South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley thought she was appearing on ESPN just to talk about her Sweet 16 game and Elite Eight matchup, but instead she received a heartwarming surprise.

On Saturday, between the 71-67 win over Maryland and ahead of Elite Eight matchup against No. 2 Duke on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ABC), Staley was interviewed on ESPN. Toward the end, Blakely Thompson, the 7-year-old girl who is battling leukemia and has a close relationship with Staley, appeared on camera to say hello.

Blakely is responsible for making the two necklaces that Staley wears all the time.

ESPN studio host Elle Duncan asked Blakely if she wanted to make a pick as to who would win between the No. 1 seed Gamecocks (33-3) and the Blue Devils (29-7). She nodded and broke into a big smile.

“Who?” Duncan asked.

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“Coach Staley,” Blakely responded.

Staley met Blakely while visiting the UVA Health Children’s Hospital in the summer of 2023. 

Last March in the middle of the NCAA tournament, Staley was surprised by Blakely on ESPN for the first time and was given a new necklace, since the one she got when she first met Blakely was beginning to show signs of wear.

On Saturday, her mother Julie was asked about Blakely’s progress and provided an update for both Staley and the audience watching.

“Blakely is doing really well,” Julie told ESPN. “Hopefully we only have about three more months of treatment then she’ll be ringing that bell.”

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During the first round of March Madness in Columbia, South Carolina, last week, Staley was asked about her necklaces and her bracelets.

“For us, it’s our world, it’s our passion, it’s what we do,” Staley said of the focus she and her team have on their sport. “It’s really just basketball when you put it in perspective of what other people have to go through.”

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin