Dawn Staley has jokes!
Dawn Staley might have a future in stand-up comedy when she's finished coaching basketball.
Staley's South Carolina team, ranked first in the nation, defeated no. 9-ranked LSU 76–70 in front of a raucous Tigers crowd at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night.
LSU fans made their feelings towards the Gamecocks known throughout the night, booing both Staley and the players. When asked about the negative reception, Staley took the comedic route, cracking a joke that left reporters chuckling.
A reporter prefaced a question to Staley by commenting that the LSU crowd "wasn't very friendly," to which the South Carolina coach responded that they were, in fact, friendly, and were calling her "boo," per The Sporting News.
Reporter: "(The crowd wasn't) very friendly to you."
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 26, 2024
Dawn Staley: "Actually they were. They were calling me boo."@dawnstaley ???? pic.twitter.com/w5IHibubYf
Now that's how you turn boos around, by flipping them into a term of endearment. This is a perfect response by Staley, who has every reason to be in a good mood after the Gamecocks kept their perfect record unblemished with the win over LSU.
And Tigers fans had every reason to want to boo Staley and South Carolina after their team squandered an 11-point lead in the first half.
