After having four straight wins into the season, Dawn Staley’s squad is gearing up to play against Clemson on Wednesday. But the injury troubles seem to have stuck early with the Gamecocks as their sophomore guard Tessa Johnson injured her ankle in a 71-57 win over NC State. She has missed both the games since then, leaving her presence for the next game in doubt. However, Coach Dawn Staley cleared the air with her swift NBA-inspired move during the Gamecocks women’s basketball practice today.

While giving an on-court interview at the gym, Staley was asked about Tessa Johnson’s status for the upcoming game. So, Staley decided to directly reach the source and popped the question, “Tessa, What’s your status for tomorrow?” to which Johnson replied, “I’m playing,” and then Staley turned to the reporters and said, “There you go,” and burst into a quick laugh after that.

In the season opener, Johnson posted a 15-point game including 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 three-point shots. After reportedly spraining her ankle, the guard sat out the next game in recovery and the other for “just an extra day of rest.” She has been in practice since before their game against Coppin State but Staley probably wanted to ensure a complete recovery before she set back on the journey. Now that she has confirmed to be back, what other injury report announcement does this remind of?

Dawn Staley taking notes from the NBA

Hilariously, her classic move drew its inspiration from a 2-year-old NBA news report. Turns out, the Denver Nuggets announcer Scott Hastings was answering questions from a reporter sitting in the studio when she asked about JayMychal Green’s status for the Nuggets’ then-upcoming game.

As a result, he stopped JayMychal Green during his shoot-around to ask if he was playing. He just turned around and shouted, “Hey JayMychal, you playing?” to which Green replied, “No.” Hastings then turned to the camera and said, “Nah, he is not playing.” This brief conversation turned hilarious and Hastings didn’t shy away from adding, “That’s how you do it. Oh, you gotta wait for all these letters and stuff to come out. Just asked the dude and he said he wasn’t playing.”

NBA was one of the places where Dawn Staley envisioned herself playing when she grew up. But if you ask her now, she has no interest in coaching in the men’s league. She might carry a few moments in memory from there, but the HC is all about taking her Gamecocks to the championships and keeping the spirits high. Having maintained a 42-win streak, the program next heads against Clemson on Wednesday night.