Dawn Staley Shares Emotional Message to Three Former South Carolina Stars

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Steph Dwilson | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 3:33 PM ET

South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley has a strong history of coaching winners who go one to have exciting careers in the WNBA. On June 29, she shared an emotional message about her former players.

Staley posed in a picture with Laeticia Amihere, Bree Hall, and Zia Cooke after the Golden State Valkyries faced off against the Seattle Storm. The Valkyries won a decisive victory against the Storm 84 to 57. Hall and Amihere both play with the Valkyries, and Cooke plays with the Storm.

"This makes my heart full!" Staley posted alongside her photo. "@GamecockWBB make us proud….. @_Theblackqueen_ @breezyhalll @ZiaCooke love you ladies!!!"

Hall had initially been drafted by the Indiana Fever, where she spent the preseason and played for 16 minutes against the Brazilian National Team in May. After she was let go by the Fever, the Valkyries announced that they had signed her.

Hall was part of first group of Gamecocks to win two National Championships (2022 and 2024).

Amihere was signed to the Valkyries just about 10 days before Hall. The Valkyries announced the news on June 8, and said her first game with them would be against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 9.

Amihere was a star forward for the Gamecocks, helping the team to three SEC regular season championships, three SEC tournament titles and three NCAA Final Four appearances.

Cooke helped the Gamecocks reach the Final Four in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She was drafted by the Sparks in 2023 and played 39 games. She only played 29 games in her second season with the sparks. The Storm signed her for the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: