CHARLOTTE — The Panthers had a special guest speaker address their team meeting Friday afternoon, one with plenty of championship experience.
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley was in the house and talked to Panthers players and coaches about what it takes to reach a high standard.
And she knows, because she has set one.
She's in two Halls of Fame (Basketball, and Women's Basketball), she's won three national titles at South Carolina (2017, 2022, 2024), has been named national coach of the year four times, in addition to her full resume as a player, which includes three Olympic gold medals, six All-Star teams in the WNBA where she starred for the Charlotte Sting, and two national player of the year awards from her days at Virginia.
Plus, there's a statue of her cutting down nets in Columbia, S.C.
So, yeah, she knows of which she speaks.
"That was special," Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn, one of the five former Gamecocks on the Panthers roster, said. "She created a powerhouse at South Carolina, just the culture they created and how serious they were."
And Horn would know. His girlfriend, Brea Beal, was a member of the 2022 South Carolina title team, so he's heard plenty of stories.
"I've heard my girlfriend talk about it, just the standard she talked about that she held them to," Horn said. "It's contagious, and I feel like that's why they're so dominant as a program."
Staley talked to players and coaches, got an autographed jersey from quarterback Bryce Young, and drained a few shots on the hoop they keep in the meeting room to break ties in team competitions.
With the resume she walked in the door with, it made quite an impression.
"Yeah, she's got some swag to her for sure," Horn said.
Check out photos from the Panthers training camp practice on Friday.
