South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has expressed her gratitude after kind gestures from both Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter in the lead up to new NCAA season.

The legendary figure’s elevated standing in the world of women’s basketball was reinforced after she led her Gamecocks team to a faultless 38-0 campaign last season. Delivering the program’s third national title, her outstanding performance as coach was rewarded as she picked up the Naismith Coach of the Year Award for her efforts.

Now, she is tasked with defending last term’s title, with her hunger for success having shown seldom signs of diminishing during pre-season. Before the Gamecocks’ Division I opener versus Michigan on Nov. 5, coach Staley has received messages from sporting peers in the form of the aforementioned Sanders and Hunter.

When it comes to the latter, he had a signed jersey sent the way of the South Carolina boss, leading her to thank the Colorado Buffaloes ace on Twitter/X, saying: “Thank you @CUBuffsFootball @TravisHunterJr @DeionSanders for this beast of her jersey! My @aflac family @gknutson I know you had a hand in this so beak you very much!!”

Meanwhile, Staley also received a heartwarming message from Hunter’s coach Sanders too, with the former NFL great, saying via a video clip: “Coach Staley, I love you. I appreciate you, what you bring to those young ladies. What you’ve accomplished in life, in victory, in defeat, how classy, how strong, the bravado, the compassion, the love that you give off, it’s infectious.

“First of all, I loved you when you was locking them down. You know how we get down. I love you, and I appreciate you so much and I glean from you. Yeah, I’m watching you, so I’m going to watch you get down and do your thing in France … Who else deserves it more than you do? Nobody. God bless you sister.”

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Colorado Buffaloes pair Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter were on hand with a heartwarming gesture

Colorado Buffaloes pair Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter were on hand with a heartwarming gesture ( 

Image:

Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

Following the kind words from “Prime Time“, Sanders took to Twitter/X to thank football icon as she spoke of her own admiration for the coach, saying: “Back at you! And yeah I know you coming!!” Appreciate you and love you and the impact you’re making….stay prayed up!”

Staley has previously spoken with enthusiasm ahead of the new NCAA season as she sent out an ominous warning to the Gamecocks’ rivals after a successful pre-season. Waxing lyrical about the efforts of her players, she professed: “We’re better than we were last year at this time, I will say that.

“Just psychologically, having a better understanding of who we are and what’s our identity, we’re much better off. I mean, there’s some carryover from the success that we had last year. They knew what it took. It took a team full of players to get it done.”