Dawn Staley gets emotional as 3x national champ receives warm honor from South Carolina students

Dawn Staley has led the South Carolina women's basketball team to three national championships in the last seven years. Her accomplishments have not gone unnoticed by her players and the larger university community.

On Thursday, South Carolina college students gathered to honor Staley's legacy and impact on the program with a special recognition ceremony.

The four-time Naismith coach of the year was emotional as she shared her experience on social media and thanked the students for their support.

"This just happened and I thoroughly enjoyed being in the midst of our nation’s top Honors College students! You could have been anywhere else on campus but you chose to spend some time with me. Thank you and appreciate the engagement!" Staley posted on Instagram.

Some of those students who participated in the event also left a comment on her post.

"Did Dawn Staley just call me a nations top honors student?" one student wrote.

"Loved meeting you and champ!❤️🤙🏼," another fan said.

Comments on Staley's IG post (Credits: @staley05)

Before Dawn Staley took over, the Lady Gamecocks only had one appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. She completely transformed the program, leading them to seven Elite Eight appearances, five Final Fours and three national championships in her tenure. Last season, South Carolina went an entire season undefeated with a 38-0 record.

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Dawn Staley's South Carolina season tickets sold out

For the first time in the program's history, the Lady Gamecocks' season tickets have sold out, the school announced on Wednesday.

A record 13,046 season tickets have been purchased for the upcoming season. The remaining seats at the Colonial Life Arena will be available for single-game ticket sales.

"When I first came to South Carolina, I didn't really imagine what the fanbase would look like, but what the people in this community, this state, have done to uplift our program is beyond my wildest dreams," Staley said.

"It’s a credit to our players and coaches who show their appreciation for the FAMS every chance we get, but it’s also thanks to everyone who has invested in our program."

The Gamecocks have led the women's college basketball in average attendance for the past decade. In the previous season, when Dawn Staley won her third championship, there was an average of 16,067 fans in attendance at home games.

Tickets for individual games for the new season will be available to the public starting at 10 AM on Friday, October 18 via Ticketmaster.