What Dawn Staley said about the job Coach Yo has done with Ole Miss women's basketball

SEATTLE — Ole Miss women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has often listed South Carolina coach Dawn Staley among the list of mentors who have helped her grow as a coach and ultimately turn around the Rebels program.

Speaking to reporters in Greenville, South Carolina, on Friday, Staley offered some praise of her own for the Ole Miss coach, known by most in the basketball community as "Coach Yo."

"I mean, Yo has done a tremendous job," Staley said. "...Like she said, a lot of people turned her down. People walked away from it. She walked towards being a change agent for that program. She's a really good coach. She's someone that loves her players and loves being where she is, and she stays current with what she's doing."

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McPhee-McCuin has the Rebels (25-8) in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007, where they'll take on Louisville (25-11) on Friday (9 p.m. CT, ESPN) from Climate Change Arena.

She responded to a clip of Staley's praise with a Tweet Friday afternoon.

"I get a lot of “fun, energetic” descriptions but seldom (do) I get the compliment of being a good coach!" she wrote. "For some odd reason. (Sigh) That’s why I got love for the Chief! Because we have to celebrate each other & be truth tellers or else many will frame it as just fun/games."

Staley went on to say that there are many people in McPhee-McCuin's circle who have helped her to this point. Those resources have positioned McPhee-McCuin to lead the Rebels to back-to-back top-four finishes in the SEC, with a chance to play for more history.

"I'm just extremely happy for her, and I think she's got a pretty good bracket where she can defend," Staley said. "Her teams defend, and they find a way to put enough points on the scoreboard to win some basketball games. So I'm happy she's representing the Southeastern Conference in the way that she is."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What Dawn Staley said about Coach Yo's impact with Ole Miss women