Over the weekend the best players in women's basketball were on South Carolina's campus for Team USA's training camp. But the head coach, Dawn Staley, may have been the brightest star.
She's been around the game her whole life. Dawn is not only a highly decorated player and successful basketball coach but a hall of famer
To have that kind of coach leading Team USA was a special experience for the players. Having played and won in the Olympics Dawn has a special connection with these players that other coaches may not have.
"I played with Dawn so I know her well through that. I know her as a player and now as a coach you're seeing the same things," 4-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird said. Bird was on Dawn's team in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens.
"I think if anyone knows what USA basketball is all about, what it means to be a part of that team, a part of that culture, it's Dawn," Bird added.
Some of the players at Team USA's training camp, who are highly regarded in their own right, are thrilled to see Dawn lead Team USA as the head coach.
2016 Olympic Gold medalist Elena Delle Donne said, "I idolized Dawn so having her as a coach is really special and I just feel like I'm just trying to take in everything she says-not just Xs and Os but the mentality side as well. I keep looking forward to times when I get to just study under her."
"She's got that laid back competitiveness going on so it's fun to be around her in this head coaching dynamic," Minnesota Lynx guard Maya Moore said. "I've been around her as an assistant but having her as a head coach is fun too."
These current stars watched Dawn play growing up. Is there any added pressure to perform under a person who was probably on your wall as kid?
"It's always an advantage when your players want ot play for the coach and so I think you have that here with Dawn stepping in," Moore said. Moore is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. "We want to make sure we make her look good, we make her proud and that her first experience with us as players as head coach is a positive one."
Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi is one of the most recognizable faces in basketball. The 4-time gold medalist and Dawn's Athens teammate, thinks Dawn's presence in the USA program adds to her legacy and more importantly the growth of the women's game.
"This is the next evolution of women's basketball is keeping the legends of our game in the game in different ways. I think the NBA has been able to do that over decades of basketball and I think now we're starting to see that with Dawn where elite players and players in our league can transition into the coaching ranks and still be successful. I think Dawn has proven that to the highest level," Taurasi said.
The USA basketball committee will put together the best team to win gold in 2020 and Dallas Wings point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith believes Team USA has the head coach that can put them back on top of the podium.
"You know I like that atmosphere she creates in practice. It's been great to learn from all the coaches here that she has and obviously you see her success at every level. Everything she touches turns to gold."
Gold is the goal for Dawn and Team USA in Tokyo's 2020 Olympic games. For the hopefuls who participated in the training camp over the weekend at the Carolina Coliseum; playing for Dawn would be right up there with representing their country.