BIRMINGHAM, Ala. − Friday night's Sweet 16 game might have been a challenge for defending champion South Carolina women's basketball but it wasn't for assistant coach Khadijah Sessions.An intense environment, two teams battling for a spot in the Elite Eight and a game that had constant lead changes.
As a South Carolina player and star guard for Dawn Staley from 2012-16, she's experienced all aspects of a March Madness. So as the No. 1 seed Gamecocks (33-3) beat No.
4 Maryland 71-67, Sessions knew when to yell and when not to, when to push and when to pull."It's a trust thing," Sessions said. "If you can tell them and show them, they have to believe you.
Being a player for coach Staley makes it easier for me to relate to them. I went to the Final Four, I was No. 1 in the country, we won the SEC, it's easy for them to believe in me because I've done it, I've lived it.
"As South Carolina faces No. 2 Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday (1 p.m.
, ABC) it does so with Sessions on the bench, as the program's inspiration for what succeeding in Staley's system looks like.Prior to her arrival on staff in July 2023, Sessions dove into coaching after playing overseas in Finland, working in both AAU and high school basketball programs. When she started with the Gamecocks, Sessions began putting out feelers to gain trust according to redshirt freshman Adhel Tac.
She showed interest in players' lives off the court, taking the time to understand their habits, how they tick, what makes them gro.
