Rapper Plies on Dawn Staley, South Carolina women's basketball: 'This place gives me hope'
Rapper Plies on Dawn Staley, South Carolina women's basketball: 'This place gives me hope'
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Are we underestimating Dawn Staley and South Carolina this year?
USA Today's Mackenzie Salmon and Meghan Hall talk about how this women's South Carolina team is slightly overlooked as we approach March Madness.
Sports Seriously
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Standing out in a bubble-gum pink hat and crew neck, glistening with thick silver chains and other bling, rapper Plies sat behind the South Carolina women's basketball bench for the reigning champions' second-round March Madness game against No. 9 Indiana on Sunday.
'I look around this place and it gives me hope,' Plies said of the erupting environment at Colonial Life Arena, the Gamecocks' home court. 'It gives me hope, what we can be as a country. For me, this is therapeutic for me, I need it.'
Plies, a longtime supporter of the Gamecocks and head coach Dawn Staley, gifted Staley a chain Thursday before South Carolina opened the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Why Plies gifted Dawn Staley a chain before March Madness
The gold chain, which is shaped as the tournament trophy with a basketball on top, is studded with diamonds and includes a Bible verse on the back: ''God Is Within Her. She Will Not Fail!' Psalm 46:50.' It also has 2017, 2022 and 2024 on it, each year South Carolina has won a championship title, as well as Staley's name on the top.
'It was me trying to find my soft spot,' Plies said about his gift. 'I didn't want to make her feel too much like a rapper, but that's something I feel like she openly deserved.
'I just wanted to give her flowers, that was my way of trying to show that.'
Plies and Staley have had a close relationship for a while. He's made appearances at other regular-season games, and he supported the Gamecocks at last season's Final Four game in Cleveland. Staley joined him to dance on stage during his concert in Columbia last summer.
Plies has a concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday in Greensboro, N.C., nearly 200 miles from Columbia.
Olivia Noni is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
Iowa baseball star earns Perfect Game All-American honors
Iowa baseball star earns Perfect Game All-American honors After a stellar junior campaign with the Hawkeyes, Iowa baseball ace pitcher Cade Obermueller has been named a Perfect Game third-team All-American. The left-hander is the Hawkeyes' first All-American honoree since Brody Brecht and Keaton Anthony earned it in 2023. The Iowa City, Iowa native earned the third-team All-America distinction after going 5-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 15 starts. He posted five quality starts and fanned 117 batters over 83.1 innings. His 117 punchouts rank second all-time in program history for strikeouts in a season. The highlight of Obermueller's 2024-25 season was his complete-game performance at Northwestern on March 4. In that game, he recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts while giving up only one hit, one run, and one base-on-balls in a 12-1 Hawkeyes run-rule win. Obermueller's third-team All-American honors add to his growing list of accomplishments from the past season, which now includes a 2025 All-Big Ten Tournament team and an ABCA/Rawlings NCAA All-Midwest Region first-team selection. While Obermueller could be in line for more honors following the conclusion of the 2025 College World Series later this month, a potential return for his senior season with the Hawkeyes could be vital to the program's success as they hope to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
Condé Nast Traveler
39 minutes ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
Charleston Sailing Charters — Tour Review
Zoom out. What's the big picture here? Charleston is hemmed in by water: two rivers merge to form the harbor. And while it's great to watch regattas from land, it's surprisingly easy to get out there yourself—no experience necessary. The folks at Charleston Sailing Charters (CSC) have slowly grown their fleet for almost two decades, offering fully crewed excursions on any of their multiple vessels, from a roomy motor yacht that can accommodate larger parties, to sleek and meticulously maintained sailboats with a passenger limit of six (Coast Guard regulation). We booked a two-hour sunset tour on a French-made 43-foot beauty called the 'Fate' (cue the theme-song from Gilligan's Island). What were your first impressions on arrival? We parked at the Safe Harbor Marina on Charleston's west side, where our captain awaited with a cart to transport our bags. A short walk through the lattice of floating docks, past impressive mega-yachts, quirky houseboats, and old-school Gatsby-era cruisers, took us to our vessel. Shoes off, and we stepped barefoot (with a polite assist from the captain) on deck. A quick tour of the monohull, with its cozy cabins and comfortable galley, and we were ready to glide. Tell us about your fellow tourees. We were all friends—three couples who love a glass of wine and good conversation, and don't mind wind in our hair. You