Dawn Staley, head coach at the University of South Carolina, who has had a long and illustrious USA Basketball career that began as an athlete in 1989, was named on March 10, 2017, as head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team through the Tokyo Olympics.
As head coach of the USA National Team, Staley most recently piloted the 2019 USA AmeriCup Team to a gold medal with a 6-0 mark in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has been tabbed to again lead the USA AmeriCup Team in 2021, this time with a roster of collegiate athletes.
With Staley at the helm, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team earned a 6-0 record and the gold medal at the 2018 FIBA World Cup, which qualified the USA for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games (July 23 – Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan). She also helmed the USA National Team as it compiled a 6-0 exhibition slate in 2018.
Following her gold-medal leadership of the USA at the 2018 FIBA World Cup, Staley was named as the 2018 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year. Staley also was a co-recipient of the 2015 National Coach of the Year award, and she is the first person in USA Basketball history to have earned both the USA Basketball National Coach of the Year and USA Basketball Athlete of the Year (1994 and 2000) awards.
With Staley as a USA assistant coach at the 2016 Olympic Games, the USA won a sixth-straight Olympic gold medal, and she was on the roster for five of those titles -- three times as an athlete (1996, 2000, 2004) and twice as an assistant coach (2008, 2016).
Staley won a total of 10 gold medals as an athlete, including three Olympic and two FIBA World Championship gold medals, one bronze medal and seven international invitational titles from 1989-2004. She then transitioned into the coaching ranks, received her first USA Basketball coaching assignment as an assistant to the 2006 USA World Championship Team and was later asked to remain on board through the 2008 Olympics. With Staley on the sideline, the USA National Team from 2006-08 posted a 32-2 record, captured the 2008 Olympic and 2007 FIBA Americas Championship gold medals and the 2006 FIBA World Championship bronze medal. She also spent one game as acting head coach for the 2006 USA National Team during its training in Australia, and led the team to victory against China.
Not only has Staley coached the top-tier USA Basketball teams, she’s also headed up a number of coaching staffs at the USA Basketball junior level, and 2021 will mark the fourth time she will have pulled double-duty as a coach for a USA junior team the USA National Team.
Prior to the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship Staley received her first USA head coaching nod at the helm of the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team and did not disappoint. Taking a group of collegians to Brazil to compete against seasoned, international veterans, Staley piloted the USA Pan Am Team to a perfect 5-0 slate and the gold medal.
In 2014 Staley served as an assistant coach for the USA World Championship Team that captured gold and also was the head coach for the gold-medal winning 2014 USA U18 National Team.
The following year Staley was head coach for the gold-medal winning 2015 USA U19 World Championship Team and was on hand as an assistant as the USA National Team went 4-0 in its 2015 European tour against teams from Spain, Italy and Czech Republic.
For her efforts in 2015, Staley was named as co-recipient of the USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award.
In all, USA Basketball teams with Staley on the sideline own an overall record of 93-4 (.959 winning percentage) and USA teams are 30-0 with Staley serving as head coach or acting head coach.
Having wrapped up her 13th season (2008-09 to present) at South Carolina in 2020-21, Staley owns an overall record of 331-103 (.763 winning percentage) as head coach of the Gamecocks and has posted nine 25-win seasons, including four 30-win campaigns, captured the 2017 NCAA Championship and advanced to the 2015 and 2021 NCAA Final Fours.
Staley in 2020-21 capped her 13th season at South Carolina with a sixth Southeastern Conference Tournament crown, a NCAA Final Four appearance and a 26-5 record. She also owns five SEC regular season titles.
Staley posted 30-win seasons from
2014-15 through 2016-17 and 2019-20, finished the 2016-17 season with a 33-4 record and earned a school-record 34 victories in 2014-15.
In her most successful season as a head coach at that time, Staley coached her team in 2014-15 to a 34-3 record, a share of the SEC regular season title, the SEC Tournament crown and was a Co-SEC Coach of the Year. She piloted South Carolina to its first NCAA Final Four in program history. Further, the Gamecocks also reached the No. 1 spot in the national polls for the first time in history.
