We often see teams struggle when their roster isn’t deep. Injuries, fatigue, or just lack of talent can make coaches pull their hair out. But even having too much talent can lead to unexpected headaches. That’s exactly what Dawn Staley, head coach of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team, is dealing with. She’s got too many good players, and managing everyone’s minutes has become a whole new kind of challenge. Who knew?

After the Gamecocks’ 78-62 win over South Florida, the coach opened up about how tough it is to distribute minutes fairly when her roster is stacked. “We play consistently 10, which is hard, right? We got 13, so the three other players that don’t play, you know, they’re sitting, they just sat for 38 minutes,” she explained. 

“And then we put them in, and our expectation is, you know, you don’t give up any points and you push the lead forward,” she added. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Staley pointed out how hard it is for players who are benched for most of the game to come in cold and deliver at a high level. 

But it’s also tough for the players who are getting minutes. “If someone’s got it going on, more times than not, we’re going to play them till the cows come home,” the HC said. And when that happens? Someone else’s minutes shrink. Chloe Kitts, for example. In today’s game, Staley noticed she’d only played six minutes in the first half. 

“I’m like, I got to get her minutes back.” So she made sure Chloe got more run in the third quarter, while another player, Joyce Edwards, got slightly fewer. “You really have to explain to young people that that’s how it is. Or else they’ll think, ‘I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do. I’m playing bad.’ And that’s the furthest thing from it,” she added.

The coach also shared how Breezy (Bree Hall) had been averaging around 15-16 minutes recently. She even had a candid moment with her player, asking how she felt about her playing time. Breezy, always the team player, said she was fine, though she admitted she wasn’t playing as much as usual. 

Staley reassured her, saying it wasn’t about anything Breezy was doing wrong but more about “what her competitors are doing.” In other words, the roster depth creates healthy competition, but it’s not easy for anyone involved. And it’s not like these players don’t deliver when called upon. South Carolina cruised to another home win—its 63rd straight—behind contributions from all over the roster. 

Edwards led the way with 15 points, a career-high for the freshman. Ashlyn Watkins chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. The Gamecocks started hot, racing out to an 18-4 lead thanks to early 3-pointers from Hall and Te-Hina Paopao.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. South Florida hung around and even beat South Carolina on the offensive boards, finishing with a 17-12 advantage. Staley has seen this trend before, and she knows her team can’t afford to slip defensively. That means staying disciplined on defense and not letting the flashy offensive plays take over.

Dawn Staley calls out ‘crowd-pleasing’ as Gamecocks fight consistency issues

Dawn Staley also has to keep her team from falling into another trap: playing to please the crowd. In the post-game presser, she admitted her players sometimes lose focus and prioritize showy offensive plays over sound defense. “They fall victim to just the crowd, pleasing the crowd,” Staley said. “Just offensively, they get really up for making baskets.”

She described the cycle of inconsistency her team struggles with. One moment, they’re playing their absolute best, like in their dominant win over TCU. The next? They take their foot off the gas and backslide. “You get greedy, you think they have it, like this is it, this is how we’re going to play. And then you backslide a little bit,” she explained. 

It’s a frustrating process, but Staley knows it’s her job to keep the team grounded and focused. The solution, according to Staley, is simple in theory but tough in practice: stay committed to defense. That’s where South Carolina has traditionally dominated, and it’s what has set them apart from other programs. 

But for all the challenges the Gamecocks is facing, it’s worth remembering they’re still 10-1 and ranked No. 2, just behind UCLA—the only team to beat them this season. Let’s see how they deal with these loopholes as they continue their hunt for another title.