During a weekend in April to celebrate the successes of South Carolina women's basketball's only in-state player last season, Dawn Staley got a tip that would lead her to the next one.
Staley was in Columbus, Ohio, for the Final Four in April, on hand to witness her star player A'ja Wilson receive All-American and player of the year awards, when she ran into Ginnell Curtis, coach at Northwood Academy in Charleston, at the airport.
The two began talking about Northwood's star player, forward Elysa Wesolek, who was then still a signee with Western Kentucky but considering a change after the team's coach left for a new job.