“We had 2 black female officials”: When Dawn Staley raised her voice against narrative around South Carolina’s Final Four game vs Iowa

Dawn Staley has been outspoken about the importance of allowing women to have a more significant presence in their respective sports careers, whether at the playing, coaching, or officiating level. She made this point following South Carolina's matchup with Iowa in the 2023 NCAA Final Four.

Staley appeared on an episode of "The Pivot Podcast" that was uploaded to YouTube in May 2023. She touched on multiple topics, including her Philadelphia upbringing, the Gamecocks's run in the NCAA Tournament that year, media criticisms and its impact on culture and women's sports.

One of them showcased her thoughts on the officiating of the 2023 Final Four, which made history by featuring two black female officials. The crew was all-female for the first time in NCAA Final Four history.

"Why we can't talk about officiating? Like we had two black female officials in the national championship game, three females," Dawn Staley said.

"There was a big article in USA Today somebody wrote about it, and then they had a quote from the coordinator on the men's side about how bad it was, right? So I look at that and I'm just like, a whole article on officiating, when we have two black officials, they'll probably never do another national championship game, because they became one of the stories of the national championship game," Staley added.

Dawn Staley, South Carolina know their position in new AP Top 25 poll

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley gives instructions to her team during an NCAA women's basketball game. (Credits: Getty)

Dawn Staley and her South Carolina program have put out dominant performances throughout the first half of the 2024-25 season, allowing them to maintain their place among the best in the country.

In the latest rankings of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Gamecocks remain second on the list. The lone team they are trailing is the undefeated UCLA Bruins, the only one to have beaten South Carolina so far this season.

After 15 games, the Gamecocks have registered a 14-1 record that includes an active nine-game winning streak. They are putting up 82.5 points on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc, dominating opponents by a wide margin of 27.2 points per contest.

Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks will prepare for their next matchup, hosting Texas A&M at the Colonial Life Arena on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.