Staley Named USBWA National Coach of the Year
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley earned National Coach of the Year honors from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the organization announced today. Winner of the award in four of the last five seasons, Staley becomes the first coach in the award’s history to capture the honor in three consecutive seasons and her four awards are the second most all-time.
Staley has led her team to its third-straight NCAA Tournament overall No. 1 seed with the Gamecocks entering the NCAA Tournament undefeated for the second-consecutive season. After losing seven players to graduation, including all five starters from the 2023 NCAA Final Four team, Staley entered the season with just one player who had ever started a game as a Gamecock. Still the talent level that returned and was added via the transfer portal – Te-Hina Paopao – and the signing class had the team slotted at No. 6/4 in the preseason national polls. South Carolina dominated its historic season-opening top-10 matchup in Paris and shot to the top of both polls, where it has remained for the entire season. The Gamecocks’ seven wins over ranked opponents are the second-most in the country and their 17 wins over NET top-50 teams lead the nation.
The Gamecocks swept the SEC Regular-Season and Tournament titles for the sixth time in the last 10 seasons, posting a perfect 16-0 SEC regular-season record for the third time in program history. Named National Coach of the Year by The Athletic and ESPN, Staley drew SEC Coach of the Year honors from her colleagues for the seventh time this season, leaving her just one behind legendary Pat Summitt for the most selections in league history.
Staley’s team has thrived this season because if each Gamecock’s commitment to the team. With an offense ranked fourth in the nation at 86.1 points per game, the Gamecocks’ top scorer is ranked just 250th in the nation. South Carolina’s bench is second in the nation with 33.3 points per game and has outscored its counterparts by 20.7 points per game this season.
South Carolina opens play in the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Fri., Mar. 22, with a 2 p.m. tipoff against the winner of the Wednesday’s First Four game between Presbyterian and Sacred Heart.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on South Carolina women’s basketball.
