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Dawn Staley to coach US women's basketball team

    by John Smallwood
    Published 
It won’t be official until Friday, but Philadelphia-raised basketball legend Dawn Staley will be the next United States Women’s Team head coach.
Ultimately it was confirmed by a source with USA Basketball, but it didn’t take much reading between the lines to figure it out.
On Thursday, USA Basketball sent a media alert that it will have a press conference at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at the University of South Carolina to announce the coach for 2017-20.

Take a guess who coaches at South Carolina and can't leave campus because her team is preparing for the NCAA Women's Tournament that starts next week – um, that would be Staley.USA Basketball Chairman, retired Gen. Martin E. Dempsey; USA Basketball CEO/Executive Director Jim Tooley and USA Basketball Women's Team Director Carol Callan would not be at South Carolina to greet the new coach if it were not Staley.

Who goes to Columbia, S.C. for a press conference if they can hold it in New York or Los Angeles of Miami?
Staley, 46, will replace University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, who led the USA to championships at the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Championships and 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medals without losing a game in the four tournaments.
Staley was an assistant coach to Auriemma and also served as an assistant to Anne Donovan when the USA won gold at the 2008 Olympics.

As a player for USA Basketball, Staley, who starred at Murrell Dobbins Tech before going on to the University of Virginia, is one of the most decorated in history.

The 2013 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has won 10 gold medals while representing the United States, including ones in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
Staley played professionally in Europe for two years before becoming a founding player in the American Basketball League with the Richmond/Philadelphia Rage.
After three seasons in the ABL, Staley joined the WNBA.
She was still playing in 2000 when she was hired by Temple University to salvage its women’s program. She initially said she had no interest in coaching when approached by Temple Athletic Director Dave O’Brien.
Staley accepted and discovered her post-playing career passion.
In her first season on North Broad Street, Staley went 19-11 and got the perennial losing Owls into the Women’s NIT.
In 2001-02, Temple won the Atlantic 10 Championship and earned just its second appearance in the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
Temple made the NCAA’s in six of the next seven seasons under Staley, who posted a record of 172-80 in eight seasons with six NCAA bids.
South Carolina called in 2008 and the challenge of building a doormat into a champion in the mighty Southeastern Conference was something Staley could not resist.
Staley had losing records in her first two seasons but in her third the Gamecocks made the WNIT.
South Carolina made the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and is now on a run of six straight.
In the last four seasons, the Gamecocks have not lost more than five games and in 2014-15 South Carolina achieved its first No. 1 ranking and advanced to its first NCAA Final Four.
The Gamecocks have won fourth straight SEC tournament titles. In her eighth season, Staley is 215-80 (.759 winning percentage) at South Carolina.
Staley’s stint as USA Head Coach will include the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.​
    JS
    John Smallwood
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