The following newsletter was published Friday morning, prior to the announcement of Dawn Staley’s contract extension. To receive Scott’s newsletter every Friday, sign up here. I keep thinking there will eventually have to be a ho-hum season in the mix.

With her hometown Eagles in the playoffs, she had to represent them. Staley wore a sweet custom jacket that included an homage to Philadelphia legend Randall Cunningham. Of course, it was decked out in the Eagles’ throwback colors, including the throwback logo and a massive photo of the quarterback. You gotta see this because it’s so good.

South Carolina has won three of the past seven national championships in women’s Division I college basketball, including last year’s victory over the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes.

South Carolina women's basketball, Dawn Staley have the first of two meetings vs Texas, coach Vic Schaefer, on Sunday

Texas coach Vic Schaefer praised South Carolina women's basketball after loss to Gamecocks, Dawn Staley on Sunday.

No one would fault Staley for lobbying for a bigger piece of South Carolina’s revenue sharing pie. The Gamecocks have become a perennial contender under Staley in the last 17 years. The 400-plus wins and three NCAA national titles prove it.

After the South Carolina Gamecocks cruised to an easy 90-49 win against the Texas A&M Aggies on January 9, much of the discussion surrounding Dawn Staley's squad was the brutal five-game stretch against ranked teams they had on the horizon.

That’s how Texas head coach Vic Schaefer summed up his team’s experience against South Carolina in Sunday’s top-5 heavyweight matchup. USC won 67-50. “They were who I thought they were,” Schaefer said. “Their teams are always really, really tough. Their competitive spirit just oozes in the arena.”

COLUMBIA — Roughly 24 hours after coach Dawn Staley said only time will tell how South Carolina women's basketball reacts to not having Ashlyn Watkins, the Gamecocks defeated Texas A&M 90-49.

Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks squad won its 10th consecutive game on Thursday when they dominated the Texas A&M Aggies by a score of 90-49. Per usual,

South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley got exactly what she wanted without Ashlyn Watkins. Every player played true to themselves.

Staley's extension comes with a starting annual salary of $4 million, dethroning LSU's Kim Mulkey for the richest contract in NCAA women's basketball.