South Carolina, UConn celebrate NCAA championships at White House

WASHINGTON — The South Carolina women’s basketball team has won three national championships under coach Dawn Staley, but Tuesday marked its first celebratory trip to the White House.

Five months after beating Iowa in the title game, Staley and the Gamecocks came to Washington to be feted by President Joe Biden, who praised the coach’s leadership and spoke glowingly about the grit they showed en route to a perfect 38-0 record.

‘You had to replace five starters due to the WNBA draft and graduation. There were doubts all over about contending for the title this year,’ Biden said. ‘But for the record, and this is God’s truth: I picked you to win. I won a lot of money − no, that’s a joke.’

Biden entered and exited the East Room accompanied by Staley, who recently attended the 2024 Paris Olympics as a member of the United States’ official presidential delegation, which was led by First Lady Jill Biden. The president said he knows why South Carolina has become a women’s basketball powerhouse, and it’s because ‘you’ve got a girl from Philly running this team.’ (The First Lady also grew up in the Philadelphia area.)

Biden then turned the microphone over to Staley, who said the moment ‘is not lost on me.’ Staley declined to visit the White House after the Gamecocks won their first national championship in 2017, during the early stages of Donald Trump’s presidency. They also did not celebrate their 2022 title in Washington due to apparent scheduling issues.

Staley called Tuesday’s visit ‘a teachable moment for my team’ and referenced a 2015 decision to remove the confederate flag – ‘a symbol that represented division and exclusion’ – from outside South Carolina’s state capitol.

‘That moment wasn’t just about a symbol being removed. It was about people coming together, uniting for a shared vision of progress, justice and equality,’ Staley said. ‘Today, my staff, my team and I stand here embodying diversity, inclusiveness and unity. My hope is that this moment lands on you, as my team, as a powerful reminder of the beauty that can come from unifying for a common goal and doing things the right way.’

After a round of applause, Biden returned to the microphone.

‘All those of you who hold public office in South Carolina: You better hope she keeps coaching and doesn’t run,’ he said, to laughter.

The Gamecocks will open their season Nov. 4.

Biden to UConn men: ‘I won’t be here next year, but you may be’

Hours after celebrating the South Carolina women, Biden also welcomed Connecticut − the reigning men’s basketball champions − to the White House for the second consecutive year.

‘Let me be the first to say welcome back,’ Biden said, to applause. ‘I won’t be here next year, but you may be.’

The Huskies won a second consecutive title by going 37-3 and turning in a dominant performance in the NCAA tournament, outscoring opponents by an average of 23 points across six tournament games.

‘I thought this would be easier in Year 2 − ‘oh man, I’ve been to the White House before.’ This is scary as (expletive),’ coach Dan Hurley said during a speech in the East Room. ‘Stick to the script? Alright.’

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.