Lady Gamecocks Have Changed People’s Perspective

Oh how the world has changed. Not that long ago you couldn’t even get people interested. Now if you live in Columbia and you’re on Twitter or watch the local news it’s everywhere every day.  The Lady Gamecocks have made women’s basketball important to people.

Yes you heard me right, I said women’s basketball.  A sport that just a few years ago was barely recognized bypeople while today there are four buses of fans making the trip with the Lady Gamecocks to Athens where they will cheer the team on against Georgia.

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Ask 50 people on the streets of Columbia who the previous head coach of the team was and I doubt even one would know.  But ask those same 50 who the current coach is and my guess is up 80% of those would know that Dawn Staley is the current head coach.  Her and her players have created an entirely new culture of fans and interest in the team.  Some of the change is due to Staley and her team’s involvement in the community.  But an even bigger part of the new found interest is due to the team making a run in the NCAA tournament last year, then starting out this season 21-0 and being ranked #1 in the entire nation for the past two months.

The team is led by Staley along with last year’s superstar Tiffany Mitchell along with last year’s #1 high school recruit A’ja Wilson who has now been the SEC Freshman of the Week four times.  The team is very visible in the community and involved on Twitter as well.  Fans have become enamored with the coach and players, and love interacting with them, almost feeling like they are part of this #1 team.

Tonight, the Lady Gamecocks and their four buses of fans taken on the Georgia Bulldogs, who are 17-5 on the season and ranked in the top 25.  The game tonight tips off at 7pm and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.  Then Monday night in what may be one of the most anticipated college matchups of the year, they travel to take on the #2 Connecticut.  The Huskies are 21-1 so far, with their only loss coming back in the 4th game in an overtime game against Stanford.  The Huskies have also received eight #1 votes in the most recent women’s basketball poll.  That game will be on ESPN2 at 8pm Monday.

It’s already been an exciting season, but with these big games coming up, and the tournament only a month away, these Gamecocks are changing the way everyone looks at women’s basketball.