Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley
	Staley in 2020
South Carolina Gamecocks
Position	Head coach
League	Southeastern Conference
Personal information
Born	May 4, 1970; 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); 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); 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) is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach who is currently the head coach for the reigning champion South Carolina Gamecocks women's team. Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and later was head coach of another U.S. gold-medal winning team. Staley was elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. After playing point guard for the University of Virginia under Debbie Ryan, and winning the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, she played professionally in the American Basketball League and WNBA. In 2011, fans named Staley one of the top 15 players in WNBA history. Staley was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

While a WNBA player, she started coaching the Temple University Owls women's basketball team in 2000. In eight years at Temple, she led the program to six NCAA tournaments, three regular-season conference championships, and four conference tournament titles.

On May 7, 2008, she was named head coach for women's basketball at the University of South Carolina. Staley built South Carolina's program from the ground up. In her first six seasons as head coach, she improved their record every year, winning the SEC in 2013–14. In late 2014, her team achieved the program's first #1 ranking, making her only the second individual to both play on and coach a #1-ranked team. Staley 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.

On April 2, 2020, Staley became the first person to win the Naismith Award as both a player and a coach. She also won the other three major National Coach of the Year awards after she led her team to a 32-win season and a final ranking of #1 in both major polls.

Staley served as the United States women's national team head coach from 2017 to 2021, finishing with a perfect 45–0 record, before returning full time to South Carolina. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Staley won her first gold medal as head coach for Team USA, and fourth overall, winning all six games.

On April 3, 2022, Staley led the Gamecocks to their second national title with a 64–49 win over UConn, finishing the season 35–2 and ranked #1 in both major polls for the entire season. Staley would be named Naismith Award winner as the best coach in the nation for 2022.

On April 7, 2024, she guided the #1 ranked Gamecocks to an undefeated 38–0 season, defeating Iowa 87–75 to win the team's third national title. Staley once again won National Coach of the year honors.

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