“Don’t judge me off of one conversation”: When Dawn Staley shared how she wins the trust of young student athletes

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has over two decades of experience coaching at the college level, during which she has become a revered mentor to countless young student-athletes. Her ability to develop strong personal connections has been a key factor in her success.

During her interview with author Brett Ledbetter in January 2023, Staley was asked about her approach to building trust with players. She explained:

"I think what I do every day of the week, every time I work with young people, is — don't judge me off of one conversation. Judge me over the time that I've interacted with you," Staley said (11:20 onwards).

"And that's what young people want because they want you to trust them, and you want them to trust you."

Dawn Staley, a three-time national champion coach, recounted a conversation with a younger player on her team who had specific desires, while the team had different expectations for her behavior and performance:

"I had to explain to her that we're not her parents," Staley said. "Her parents had 18 years to build that trust ... We don’t have that — this is our first year together."

"She has to understand that trust comes in different forms. I told her that, and she did something that hurt our team, yet she didn’t apologize."

Dawn Staley admits SEC basketball is now pure survival mode

The Southeastern Conference welcomed two new members, Texas and Oklahoma, prior to the 2024-25 season, transforming the landscape of the league.

The SEC, already home to top AP Top 25 programs like Dawn Staley's South Carolina, LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee, now boasts even more firepower with these additions.

"[Texas] and Oklahoma just make us not arguably the best conference in the country. We are," Staley said after the Gamecocks lost to the Longhorns.

"You got a top-five program and top 25 program come into a league that was already unforgiving. It is survival at this point. Anybody can beat anybody. It is tough down the stretch and I am looking forward to the end of the season and the SEC Tournament."

On Sunday, South Carolina suffered its first conference loss in over three years to No. 3 Texas. The last time Staley's team dropped a league game was to Missouri in Dec. 2021.

The 62-66 defeat also marked their second loss of the season. No. 1 UCLA took down the Gamecocks 77-62 in November. With five games remaining, they are tied atop the SEC standings with LSU and Texas.