“She’s not resisting it, she’s welcoming it”: Dawn Staley appreciates MiLaysia Fulwiley’s attitude towards learning from South Carolina HC.

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Even though Dawn Staley realizes that the flash and creativity in MiLaysia Fulwiley’s game make her unique, she has demanded more discipline out of her guard this season. It is one of the reasons that the sophomore is averaging less court time than her freshman year this season.

However, Staley believes the inconsistency is part of Fulwiley’s learning process. In the Dec. 23 story by Greeville News’ Lulu Kesin, Staley said she simply wants the guard to understand the balance between flash and fundamentals. She also revealed that Fulwiley is welcoming the change in her approach to the game.

“You have to understand when and she’s getting to know that process,” Staley said. “I don’t expect her to understand it every play every game, I just want her aware of it … She’s not resisting it, she’s welcoming it because she wants more for herself … it’s never been about ‘don’t do this’ it’s about ‘add this,’ and just complimenting what she already brings to the table.”

Dawn Staley reasoned that once MiLaysia Fulwiley sharpens the fundamental side of her game, she will have something dependable to fall back on when her “flash isn’t working.” By doing so, Fulwiley can not only produce numbers with ease but also be able to do it consistently.

Dawn Staley highlighted MiLaysia Fulwiley’s growth after the win against Duke

MiLaysia Fulwiley has had a stop-start 2024-25 season. She had a similar outing against Duke earlier this month, where she posted three points on 1 of 7 shooting in 15 minutes of action. However, Dawn Staley was impressed by the guard’s only field goal, which came in the final seconds of the third quarter.

Staley appreciated the sophomore’s decision to leverage her speed and athleticism to get to the rack.

“It is that particular play, the way she scored on that play is what we need from her,” Staley said (6:10). “She can still do what she does but we need more of those fundamental straight-line drives where she’s utilizing her skill set and her superpower – her speed, her jumping ability. I mean that is like pitch perfect.”

In the next game, Fulwiley scored 20 points on over 50% shooting in 21 minutes, helping the Gamecocks outduel No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs.