Oct. 22, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and seniors Demetress Adams and Brionna Dickerson traveled to Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday for SEC Basketball Media Day. The trio spent the morning talking with media from around the league about the Gamecocks’ upcoming season.

Below are selected quotes from those conversations.

Head Coach Dawn Staley

“I think we are off to a good start with a great coaching staff. We are going to be a blue-collar type of team that will have to really out-work people in order to get the win.”

“I do think that being an accomplished player helps in getting through to the team because it gives a visual and an intangible where I can see things and lead by example. It also helps in the discipline because all of the things I am putting the players through, I already went through, on a certain level.”

“At this stage, because I just retired and haven’t really been able to reflect on what I accomplished as a player, I do get more satisfaction from helping young people see things a little bit differently and seeing those youngsters use what they’ve learned from basketball to branch out in the real world and I think that is the ultimate. Of course you want to win basketball game and championships but putting the person on the right path and help them be successful is what it’s all about.”

Demetress Adams * Senior * Forward

“There are only three seniors this year. I have seen my role increase as a leader since the beginning of this season. We have to be teammates that are almost like player-managers because we do have a lot of younger players.”

“Intensity is going to be a big difference between this year’s and last year’s team. I was always ready for change and able to adjust. Coach Staley and her staff have made the transition easy for everyone.”

Brionna Dickerson * Senior * Guard

“The transition has been an interesting one. We’re excited to have her. She has a lot of experience where all of us want to go-the WNBA. She’s a great coach with a lot to offer. She’s a fireball. We love her and we’re transitioning well with her.”

“We’re up-and-coming. We’re an underdog team. We’re going to show people that we are going to be pretty good this year. We have a lot of incoming players and good talent coming back from last year and we’re working on getting on the same page.”