Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley
	Staley with the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2020
South Carolina Gamecocks
Position	Head coach
League	Southeastern Conference
Personal information
Born	May 4, 1970 (age 54); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Career information
High school	Dobbins Tech; (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College	Virginia (1988–1992)
WNBA draft	1999: 1st round, 9th overall pick
	Selected by the Charlotte Sting
Playing career	1996–2006
Position	Point guard
Number	5
Coaching career	2000–present
Career history
As player:
1994–1995	Tarbes Gespe Bigorre
1996–1998	Richmond / Philadelphia Rage
1999–2005	Charlotte Sting
2005–2006	Houston Comets
As coach:
2000–2008	Temple
2008–present	South Carolina
Career highlights and awards
	As player: 6× WNBA All-Star (2001–2006); WNBA 10th Anniversary Team (2006); WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011); 2× ABL All-Star (1997, 1998); NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1991); 2x ACC Female Athlete of the Year (1991, 1992); ACC Tournament MVP (1992); 2× Honda Sports Award (1991, 1992); 2× Naismith College Player of the Year (1991, 1992); 2× WBCA Player of the Year (1991, 1992); 2× USBWA Player of the Year (1991, 1992); 2× ACC Player of the Year (1991, 1992); 3x Kodak All-American (1990–1992); 2x All-American – USBWA (1991, 1992); 3x First-team All-ACC (1990–1992); ACC Rookie of the Year (1989); As coach: 3× NCAA Division I Tournament champion (2017, 2022, 2024); 6× NCAA Regional – Final Four (2015, 2017, 2021–2024); 8× SEC tournament champion (2015–2018, 2020–2021, 2023, 2024); 8× SEC regular season champion (2014–2017, 2020, 2022–2024); 4× Naismith Coach of the Year (2020, 2022–2024); 4× WBCA National Coach of the Year (2020, 2022–2024); 2× AP National Coach of the Year (2020, 2024); The Sporting News National Coach of the Year (2024); 4× USBWA National Coach of the Year (2020, 2022–2024); 7× SEC Coach of the Year (2014–2016, 2020, 2022–2024); 4× A-10 tournament champion (2002, 2004–2006); 3× A-10 regular-season champion (2004, 2005, 2008); 2× A-10 Coach of the Year (2004, 2005);
	Stats at WNBA.com
	Basketball Hall of Fame as player
	Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Women's basketball
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
World Cup
Universiade
Head coach for the United States
Olympic Games
World Cup
FIBA AmeriCup
Pan American Games
U19 World Championship
FIBA U18 Americas Championship

Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970)^[1] is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. A point guard, she played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and spent eight seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), primarily with the Charlotte Sting. Staley also played on the United States women's national basketball team, winning three gold medals at the Olympic Games from 1996 to 2004, and was the head coach of the team that won an Olympic gold medal in 2021.^[2] She is the first person to win the Naismith Award as both a player and a coach.

During her college career with Virginia from 1988 to 1992, Staley set the NCAA record for steals, the school record for points, and the ACC record for assists. She played professionally in the American Basketball League (ABL) during its three years of operation before being selected ninth overall by the Sting in the 1999 WNBA draft. As a member of the Sting and the Houston Comets, she received six consecutive WNBA All-Star selections from 2001 to her final season in 2006. Staley spent most of her WNBA career simultaneously serving as the head coach of the Temple Owls women's basketball team from 2000 to 2008, leading them to six NCAA tournaments, three regular-season conference championships, and four conference tournament titles.

After becoming South Carolina's head coach in 2008, Staley rebuilt the Gamecocks into one of the top women's basketball programs. During her 16 seasons, she has led South Carolina to eight SEC regular season championships, eight SEC tournament championships, eight Sweet Sixteens, five Final Fours, and three NCAA women's basketball national championships, including the school's first in 2017 and a perfect season in 2024.^[3]^[4]^[5] Staley was inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

^ Cite error: The named reference NCAA Coaches was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Day, Meredith (August 6, 2021). "Team USA Women's Basketball Secures 7th Straight Gold Medal, Defeating Japan". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
^ "South Carolina pounds UConn, 64-49, to take women's basketball championship". NBC News. Retrieved April 4, 2022 – via The Associated Press.
^ Titus, Payton (April 4, 2024). "Best of the best: South Carolina's Dawn Staley named Naismith Coach of the Year". MSN.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via The Charlotte Observer.
^ "South Carolina wins 2024 national title: Gamecocks take down Caitlin Clark, Iowa; complete undefeated season". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 8, 2024.

[NCAA_Coaches-1] Cite error: The named reference NCAA Coaches was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Day, Meredith (August 6, 2021). "Team USA Women's Basketball Secures 7th Straight Gold Medal, Defeating Japan". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

[3] "South Carolina pounds UConn, 64-49, to take women's basketball championship". NBC News. Retrieved April 4, 2022 – via The Associated Press.

[4] Titus, Payton (April 4, 2024). "Best of the best: South Carolina's Dawn Staley named Naismith Coach of the Year". MSN.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via The Charlotte Observer.

[5] "South Carolina wins 2024 national title: Gamecocks take down Caitlin Clark, Iowa; complete undefeated season". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 8, 2024.

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