Staley ready to lead the Red, White and Blue
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley was named head women’s basketball coach for Team USA on Friday, putting the crowing achievement on a career that already is one the most decorated in U.S. Olympic history.
Staley was introduced as the new boss – officially the USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach – during a ceremony at The Zone in Williams-Brice Stadium. Her first official duty in that role will be coaching the U.S. team at the 2018 FIBA World Cup of Basketball in Spain. She will then move on to preparing Team USA for the 2019 Olympic qualifiers and 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“I’m just really incredibly humbled and honored,” Staley said. “It means a great deal to me to represent my country and wear the red, white and blue. I just wanted to be part of one Olympic Games, but through dreams derive other dreams. That is what is taking place today. This path for me really is divine. This is pre-ordained. I don’t know why, but I give God all the glory.”
Staley already has won 10 gold medals as a player, Olympic assistant coach and junior international coach. Staley, who won three gold medals as a player, succeeds Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma as Team USA coach. She served as Auriemma’s assistant in 2016 as Team USA won its sixth straight gold medal.
“She’s a winner as a coach. As a player, I’d put my money on Dawn Staley to take the last shot in every game. She’s a beloved teammate and a true leader on every court,” women’s national team director Carol Callan said. “There are so many qualities she had as a player that translate to her success as a coach. With all of that body of work, the choice was very simple.”
The U.S. women’s national team is 89-1 in its last 90 international competitions.
“There is no one better qualified and no one better positioned to continue this culture of excellence than Dawn,” said USA Basketball CEO and executive director Jim Tooley. “She’s a proven leader, a proven winner and a proven class act as a person.”
Staley acknowledged she now feels more pressure to keep the team’s remarkable run of success going.
“You don’t want to be the one,” she said. “When you’re a part of USA Basketball, you feel the culture. It’s basketball bliss, and you want to keep capturing those moments.”
Staley learned of her appointment last week when she received a call while scouting a game at the SEC women’s basketball tournament in Greenville.
“I was elated, but calm,” she said. “I didn’t want to bring any attention to it, but I was shocked. It was a surreal moment. Even though you put your name in the hat, you never know what’s going to happen. Needless to say, I didn’t continue to scout that particular game. Thank God for assistant coaches because they were paying attention to the game.”
Staley, 46, is coming off a fourth straight SEC regular season championship and third straight SEC tournament title as the Gamecocks head coach, and South Carolina is expected to be made a No. 1 seed Monday when the full women’s tournament is announced. She is 215-80 overall in nine years at USC. Prior to arriving in Columbia, Staley was Temple’s coach for eight seasons.
The members of Staley’s current South Carolina team attended Friday’s announcement wearing black T-shirts that read “2020 Vision.” After the announcement, they crowded the podium to congratulate their coach and playfully began lobbying for Team USA tryouts. University president Harris Pastides, Richland Country sheriff Leon Lott, and five-time Olympian Teresa Edwards also attended the event.
“Dawn texts me I would say with regularity. She called me to ask me to be here today. Dawn doesn’t call me that often,” Pastides said. “I think she was really extremely touched by this. I was with her in Springfield, Mass., when she was inducted as a player (into the basketball Hall of Fame). I would think that after that this is probably one of the highest honors of her life.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2017 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Staley ready to lead the Red, White and Blue."