Staley, USC women’s basketball accepts invitation for White House visit
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - On Thursday, the South Carolina women’s basketball team accepted an invitation to visit the White House on September 10 at 11 am.
The visit comes after the women’s team won the national championship after a historic undefeated season, giving the Gamecocks their third ring in seven years.
This will be South Carolina’s first time visiting the White House; the team didn’t make the trip after winning in 2017 and 2022.
The team was invited to the White House in 2017 but never made the trip. Dawn Staley defended the decision, saying, “We did hear from the White House about attending tomorrow’s event. But we will not be able to attend. As I’ve been saying since our practices for this season started, all of our focus is on the season ahead. The only invitation we are thinking about is to the 2018 NCAA Tournament.”
Timing issues can be attributed to not visiting the White House in 2022, as the visit was planned in the midst of a postseason run to the Final Four.
Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has met with the Gamecocks as recently as February. Harris stopped by the Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 15 to meet USC’s women’s basketball team during their afternoon shoot-around.
I am inspired by the ion, drive, and competitive edge of the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. Thank you for welcoming me to campus today. pic.twitter.com/49JMaNnrdy
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) January 16, 2024
Dawn Staley spoke at the Democratic National Convention in late August, voicing her for Harris after President Biden stepped down from the 2024 race.
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