The University of South Carolina is unbeaten under Head Coach Dawn Staley. The 8-time SEC Champions have managed to maintain their winning streak up to 31 games. Their recent victory came in a close game against Tennessee as they won 74-73.
The 53-year-old coach is getting all the praise for her tactics and gameplan. However, she is not just an incredible coach but she is also a talented athlete.
How long has Dawn Staley been at South Carolina?
Staley has been with South Carolina since 2008. This is her 16th season with the Gamecocks. Here, she started rebuilding a program from scratch and has been getting better finishes in each subsequent season since the 2008-09 season.
While her record is 31-0 this season, she had a similar record in 2020 where she led the Gamecocks to a 32-1 season and swept the National Coach of the Year award.
As per Knox News, she signed a seven-year $22.4 million contract with South Carolina in 2021. This would pay her $2.9 million per season and marked an $800,000 raise, making her the highest-paid Black coach in women's basketball.
How many championships has Dawn Staley won at South Carolina?
She has coached 508 games for the Gamecocks and has a 402-106 record. She has won two NCAA titles in 2017 and 2022. Also, she coached South Carolina to the Conference tournament champions on seven occasions (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2023).
In the regular season, the Gamecocks have been crowned the champions eight times (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024).
She recently won the 2024 SECWBB Coach of the Year.
Where did Dawn Staley coach before South Carolina?
Before the South Carolina Gamecocks, Staley used to coach the Temple Owls from 2000-2008. Furthermore, she was in the USA Olympic team at the time, which was attending the Final Four in Philadelphia.
She left Temple with the best overall record of 172–80, along with six NCAA appearances and four Atlantic 10 titles.
It will be interesting to see if the Gamecocks go unbeaten this season?
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