In 2013-14 Staley led the Gamecocks to a 29-5 mark, the program’s first Southeastern Conference regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where she advanced her team to the Sweet 16. Staley in 2014 was named the SEC Coach of the Year, WBCA Region 3 Coach of the Year and was one of four finalists for the Naismith National Coach of the Year award.
In addition to her winning record at SC, Staley in her 13 seasons has advanced South Carolina to nine NCAA Tournaments, and in addition to the 2017 title, reached the 2015 and 2021 Final Four; the 2018 Elite Eight; and 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019 Sweet 16s. Further, she was tabbed the 2012 Black Coaches Association National Coach of the Year and 2014 Basketball Times National Coach of the Year.
Prior to arriving at South Carolina, Staley was the head coach at Temple for eight years (2000-01 through 2007-08), where she took over a program that had not seen a winning record since 1989-90 and had never won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.
She turned the program around in her first season and went on to lead the Owls to six NCAA Tournaments and captured four A-10 Tournament titles. In all, Staley compiled a 172-80 (.683) record and had six 20-plus win seasons.
Her exploits did not go unnoticed. The 2005 WBCA Region 1 Coach of the Year was named the 2004 and 2005 A-10 Coach of the Year; and the 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2006 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year.
Including her eight seasons as head coach at Temple University, Staley owns a career coaching record of 445-177 (.715 winning percentage) in 19 years as a collegiate head coach.
As an athlete, Staley was a fixture on USA Basketball teams nearly every year from 1989-2004. A two-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (1994, 2004), Staley was voted by all U.S. team captains in 2004 to carry the United States flag and lead the USA's delegation into the Athens Olympics Opening Ceremonies. Additionally, Staley was named the MVP at the 1994 Goodwill Games and served on the USA Basketball Executive Committee as an athlete representative.
Capping an illustrious international playing career with her third Olympic gold medal in 2004, Staley first competed for USA Basketball as a member of the 1989 USA Junior World Championship Team, and through the years USA teams with Staley on the roster posted an amazing 196-10 record (.951).
She was a key in numerous successes for her country. In addition to the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic golds, Staley was on hand as the U.S. captured a pair of FIBA World Championship golds (1998 and 2002), while also helping the red, white and blue land on top of the podium at the 1999 U.S. Olympic Cup, 1994 Goodwill Games, 1993 World Championship Qualifying Tournament, 1992 R. William Jones Cup and 1991 World University Games. Her bronze medal came as the U.S. rebounded from a semifinal loss in the 1994 FIBA World Championship to return home with the bronze medal.
One of her more impressive international highlights include being a member of the historic 1995-96 USA Basketball Women's National Team that rolled up a 60-0 record, captured the 1996 Olympic gold medal and was named the 1996 USA Basketball and U.S. Olympic Committee Team of the Year.
A two-year ABL and eight-year WNBA veteran, Staley saw action in seven All-Star Games, two in the ABL (1997, 1998) and five in the WNBA (2000-03, 2005-06).
During her four years as a point guard at the University of Virginia (1989-92), her teams compiled a 110-21 record for a sparkling 83.9 winning percentage, appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, including three Final Fours (1990, 1991, 1992), and finished as NCAA runner-up in 1991.
The 1991 and 1992 National Player of the Year as a junior and senior, Staley was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in each of those years and was named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Women's Basketball Team in 2002. Virginia received outstanding play from Staley in the NCAA Tournament, and she earned Most Outstanding Player honors following the 1991 Final Four. She garnered 1991 and 1992 All-Final Four honors and was the NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
The recipient of the 1998 American Red Cross Spectrum Award, Staley has been honored on numerous occasions for her work with inner-city Philadelphia children through the foundation that bears her name, including the 1999 WNBA Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.
For her work within her community, the WNBA announced the inception of the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award in 2007. The honor is earned by the WNBA player who best exemplifies the characteristics of a leader in the community in which she works or lives.
In 2006 Staley was presented with the 2006 Temple University Hospital Auxiliary Diamond Award and honored with the 2006 Distinguished Alumna Award for the University of Virginia.
She graduated from Virginia with a bachelor of arts in rhetoric and communication studies.
