The Olympic fever is slowly starting to sink in among basketball enthusiasts. The amount of support that the squad’s opening game garnered proves the massive support for Team USA who aims for an 8th consecutive gold at the event. Having said that, the team’s prolific scorer A’ja Wilson would be glad to find one of the familiar South Carolina faces among those in attendance. However, the esteemed gentleman made sure to have Dawn Staley some spotlight on the occasion.

It was a proud moment for the 4× WBCA National Coach of the Year when she was deemed worthy to be a part of the official U.S. presidential delegation alongside First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the Paris Olympics. And, her busy schedule was such that it eluded her presence in Team USA’s opening fixture against Japan. Nonetheless, the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille was graced with the presence of South Carolina’s Chief Revenue Officer Tyson Lusk. And, for him, it was essential his admiration for the Gamecocks boss was clearly visible.

At the game, Lusk chose to wear a tee flaunting Staley’s latest accomplishment of being the first coach to have a solo cover with the SLAM Magazine. Captioning it, “Had to rep the @dawnstaley at the @Olympics tonight!” he shared a post on X expressing his special gesture. Soon after, it caught Staley’s attention and she couldn’t help but convey her reaction.

She went on to comment, “TYSON! you look great! Thanks for standing in the gap for me @GamecockWBB”.

As it turns out, Tyson Lusk is not the only known associate donning such an attire. A few days back, Staley’s former protege A’ja Wilson had a similar idea before the Aces game against the Minnesota Lynx.

In the meantime, it appears that the 54-year-old thoroughly enjoyed Team USA’s opening exploits at the Olympics.

Dawn Staley thrilled over Team USA’s performance

Team USA’s 102-76 victory over Japan clearly knocked the socks off its head coach in Tokyo. In a series of tweets, she expresses her pride and elation over their emphatic outing. Watching the game in excitement, she shared her first post during the game which says, “Let’s freaking gooo!! #USABWNT”. 

In addition to this, Dawn Staley enjoyed the way A’ja Wilson stepped up. She was the top scorer with another international double-double comprising 24 points and 13 boards. Consequently, this evoked a reaction out of Staley captioned, “Throne her. @_ajawilson22.” Further, after witnessing Chelsea Gray’s 13 assists, she had some valuable advice for her as well. She wrote, “Chelsea Gray don’t you ever retire!”. 

Indeed, an eventful afternoon for everybody. As for Staley, she is clearly enjoying her time in Paris regardless of her attendance at the games. The USWNT face Belgium next, on the 2nd of August, and hopefully, the 2004 Olympic flag bearer, announces her presence loud.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And, join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.