When Dawn Staley disclosed why she wanted to become a coach despite "never" wanting to be one

Dawn Staley has built a coaching resume that shows her Hall of Fame credentials as one of the greatest basketball coaches in basketball history. However, it wasn't like that from the beginning as she never wanted to be a coach.

In a TikTok video uploaded by Molly Fletcher on March 21, Staley talked about not wanting to coach in the first place.

"That's kind of hard to believe, even from someone that just finished their 17th year in coaching," Staley said. "But when I really found this is the thing that I'm supposed to be doing, is when your players have become a part of your being. You know, my players are now, you know, some of my best friends. ... They keep me going.

"To want to do this, even with the bad and the ugly, because I know, you know, the good outweighs all of those things, but it's a feeling. I mean, you know what? ... It's an incredible feeling that you have, that you wake up and you know you're going to make an impact in somebody's life."

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Dawn Staley, South Carolina remain steady in latest AP Top 25 poll

As the defending national champions, Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks will remain high on many radars as one of the best teams in the country.

Their ability to have the top spot in the AP Top 25 poll remains a work in progress. The Associated Press released its latest rankings on Monday, which revealed that the Gamecocks maintain their standing at the No. 2 spot. The only team above them is the UCLA Bruins, who remain undefeated with a 13-0 record.

The Gamecocks have a 12-1 record as 2024 comes to a close. Besides the lone defeat to the Bruins, South Carolina has dominated opponents with a high-level defense that is only conceding 54.5 points per game as it has a winning margin of 26.9 ppg.

Dawn Staley and the No. 2 Gamecocks will look forward to their first matchup of 2025 at the Missouri Tigers at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.