10 minutes ago: Dawn Staley, head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball, broke her silence with a fiery statement defending Tessa Johnson:..

10 minutes ago: Dawn Staley, head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball, broke her silence with a fiery statement defending Tessa Johnson:

“What’s happening to her is a crime against basketball — a blatant betrayal of everything this sport stands for. How can people be so cruel? Criticizing a 20-year-old young woman who has carried this entire team on her back, shows up every single week, gives everything she has, never asks for attention, never blames anyone —

she just tries to win for her team. To me, Tessa Johnson is one of the greatest young players this league has ever seen — and instead of tearing her down every time the team struggles, people should be standing behind her.”