Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley (born May 4, 1970) is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach. She was the head coach for the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team from 2008 to 2020. During her tenure as head coach, she led South Carolina to three consecutive Final Fours from 2015-2017 and won a National Championship in 2017.

Staley played college basketball at the University of Virginia where she earned numerous accolades including being named first-team All ACC four times and becoming UVA’s all time leading scorer with 2,135 points during her career there. After graduating in 1992, Staley went on to have a successful professional playing career both domestically with teams such as Richmond Rage & Charlotte Sting and internationally with clubs like EC Valenciana in Spain & Italy’s Reyer Venezia Mestre before retiring after fifteen years in 2006 following seven WNBA seasons primarily spent with Houston Comets & Charlotte Sting.
Staley has been inducted into numerous Halls of fame including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame (2013), Women’s Basketball Hall Of Fame (2012), FIBA Hall Of Famers(2016)& Philadelphia Sports Walk OF Fame(2018). As well as winning Olympic gold medals for Team USA twice; once at Atlanta 1996 Olympics And then again At Athens 2004 Olympics where she served as captain for The Redeem Team which also included fellow hallof famer Lisa Leslie whom staly had faced off against several times while they were representing their respective universities Virginia Cavaliers vs USC Trojans back when each woman was still an amateur student athlete . Following retirement from professional playin ,staly joined Temple university coaching staff transitioning quickly thereafter into Head Coach role only two year later In 2008 when recruited by The University Of South California To lead Their female program Where staly would remain For twelve Years until 2020 When stepped down citeing personal reasons . During that tenure s tayley Led Her squad to Three consecutive final four appearances From 2015 – 2018 Winning national championship title along way Back In 2017 Defeating Mississippi State Bulldogs 67:55 , capping Off One Greatest Coaching careers ever recorded collegiate level .