Where did Dawn Staley coach before SC? Revisiting South Carolina HC's coaching career

The name Dawn Staley has become synonymous with dominance over the years. Since getting hired as the SC Gamecocks women’s basketball coach, Staley has worked hard to take the program to the top. Most recently, she led the Gamecocks to the SEC regular-season championship and a victorious SEC tournament campaign.

Where did Dawn Staley coach before SC?

Dawn Staley coached the Temple Owls before her tenure at South Carolina started in 2008. Staley accepted the offer to coach the Owls while she was still a player in the WNBA.

Staley was approached by the Athletic Director of Temple University, Dave O'Brien, with an offer for the position of the Owls women’s basketball head coach. After initial reluctance because of her playing career, Staley accepted the role ahead of the 2000–01 season.

Staley began her time at Temple on a positive note. She led the Owls to the WNIT in her debut season as coach and won the A10 tournament, qualifying for the NCAA tournament. She led the Owls to two additional A10 tournament victories in 2002 and 2004 before departing the program for SC in May 2008.

Her tenure at South Carolina didn’t get off on the kind of note it did at Temple. With the Gamecocks, Staley inherited a program that needed to be rebuilt. She lost her first two seasons coaching the Gamecocks. But by her third season, she had built a winning team that continued to improve.

Subsequently, she led the Gamecocks to eight SEC tournament victories. The team has ended eight seasons under Staley as SEC regular-season champions.

Staley has spent 16 seasons coaching the Gamecocks and has transformed the basketball program into one of the most competitive programs in the country. Notably, she has led the team to two national championship victories.

The 53-year-old coach has also been honored with three Naismith Coach of the Year Awards and one AP National Coach of the Year Award. In addition, she has won three USBWA National Coach of the Year Awards and the SEC Coach of the Year seven times.

Staley has also been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

is: Did Dawn Staley play college basketball? Exploring the South Carolina head coach's playing career