“I call Coach K”: When Dawn Staley talked about painful time after her sister was diagnosed with cancer

Dawn Staley has established herself as one of the finest coaches on the college basketball circuit. She has won three national titles with South Carolina, but despite the success in her career, she has had some difficult moments in her personal life.

During the ESPYs in July 2024, Staley discussed the challenging time when her elder sister, Tracey Underwood, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2020. She also recalled ringing up Duke's legendary coach, Mike Krzyzewski, aka "Coach K."

"As much as you hear all the stories about everybody else, you know at some point it's going to hit you but at the same time, when it does, you're in shock. That's a fleeting moment, that's when loved ones have to activate.(4:11)

"I call MD Anderson, cause MD Anderson is supposed to be the very best. I call someone at the Mayo Clinic. I call Coach K, I call Robin Roberts because I know they will be more than willing to help."

Staley called Krzyzewski to ask him about some of the best doctors at Duke who could help her sister. At the time, "Coach K" was still with the Blue Devils. He retired in March 2022, after winning five national titles at Duke.

Dawn Staley's conversation with "Coach K" led to her sister undergoing treatment at Duke

NCAA Womens Basketball: South Carolina HC Dawn Staley - Source: Imagn

In December 2020, Dawn Staley shared how she and her sister decided on Duke for Tracey's treatment in her diary for "Andscape."

"I was name-dropping because I wanted them to know I was serious about where my sister was going to be treated and that I was going to be her advocate," Staley wrote.

"Ultimately, I felt the doctor at Duke did a tremendous job explaining it to me. He just talked me through it. It came down to proximity to home. With Duke being three hours away, my sister decided on Duke."

In June, after two months of treatment, Staley tweeted that her sister had pulled through and that the treatment worked. She also thanked the nurses at Duke for their efforts in helping Tracey's recovery.

Staley said that her experience in devoting time to Tracey during her treatment only strengthened the relationship the South Carolina coach had with her sister.