Q&A: Gamecock great Tiffany Mitchell talks USC career, WNBA life and more

Tiffany Mitchell joined the South Carolina women’s basketball team in 2012 out of Charlotte’s Providence Day School and was a key part of the Gamecocks’ first two SEC championship teams.

USC won the SEC regular season for the first time in 2014 and its first conference tournament championship in 2015.

Mitchell was a two-time SEC Player of the Year, three-time All-SEC selection and the first South Carolina player to win the Dawn Staley Award, given to the best guard in the nation.

She was the ninth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft. Mitchell spent seven seasons with the Indiana Fever before signing to the Minnesota Lynx in February. In addition to her WNBA career, Mitchell has made overseas stops in Russia, Turkey, Israel and Melbourne.

The State caught up with Mitchell during the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.

The State: You came to South Carolina in 2012. The Gamecocks had just made the Sweet 16 the season before. When you first got there, what do you remember about the team’s goals at that time?

Tiffany Mitchell: I think I came in as a freshman just ready to play. A lot was given to me early on in my career, being a starter since my freshman year.

Throughout summer workouts and playing and working out before the season, I guess I earned a starting spot and did things that Coach Staley wanted as a freshman. So a lot was already expected of me since I stepped foot on that campus.

Definitely exceeded what I thought was going to happen. I was going in trying to learn, trying to play and just build with Coach Staley and help her build what she wanted. After my first year, I just got my feet wet and just kind of learned how she wanted us to play SEC basketball.

Being on that stage, it’s just a new environment. Coming from high school and then playing in college, everything is faster, people are stronger. A lot more is on your plate with going to study hall and different classes and stuff. So that’s an adjustment as well.

TS: What were some of the things, or maybe even some of the people, that helped you make that adjustment?

Mitchell: I think a lot of that goes to my mom.

I went to a private school for seven years in Charlotte, Providence Day. It’s a college preparatory school, so I think I was kind of already ahead of the game than my classmates just because when I was in high school, I was basically taking classes and doing things as if I was in college already. So when I got to South Carolina, it was a seamless transition for me school-wise because I was already doing those types of things while I was in high school.

Some people are still struggling school-wise, trying to figure out how to manage their time. I learned all that pretty early when I was 14, 15, 16 years old, just from going to Providence Day.

TS: On the court, you were part of the teams that won the first SEC championships. So 2014, the first regular season, 2015, the first tournament championship. At that time being a part of those first teams to do that, how big were those moments for y’all at that time?

Mitchell: It was huge. I mean, it was the first time that South Carolina was getting national recognition, and under Coach Staley.

I remember when they were recruiting me in high school. Coming to the games, you literally can count the number of people that’s in the stands. And I was one of them.

Being able to be a part of that come-to-greatness moment at South Carolina, and starting to bring that national attention to South Carolina, and knowing I played a big role in that, it was huge. It was really special for the city of Columbia because we don’t have a professional team there. They really get behind winners. And once we started to win, we felt the support from literally everywhere.

We kind of felt like we were little celebrities when we were in college when it first happened. So it was a really cool feeling. Definitely will never forget helping South Carolina be as dominant as they are now.

TS: You made three All-SEC teams, you won SEC Player of the Year, but also, in 2015, you won the Dawn Staley Award, given to the top guard every year. What did that mean to you to win that award that was named after your coach?

Mitchell: At first, I thought they were joking. I was like, ‘Are they even able to get me this award because I play for her?’

Winning some of those awards, I guess I didn’t really realize the magnitude of it. And now that I’m out of college, and people bring it up, I’m like, ‘Oh, I guess that really kind of was a big deal.’

Coach Staley was somebody that I idolized since I was young. Before I even thought about playing basketball in college, I just liked watching basketball. And I was fortunate enough to watch her when she was playing for the Charlotte Sting. So I would go to games and literally was just a spectator, and I always tell my mom, ‘One day, I want to be like her.’ I would have her jersey, I remember staying in line after games trying to get her to sign my jersey.

So it’s honestly a full-circle moment for me and something that was really deep in the connection with her. It wasn’t something like she only chose and voted on. This is national people voting that I was basically a representation of her. So knowing that, it’s crazy to me that people saw me in that light. It’s very humbling just because I would never have put myself in the same sentence as Coach Staley when I was younger — still not even to this day.

TS: Throughout your time at South Carolina, what were some pieces of advice that she gave you that you were then able to bring to the WNBA?

Mitchell: I think she saw a lot of herself in me and basically how I approach the game.

I was very strategic, and almost obsessive, about how I approached the game and how I prepared for the game. And I think that’s the passion that she saw that I hold within myself.

