Dawn Staley says South Carolina statue in her honor is ‘bigger than basketball’
The Philadelphia native will be honored in Columbia, S.C., for her achievements as South Carolina head coach.
Dawn Staley will be honored with a statue at the South Carolina statehouse in Columbia, S.C. The Philadelphia native and former Temple women’s basketball coach has turned South Carolina into a powerhouse, winning two national titles and making five Final Four appearances during her 16 seasons as Gamecocks head coach.
“It takes me back,” Dawn Staley said Sunday on ESPN’s College GameDay ahead of South Carolina’s game vs. Georgia. “I wanted A’ja Wilson to be the only USC athlete to be bestowed that honor. It’s bigger than basketball, obviously. It’s something the city of Columbia wanted. It wasn’t anything that I politicked for.”
The statue, which will be located across from the statehouse where a Confederate flag once flew, was originally announced in February 2023. According to Staley, it marks a moment of progress for the state.
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ESPN showed images of the in-progress statue, which will depict Staley cutting down the nets after a national championship win. No official unveiling date is scheduled.
The statue is being built in partnership with Statues for Equality, a nonprofit that aims to increase recognition of American achievements by women and people of color through statues.
“They wanted to represent our city’s diversity, our state’s diverse, and it’s awesome because not very many women, let alone black women, get bestowed this honor,” said Staley, 53. “And we’ve got two places in which you can come to the city of Columbia, and see two, and all through playing basketball. All through the round ball of playing basketball.”
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The South Carolina coach is from Philadelphia, but her parents grew up in South Carolina before moving north, and Staley said that made the moment extra special.
“It’s an incredible honor that I probably don’t know the significance [of] as we sit here today, but my mom would be proud,” Staley said. “As a South Carolinian, she would be proud.”