South Carolina women’s basketball has played plenty of exhibitions under Dawn Staley.
Sunday will be different.
The Gamecocks will step onto a basketball court at Credit One Stadium in Charleston for an exhibition against the College of Charleston, giving the team its first experience playing basketball outdoors.
The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday as part of the LinkU Invitational.
For South Carolina, the result will matter far less than what Staley can learn from the experience.
This is an exhibition, but it is also an environment the Gamecocks cannot completely recreate during practice.
Here are five things worth watching.
1. How comfortable will South Carolina look from the perimeter?
Shooting is always one of the easiest things to watch during an exhibition.
Sunday adds another layer.
The Gamecocks will be playing outside rather than inside a controlled arena, making their perimeter shooting one of the more interesting parts of the afternoon.
Tessa Johnson gives South Carolina an obvious player to watch in that area.
She shot 43% from three-point range last season, giving the Gamecocks a proven perimeter option entering the new season.
The question Sunday isn’t whether Johnson can shoot.
It is whether South Carolina’s perimeter offense looks comfortable in an environment none of these players have experienced in a Gamecocks uniform.
That distinction matters.
An exhibition gives a coaching staff information about its offense.
This particular exhibition can also show how that offense functions when the surroundings are completely different.
2. Who looks comfortable when the surroundings aren’t familiar?
The outdoor court creates a different challenge for every player.
Veterans have experience playing in big arenas.
They have played in front of large crowds.
They have played in hostile environments.
But playing a college basketball game outdoors is something else.
That makes Sunday particularly interesting for South Carolina’s newcomers.
The Gamecocks have a 15-player roster this season, giving Staley considerable depth while several players continue working through different stages of their returns from injury.
A player doesn’t have to score 20 points to stand out Sunday.
Sometimes the more revealing performance will be the player who looks completely comfortable despite the unusual setting.
3. Joyce Edwards gives South Carolina another way to attack the game
If the outside shooting becomes difficult, South Carolina has another obvious offensive option.
Joyce Edwards enters the season as the team’s leading returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 19.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season.
That makes her role worth watching for a different reason.
An outdoor exhibition could provide an early look at whether South Carolina can establish its interior game before relying heavily on perimeter offense.
Edwards also gives Staley a player who can influence the game without depending entirely on three-point shooting.
Rebounding, physicality and getting the ball inside could become especially important if the Gamecocks aren’t immediately comfortable shooting from outside.
4. The newcomers are getting an unusual introduction to South Carolina basketball
For a newcomer, the first exhibition is normally about adjusting to the system.
Sunday adds something else.
The players are adjusting to South Carolina basketball while also playing in an environment that is completely different from a normal college arena.
That makes players such as Jordan Lee and Brooke Quarles-Daniels worth watching.
Both transfers are entering a South Carolina program with significant expectations, while freshmen such as Jerzy Robinson are beginning their college careers.
Robinson was a full participant during the portion of practice open to media earlier this week, although she was wearing a brace on her right knee.
The exhibition should give fans their first opportunity to see how the newcomers fit into Staley’s rotation in an actual game setting.
But the more interesting question may be how quickly they look like they belong.
5. Dawn Staley gets information that a normal exhibition cannot provide
This may ultimately be the biggest reason to watch Sunday.
South Carolina doesn’t need an exhibition to prove that it can beat College of Charleston.
The Gamecocks need information.
Staley has already talked about managing the team’s health carefully, particularly with players returning from injuries.
Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts are both working their way back from ACL injuries, while Joyce Edwards and the rest of the roster give South Carolina enough depth to avoid rushing players back simply because an exhibition is on the schedule.
That makes Sunday’s game more about evaluation than a final product.
Staley can evaluate rotations.
She can evaluate communication.
She can evaluate the newcomers.
She can see how the team responds to an unusual setting.
And she can get an early indication of which players are ready for bigger roles when the regular season arrives.
The real test isn’t the scoreboard
South Carolina’s outdoor debut is unusual enough that the final score may not tell the whole story.
The more useful questions will be smaller ones.
Who looks comfortable?
Who communicates?
Who rebounds?
Who handles the unfamiliar surroundings?
Who shoots confidently?
Who earns more time on the floor?
And perhaps most importantly, does South Carolina’s identity look the same when the Gamecocks aren’t playing inside their usual environment?
Sunday’s exhibition against College of Charleston will answer some of those questions.
The answers could be more useful to Staley than the final score.
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