I think Coach Staley struggles with people who don’t genuinely love the game. And I think her seeing that in me at such a young age and the fire, it made her even more willing to critique me, to help me, to build that bond because she knew at the end of the day, I might not do everything right, but I love this game so much.

Being around her and seeing how she carries herself as a woman, as a Black woman. That’s another reason that I chose to play for her, because it’s just like another extension of my mom.

I think that’s why my mom trusted Coach Staley to basically raise me for another four years while I’m away from her.

TS: In 2016, you got selected ninth overall to the Fever. Your first few years in the league, were there any surprises or things that you didn’t expect when you first got there that you then experienced in those first few years?

Mitchell: When I was drafted, only two rookies made the team and one ended up getting cut. So I was literally the only rookie on my team. It’s kind of rare. You usually have about two or three per team, maybe.

I would say it was hard, but honestly it was easy because I was playing with vets. So I had a lot of people that have already been in my position who were able to help me. As a rookie, you always hit a rookie wall. So I think I got lucky that players in front of me ended up being hurt in the beginning of the season, and then I got thrown into the starting lineup as a rookie.

When you’re drafted, they’re expecting you to come in and contribute right away. So maybe that’s a little added pressure. But being that I was around such really good vets and people that were like literally three, four years older than me made that transition really easy for me.

I just had to learn how to be a sponge, how to adapt really quickly. I think that’s another thing that has made me successful throughout my career, is just being able to adapt. At this point in my career, I’ve played every role I feel like there is possible to play basketball. I’ve been the starter, I’ve come off the bench, I’ve played 30 minutes, I’ve played five minutes, I haven’t played at all, I’ve played the whole game.

Sometimes I don’t like the position that I’m in, but I’m still able to sustain and stay true to myself and adapt to those situations and make the most out of them.

TS: And when you were at South Carolina, you played with several future pros. What’s it like now, having been in the league for several years, playing against those former college teammates as competitors?

Mitchell: It just makes me feel really good about South Carolina and the products that they’re creating. You always hear about how many players Notre Dame has in the league, how many UConn has in the league. My first year, it’s like, ‘Oh, South Carolina only has one player in the league, and it’s me.’

Seeing the growth, and especially somebody like A’ja (Wilson) and how she’s just come to the forefront of this league. It’s really amazing to see because we’ve been watching her since she was in high school. And just to see the maturity and the growth as a player, as a person, as a woman. I’m just happy to be a part of their journey and see all the success that they’re having.

Just having that name and that pride knowing that we were all coached by Coach Staley is something that we wear with pride. That South Carolina stamp that we have, I think just having that and knowing that and seeing the people from South Carolina be successful in the league only makes the college brand and recruiting a lot easier.

TS: For you, like a lot of players in the WNBA, you also have your share of experience with overseas basketball. What’s that experience like, playing with different styles and different systems pretty much on a year-round basis?

Mitchell: Physically, it’s hard on your body. We do it to supplement our income for not getting paid as much in the league, so we go overseas, make some more money. They have their good and bad parts about them, as does everything. Depending on the country that you’re in, the teammates that you have, they all kind of make or break your experience. And I’ve had my fair share of very bad experiences. And I’ve had some really good ones.

I was in Russia my rookie year, so I’m 21 years old in Russia by myself for eight months. And it’s like, if I can make it through this, I feel like I can make it through everything.

It really puts you in that fight-or-flight mode. You’re put into different situations and it’s kind of like, all right, you’re here, you have no idea what’s about to happen, but you have to try to make it work.

It can get lonely, it can get sad. You might not be playing well, you don’t know anybody, they don’t speak English. And it can derail you from even liking basketball.

Overseas basketball is not for everybody. Even if you do love basketball, it’s just a different type of beast, depending on what country you go to. I just credit myself being able to adapt to new situations, new experiences. I’m very open to new cultures and new people. I’ve started relationships just from playing overseas.

TS: For you, going to Minnesota this season, coming in with the experience you have, what are some of the things that you are looking forward to, being part of the Lynx?

Mitchell: I’m just looking for a new environment, a fresh start. I was in Indiana for seven years. Even though they wanted me to come back again this year, I just felt like at this point in my career, I was wanting to see something different.

A lot of people move teams. I think it’s very rare that a person stays with one team for this long unless they’re a franchise player. For me to be a part of the Fever for seven years, and seeing the course of how my career had been there, I felt like this year was a good year for me to kind of just see something new. I’m not saying it’s going to be better or worse. But I definitely want to go into a new environment. Cheryl Reeve is an amazing coach. She’s the Team USA coach now, she took over after Coach Staley.

I’ll be learning from some of the best around me. Their facilities are the best in the league as well. So going with something new. Going around new people, new coaches, new staff. I’m really excited to get to try out and kind of spread my wings from Indy.