How South Carolina's Te-hina Paopao went on defensive tear vs. Indiana: 'Y’all see that?'
- South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao recorded four blocks in a win against Indiana, earning her a spot in the Gamecocks' "seatbelt gang."
- The "seatbelt gang," which originated with guards Bree Hall and Raven Johnson, prides itself on its defensive prowess.
- South Carolina coach Dawn Staley emphasizes defense, creating a culture where players strive to excel on that end of the court.
Editor's note: Follow South Carolina vs. Duke women's basketball live updates from their Elite Eight game of March Madness.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The “seatbelt gang” originated with South Carolina women's basketball guards Bree Hall and Raven Johnson. But after the Gamecocks’ 64-53 win Sunday over No. 9 Indiana, a new member has been inducted: Te-Hina Paopao.
The 5-foot-9 starting senior guard tallied four blocks against a Hoosiers team that trotted out eight players with an average height of 6 feet.
“Y’all see that? I’m really proud of myself. I had more blocks than 3s today,” Paopao said in the postgame news conference.
She then suggested she could now be part of the Gamecocks’ self-named “seatbelt gang.”
“The seatbelt gang is locking people up and putting them in a seat," Johnson said. "They can’t get past us."
Hall and Johnson agreed that with her performance against Indiana, Paopao officially earned her spot in the seatbelt gang. In her previous 34 games this season, she totaled just nine blocks.
“We were in the hallway before (Sunday’s) game, and she switched shoes,” Hall said. “She said, ‘These are not my defensive shoes, I got to put on my defensive shoes.’”
Paopao put on the new sneakers and burst into quick steps, saying, “Oh, yeah, I’m good.”
The Gamecocks’ defensive mindset comes from head coach Dawn Staley, who is in her 13th-straight NCAA Tournament with South Carolina.
“We’re a culture of playing defense, and if you don’t play it you stick out, and Pao is not one that wants to stick out in that way,” Staley said.
Said Johnson: “Coach is really big on defense; she tells us that we’re the best defensive team in the country.”
The seatbelt gang develops its defensive game in practice.
“Practice is where you have to get better,” Hall said, “Our practices are harder than the games.”
Johnson added that practices “make games so easy for us” because of their difficulty.
“You probably don't even want to come to our practice,” she said. “It's that hard.”
The seatbelt gang will be looking to buckle up the winner of Alabama-Maryland in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
Dylan Clearfield and Olivia Noni are students in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.