At the end of January, Mizzou’s Jim Sterk discussed hostile behavior he and the Tigers’ women’s basketball team encountered in a road game against South Carolina. In the process, he seemed to blame South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley for a lot of the hostility.
“Yeah it wasn’t a great atmosphere. It was really kind of unhealthy, if you will. We had, you know, players spit on, and called the “n-word,” and things like that. I mean it was not a good environment, and unfortunately I think, you know, Coach Staley promoted that kind of atmosphere, and it’s unfortunate she felt she had to do that,” Sterk said via the radio show.