could reserve the entire boat exclusively (lots of marriage proposals here), or if you are an avid sailor, you could be as active a participant as you care to be, but we were there to enjoy the breeze and just be taken care of. And the level of service? CSC doesn't cater, but they have established relationships with local caterers, so they've got great recommendations for gourmet markets like Caviar & Bananas who will hand deliver goodies to the boat. In our case, we brought our own wine and charcuterie board courtesy and the crew took it from there, serving and pouring throughout the voyage. One of the owners has an interest in a Yadkin Valley, North Carolina vineyard, and we were all pleasantly surprised by the quality of his Montepulciano (available on board for a price). Best of all, drinks don't spill: they stay magically anchored courtesy of weighted, flexible, silicone drinkware, no matter the pitch of the sailboat. How were the guides? Our captains were two: one younger and affable who skillfully manned Gucci-level electric winches while topping off our drinks, the other slightly older and very experienced, with something like 50,000 nautical miles under his cap. The latter, Captain Ryan, is also a history buff, so he was able to teach us about Castle Pinckney's fortifications as we sailed past them, and to share maritime war trivia about Charleston's harbor, from the Revolutionary siege to Civil War bombardments. Anything you'll be remembering weeks or months or years from now? Little things, like the moon reflected in the harbor as the shrimp boat lights came on, our smooth-as-silk, slow-motion sail past the flickering lanterns of the Low Battery, and how the captain referred to sea spray as 'Nature's kiss.' Anything else to keep in mind? A few hours on the water was dreamy, but CSC offers longer and even overnight sails where you travel 40-60 miles down the coast and back along the intercoastal waterway, dine at the Salty Dog Café at Bohicket Marina, and spend the night in cozy cabins fully equipped with in-room showers. So bottom line: why should we book? Because sea spray and dolphins really do cure everything.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Cheers' star George Wendt's cause of death is released
"Cheers" star George Wendt had experienced years of health issues when he died suddenly in May. According to a death certificate reviewed by USA TODAY on June 10, the 76-year-old actor was pronounced dead at his Studio City, California, home the morning of May 20. His wife of nearly 50 years, Bernadette Birkett, informed authorities of his death. Wendt's cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood. Contributing conditions were years of congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. He also had end-stage renal disease and hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol). 'George brought Norm to life': Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, more 'Cheers' stars pay tribute Heart failure, which can develop as a result of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, impacts the organ's ability to pump blood effectively. Per Mayo Clinic, coronary artery disease can sometimes lead to sudden cardiac arrest – or the loss of heart activity because of the irregular rhythm of the heart – as plaque build-up causes arteries to narrow. End-stage renal disease is the last stage of long-term kidney disease and indicates the kidneys' inability to support normal bodily functions like getting rid of waste and excess water. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, between 300,000 and 450,000 people die each year from cardiac arrest. Nine out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital will die. CPR and defibrillation can be used to treat a person in cardiac arrest while awaiting emergency services. Wendt, best known for his beloved role as beer-quaffing barfly Norm Peterson for all 11 seasons of the iconic NBC comedy, earned six consecutive best supporting actor Emmy nominations playing his one line-delivering Everyman character. He also played the Norm role in the short-lived spinoff "The Tortellis," a 1990 episode of NBC's "Wings," and in an episode of the "Cheers" spinoff "Frasier," featuring psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). His death occurred on the 32nd anniversary of the final "Cheers" episode that aired on May 20, 1993. In one of his final public appearances at the 75th Emmy Awards in 2024, Wendt reunited with his "Cheers" co-stars Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, Grammer and Ratzenberger on a recreated set of the show's iconic Boston bar. Wendt's memorable entrance brought one final "Norm!" from his assembled costars. The cast honored Wendt in individual tributes following the news of his death. Danson noted it would "take me a long time to get used to this" in a statement shared with USA TODAY. Ratzenberger said, "What you saw on screen was exactly who (Wendt) was off screen with impeccable comedic timing and a deep loyalty to those he loved." Perlman called Wendt "the sweetest, kindest man I ever met" and Grammer described him as "an extraordinary guy." Contributing: Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Wendt cause of death released for 'Cheers' star
