Dawn Staley is first Black coach to win 3 D1 championships
Dawn Staley has quietly become a very successful college basketball coach. She took over the women’s basketball program at the University of South Carolina and turned them into a dynasty. Since Staley has been at the helm, she won titles in 2017, 2022, and now 2024. This season, South Carolina completed an undefeated season. They overcame a tough game to beat Iowa, led by Caitlin Clark, who is the biggest name in women’s basketball.
Dawn Staley, herself, was a basketball legend before coaching. Staley was one of the charter members of the WNBA. After a successful career as a player, she began her post-playing career. Just because she retired as a player didn’t mean she was done with basketball. She accepted the head coaching position with University of South Carolina, and created a very successful program. As previously stated, today’s win is Staley’s third championship.
Dawn Staley has led South Carolina to three consecutive 36+ win seasons. During this span of time, they’ve only lost three games. Unfortunately, two of those three were during the NCAA tournament, which meant they didn’t win those championships. This afternoon, South Carolina played a balanced team game, getting the win over Caitlin Clark’s Iowa. With that, Staley made history, as the first Black coach to win three division one titles.
Dawn Staley is first Black coach to win 3 D1 championships
