This Clemson fan lost his mother. How USC coach Dawn Staley helped him heal

Earlier this month, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley won her third national championship with the Gamecocks.

Back in December, though, she also helped a Greenville man and lifelong Clemson fan start his healing process after the unexpected death of his mother.

FOX Carolina’s Carmine Gemei shared on Wednesday the heart-warming story of Staley’s classy text message exchange with Clemson graduate Chris Garner after the passing of his mother, Catherine “Cathie” Ballew, and the special bond Staley and Garner went on to form over the rest of USC’s season.

Garner told the TV news station that his mother was a South Carolina graduate and lifelong Gamecocks fan. Last December, the Gamecock Club, USC’s athletic fundraising arm, sent her on an all-access trip to the No. 1 women’s basketball team’s game against Utah in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase event in Uncasville, Connecticut.

During her weekend trip up north, Ballew got to watch South Carolina practice, speak one-on-one with Staley and cheer on the Gamecocks as they beat Utah by nine points in an entertaining Dec. 10 game at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Three days later, Ballew, who had survived a cancer scare five years ago, died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition, her son told FOX Carolina.

She was 63 years old.

“That was her last moment, rooting on her Gamecocks,” Garner said.

Two days later, Garner said he was eating dinner with his father when he got a text message from an unsaved number. It was Staley. She’d heard about his mother’s passing and requested Garner’s contact information from a Gamecock Club staffer.

“Hello Chris,” her text read. “This is Dawn Staley. I got your number from Tyson Lusk. I just wanted to reach out and say I’m super sorry about your mom. We just spent an awesome time together over the weekend and I truly enjoyed her company. I got to speak with her 1on1 … she adored you and your brother. Thank you for allowing us to share a Gamecock weekend with (her). Heaven gained an angel and a Gamecock. Godspeed to you and the family, Chris.”

Garner was blown away by her Dec. 15 text, he said, and wrote back thanking the Hall of Fame coach for her kind words and telling her she now had a Clemson graduate pulling for the Gamecocks the rest of the season.

Staley responded that she and the family were now “forever linked because of your mom” and orange and garnet (the main school colors for Clemson and USC) were now united forever “because of sweet Ms. Cathie.”

“We’re going to need her watching over us,” Staley told Garner via text.

Despite losing seven players and five starters from last year’s Final Four team, South Carolina quickly emerged as the nation’s No. 1 team (again) and wound up going 38-0 and beating Iowa and star guard Caitlin Clark in the April 7 national championship game in Cleveland.

The Gamecocks became only the 10th team in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to record a perfect season and first since 2015-16 UConn. Staley became only the fifth coach to win at least three NCAA Tournament championships (2017, 2022, 2024).

One day after South Carolina’s national championship win, Garner shared Staley’s text message exchange on Facebook, writing in an April 8 post: “It took mom 30 years to get me to say Go Cocks. She accomplished that yesterday. Coach Staley and the Lady Gamecocks have a lifelong fan in this Tiger!”

Garner said that Staley, 53, also gave him permission to share their text exchange publicly with FOX Carolina. Staley told him that South Carolina “definitely had your mom as an angel to get us through this season” and she hoped sharing their exchange could help others who are dealing with the loss of a loved one in their healing process.

Staley’s kindness drew widespread praise on social media after FOX Carolina’s story published Wednesday and the South Carolina women’s basketball team shared the story on its accounts.

“It’s definitely helped me heal,” Garner told the station of Staley’s message, adding that his mother being able to spend her last few days cheering on her favorite school “was like the final piece of my mom’s puzzle.”

And if Garner’s future child wants to go to South Carolina?

The lifelong Clemson fan said he wouldn’t mind one bit.