Staley Adds Winston Gandy to Coaching Staff
COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced today the hiring of Winston Gandy as an assistant coach. Gandy’s resume includes six seasons as an associate or assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level and three seasons on the player development staff at the NBA’s Washington Wizards.
“Winston is exactly the type of person we love having in our program because of the way he develops true connections with young people,” Staley said. “He is a highly sought after young talent in our game, and I’m so happy he is bringing his great basketball mind and his ability to recruit and develop talent to Columbia.”
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to join Dawn and the South Carolina family, which has been the standard of excellence in women’s basketball for quite some time,” Gandy said. “Dawn is among the best coaches in the country, a phenomenal leader and an incredible mentor to young women. I look forward to getting to Columbia and becoming part of what makes South Carolina a great place for the best to come and play.”
In six seasons on a college sideline, Winston has helped his teams to two NCAA Tournament appearances and one WNIT showing. While amassing two regular-season conference titles and two conference tournament crowns, his teams have featured one conference player of the year, three conference defensive player of the year selections and one conference sixth woman of the year. Six first-team and two second- team all-conference selections have included four conference all-defensive team recognitions.
In Gandy’s three seasons at Duke, the Blue Devils amassed a 46-21 record, which was abbreviated by the team choosing not to participate in the 2020-21 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Gandy was hired prior to the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach and was elevated to associate head coach ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. His final season in Durham was the team’s best as Duke finished second in the ACC with a 14-4 mark that helped them close the season at No. 13/16 in the national polls and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Celeste Taylor was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-ACC selection.
Gandy got back into college coaching as an assistant coach at Rice for the 2017-18 season and was promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2019-20 season. In his three seasons at Rice, the Owls won two Conference USA regular-season championships (2019, 2020) and claimed the 2019 C-USA Tournament title. Reaching the 20-in plateau every year of his tenure, Rice played in the WNIT in his first season (2018) and reached the NCAA Tournament the following season when they posted a program-record 28 wins. An Owl was named C-USA Player of the Year twice, and they twice had the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.
Gandy got his player development start in the NBA with the Washington Wizards, serving as the organization’s coordinator of player development for three seasons, highlighted by work with several NBA All-Stars, including John Wall and Bradley Beal.
After graduating from University of Maryland in 2013 with a degree in economics, Gandy began his coaching journey by serving as the Terrapins’ director of recruiting operations. It continued a relationship with the team for which he was a practice player through his time as a student in College Park (2009-13).
