How Dawn Staley, USA women's basketball are adjusting to new normal while continuing their greatness

Two weeks before the start of the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Puerto Rico, Team USA head coach Dawn Staley did not know if there would be fans watching at Coliseo Roberto Clemente.

"We didn't know whether or not we are going to have fans. We got fans in the stands that make it feel like it's a normal competition and we are grateful for that," Staley admittedly said on Saturday after USA convincingly beat Dominican Republic, 102-39 in their opener.

Who can blame the South Carolina Gamecocks head coach? The sports world has not been entirely normal since the global health crisis started in early 2020.

Most prestigious sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, had to be postponed and relevant parties had to do their best to realign and restart.

Such circumstances, including the on-going WNBA season, pushed the national team to form a young roster for the continental championship which features NCAA Division I players.

Staley knew what challenges the squad was about to face heading into the tournament, but she also saw a silver lining in having a non-WNBA line-up of collegiate athletes mostly in their early 20s.

"We knew we were bringing in a younger team to this environment, but the beauty about it is they are eager to learn, eager to win, they compete at a very high level, they are drawn to challenges, and what bigger way to be challenged than an environment like this," Staley shared.

Not that Team USA paraded a team unfamiliar with the international competition; seven players in their roster have previously won medals at FIBA youth level (U16, U17, U18) events in the past.

Team USA is represented by Grace Berger, Aliyah Boston, Jakia Brown-Turner, Veronica Burton, Elissa Cunane, Destanni Henderson, Naz Hillmon, Rhyne Howard, Haley Jones, Diamond Miller, Ashley Owusu, and Sedona Prince.

Against Dominican Republic, Henderson, who saw action for the Gamecocks in the 2021 Women's NCAA Final Four, shone with a game-high 17 points on 63% shooting. The United States imposed themselves defensively, holding the opponent down to just 26.2% field goals and six free throw attempts all-game long.

"We look forward to our team continuing to get better and stay connected on both sides of the basketball. We're here, we got to play it, and we look forward to all the challenges we face," Staley added.

The FIBA Women's AmeriCup, held once every two years, is the continental hoops championship of the Americas regions. It also serves as a qualifier for either the Olympics or the Basketball World Cup.

For the edition Puerto Rico is currently hosting, the top four teams will advance to the qualifiers for the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Australia.

The United States' campaign will not get easier as they will face the hosts in front of what is expected to be hostile home crowd.

"We just talked about that in the locker room. One of our coaches, (Jennifer) Rizzoti, has the Puerto Rican scout and she just let our players know it will be a very challenging basketball game for us," Staley said. "Puerto Rico has a tendency to get hot, they space the floor, they dish, they play emotionally that benefits them. They're here."

Puerto Rico is in the midst of their best run in a FIBA calendar cycle, making both the World Cup and Olympics for the first time ever, and they are eager to perform well in the biggest of stages.

"We just have to make sure our defense continues to get better, we stay connected, we communicate out there on the floor. And then, for us, I do think we pose a challenge for them in the inside because we have some height, some girth, and we have depth. So we got to utilize all of that in what will likely be more than a hostile environment," the tactician added.

Staley understands the long view and what's at stake; she fully understood the magnitude of her role right after succeeding the legendary Geno Auriemma.

And in spite of not having the luxury of the best players at the moment, she and the entire team is focused on the goal of continuing their excellence in women's basketball.

And with FIBA continuing to innovate with its tournament formats and qualification systems, what Team USA is currently undergoing will only toughen them for future challenges that come.

"Is it a sacrifice? Absolutely yes," Staley said of playing amidst a still on-going pandemic, staying in bubbles, and constantly undergoing protocols.

"We're used to it, though. I think the most important thing is we have a tournament. We're able to play. We're able to do something we absolutely love to do, and it somewhat feels like the norm because we are able to come out here and play.

As women's basketball, and sports in general, continue to transition "back" to normal—or in a "new" one, Staley and the team's quest for greatness does not change.

(Photos from FIBA.basketball)