Dawn Staley is already on her way to becoming one of the best coaches in NCAA history. The former University of Virginia star went from being a star on the court to transition into a coaching role, which she has excelled at.
However, it wasn’t an easy journey for Staley, who entered this world without having experience and not knowing the first team about coaching. Talking with TODAY.com, the South Carolina Gamecocks’ coach recalled how she was first offered the role to lead Temple University’s women’s basketball team in 2005.
At first, she wondered why she would take such a difficult responsibility, but everything fell into place for her success.
Dawn Staley opens up on her coaching journey
Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks
“I didn’t know that, because I thought about all the other things that would deter me from coaching,” she said. “I’m responsible for 18-to-22-year-olds, and (I was) young myself, I’m 29, 30 years old. Why would I take on all that responsibility when they may not have a disciplined parent like I had?” Staley, 55, recalls. “Like, I knew I was not going to shame my family’s name. I knew that I was going to work hard with everything. I’m going to be respectful if somebody is telling me something … everybody doesn’t grow up in a household like that.”
Flash forward, 20 years later, she’s one of the best in the game after creating a juggernaut that often competes for championships.
Dawn Staley on how she decided to start coaching
While she had doubts about how she could fare as a coach, Dawn Staley changed her mind about that career when athletic director Dave O’Brien challenged her to turn the program around.
“He walked me into the challenge of turning their program around, and I’m drawn to challenges,” Staley says. “I took the job two weeks later.”
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She then joined South Carolin in 2008 before leading the program to seven NCAA Final Four appearances in the past 10 tournaments. What started as some sort of experiment turned out to be a terrific career that is years away from its end for Staley.
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