Staley on Naismith Late Season Watch List
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley is one of 15 named to the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Last season, Staley became the first person to be named Naismith Coach of the Year after previously winning the Naismith Trophy for Player of the Year.
The 2020-21 Gamecocks have been ranked in the top five all season, including two stints in the No. 1 position, despite losing a pair of top-10 picks in the WNBA Draft. South Carolina is undefeated in SEC play and has six wins over nationally ranked opponents – the second-most such wins among the AP Top 25. Staley’s team entered the season as an offensive powerhouse and has developed its defensive identity over time, currently ranking second in the SEC in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Gamecocks have shown the ability to win by both pouring in points, scoring 70 or more in 14 of 19 games, and by locking down opponents, holding 10 teams to 60 or fewer points.
The No. 2/3 Gamecocks open their final two weeks of the regular season on Thu., Feb. 18, at No. 21/21 Tennessee. Tipoff on SEC Network is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
Adia Barnes, Arizona
Kim Barnes Arico, Michigan
Gary Blair, Texas A&M
Mike Carey, West Virginia
Cori Close, UCLA
Jose Fernandez, USF
Brend Frese, Maryland
Kellie Harper, Tennessee
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State
Kevin McGuff, Ohio State
Wes Moore, NC State
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
Jeff Walz, Louisville
The 2020-21 Gamecocks have been ranked in the top five all season, including two stints in the No. 1 position, despite losing a pair of top-10 picks in the WNBA Draft. South Carolina is undefeated in SEC play and has six wins over nationally ranked opponents – the second-most such wins among the AP Top 25. Staley’s team entered the season as an offensive powerhouse and has developed its defensive identity over time, currently ranking second in the SEC in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Gamecocks have shown the ability to win by both pouring in points, scoring 70 or more in 14 of 19 games, and by locking down opponents, holding 10 teams to 60 or fewer points.
The No. 2/3 Gamecocks open their final two weeks of the regular season on Thu., Feb. 18, at No. 21/21 Tennessee. Tipoff on SEC Network is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
Adia Barnes, Arizona
Kim Barnes Arico, Michigan
Gary Blair, Texas A&M
Mike Carey, West Virginia
Cori Close, UCLA
Jose Fernandez, USF
Brend Frese, Maryland
Kellie Harper, Tennessee
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State
Kevin McGuff, Ohio State
Wes Moore, NC State
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
Jeff Walz, Louisville
