South Carolina coach Dawn Staley on playing in Birmingham: ‘it really felt welcoming’

If there’s an opportunity to return to Birmingham for March Madness, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley made it clear she wants to take it.

Staley helped lead South Carolina’s women to a 54-50 victory over Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Birmingham, advancing to her fifth straight Final Four with the Gamecocks.

Following the victory when addressing the crowd, she thanked Birmingham for the fans that came to support and said that if the city were to get another bid, she hoped to be back at Legacy Arena in the future with her team.

She also made sure to thank the city during her opening comments in the ensuing news conference.

“First, I just want to thank the Birmingham region and all the people that poured into this regional site,” she said. “Everybody felt welcome, from our hotel to just walking around the street, to being in this arena.

“It really felt welcoming to our game.”

Birmingham will wrap up its time hosting NCAA tournament games this season when TCU faces Texas on Monday night.

Tipoff for the matchup against the two Texas schools is set for 6 p.m. at Legacy Arena.