game, which was the 5th most in the country. 

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At the same time, the smaller lineup was a disadvantage on the offense as Dawn Staley relies on paint points (70.5% 2 pointers). Staley maintained that strategy, scoring 56 points in the paint. But instead of relying on size, it was the ball movement that gave them the open looks. With this change in strategy, Vanderbilt had little chance, as they gave up 103 points, which is 19 more than they had ever allowed in any game all season. It was a masterclass in coaching from Dawn Staley.