CLEVELAND – South Carolina coach Dawn Staley texted Saniya Rivers and her parents when NC State won its Elite Eight matchup to advance to the Final Four.

Staley is proud of her former player, who transferred from South Carolina women's basketball to the Wolfpack after her freshman year when the Gamecocks won the national championship. Rivers went back to her home state, and two seasons later she has helped lead No. 3 seed NC State to the Final Four, where it will face No. 1 seed South Carolina on Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

There are no hard feelings for either side. Rivers said Staley is a "great person" and still congratulates her on accomplishments, and she does the same and wishes her happy birthday.

"She's the type of person you want to have in your corner for future opportunities, even if she can't be your coach or I can't be her player," Rivers said Thursday. "We're really excited about this matchup. We saw each other yesterday, hugged it out, first time I've seen her in two years. It's going to be a friendly battle."

Playing against former teammates isn't uncommon in this era of the transfer portal. There were rematches with former teammates all throughout the NCAA Tournament. It's already happened for South Carolina. Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao faced her former Oregon teammate Sydney Parrish in the Sweet 16.

Rivers found a place to flourish. And now she's back in the Final Four, this time as a key piece for the Wolfpack. Rivers is averaging 12.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals as the starting point guard.

"I'm glad she found a place that was good for her and that fit her," said South Carolina forward Sania Feagin, who was in Rivers' freshman class. "I love the fact that she's going to be great and do what she needs to do and they made it to the Final Four, and I wish the best for her."

CARDOSO: Why Kamilla Cardoso declared for 2024 WNBA Draft before South Carolina's Final Four game

Staley reiterated what she says often about players who transfer: Once they're part of the family, they'll always have her as a resource and as someone cheering them on from afar.

"I'm proud of Rivers, I really am. Obviously we knew she was a tremendous player. It's unfortunate that her talents aren't on display in a Gamecock uniform, but the most important thing – her talents will be on display at a Final Four," Staley said earlier this week. "I do think her experience with us will help her navigate through that space, because she's the only one on the team that's played at this level and really understands what it takes to win."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Saniya Rivers on Dawn Staley, playing South Carolina in Final Four