Dawn Staley: 2nd black coach to win the WBB title
South Carolina Lady Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley became the second African American coach to win the NCAA National Basketball Championship for Women, after her team defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 67-55.
USA TODAY
When Dawn Staley entered the gym, CJ Pace had to be surprised.
Yes, it really was Dawn Staley – Legend of Philly, three-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA point guard and then Temple coach. Towards the end of her playing career, Staley did what seemed impossible: she juggled as a Division I coach while playing professional. Her success inspired a generation of women, including Pace, then a senior in high school and a college student in Atlanta.
But what Pace, a young black woman, could not fully appreciate at the time is that, in a sport frequented by people who looked like her, there were only a handful of Division I head coaches with the same complexion. Staley was a pioneer, but Pace didn’t really understand that yet.
Pace’s recognition of this came later – after she finished her university career in South Carolina, which Staley took over in 2008. This came after Staley turned Gamecocks into a national powerhouse, taking them to nine NCAA tournaments and turning Colonial Life Arena in a busy and high-pitched environment. In 2017, when Staley climbed the ladder to cut the net after winning his first NCAA championship – just the second black coach to do so after ex-Purdue coach Carolyn Peck – Pace noticed.
“That’s when it happened,” said Pace, now 33 and a senior coach at Cal State Monterey Bay. “That’s when it was like, ‘Okay, yeah, that’s great. What she is showing other black and brown women is that it can be done – you can build something special at the highest level. ‘”
The NCAA women’s tournament starts on Sunday, with Gamecocks taking first place in Staley as a title contender. This summer, she will have her first taste of being an Olympic coach by mentoring the US team at the 2021 Games in Tokyo. And with Hall of Fame coaches like Geno Auriemma from Connecticut, Tara VanDerveer from Stanford and Kim Mulkey from Baylor in the twilight of their careers, it’s Staley, who stepped out of poverty in North Philadelphia’s projects to become one of the most decorated players in all the time, which is about to become the face of women’s basketball.
This comes at a critical moment. The United States is in the middle of a national conversation about inequalities across society and the opportunities given – and often denied – to people of color, especially black women.
“It’s her time,” said Pace, “to take over.”
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‘It is not a question of race; it’s an opportunity ‘
Of the 64 top coaches in the San Antonio area this weekend, only eight are black women, although the NCAA estimates that 45% of Division I players are black.
These numbers are not lost on Staley. When South Carolina defeated Georgia last week in the SEC Conference tournament championship, it was the first time that two black head coaches had met for a Power 5 tournament title.
“My heart is full,” said Staley later, congratulating Georgia coach Joni Taylor. “People say, ‘You are turning this into a racing thing.’ It is not a question of running; it’s an opportunity. “
And she doesn’t plan to stop talking about it anytime soon.
“We are more numerous, but there are still many more opportunities in this area,” Staley told USA TODAY Sports. “I just don’t want us to be satisfied, I don’t want us to be blinded by what the SEC is doing, where six of the 14 women are also black.
“The text messages I receive, the screams I receive on the social networks of other black bosses and assistant coaches, is what gives me strength. I am fighting for them. “
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‘We are still fighting for respect’
When Staley became one of the best high school players in the country – she was going to win two consecutive Naismith trophies in Virginia in 1991 and 1992 – there was only one prominent black technician, C. Vivian Stringer, then in Iowa. A legend in the coaching community, Stringer is the only female coach to take three different schools to the Final Four.
In February, in an online video chat with the Associated Press celebrating Black History Month, Stringer spoke frankly about how for decades “I had no friends or people to call” as one of the only black women in coaching.
“I don’t think players know how important our voices are, how important we can be and the influence we have (on other black women),” said Stringer. “I am very grateful that we have so many of us now.”
And yet, as Charmin Smith de Cal points out, “We need more. It is nowhere near where it should be in our sport. “
Speaking with Smith, Taylor of Georgia and Felicia Legette-Jack of Buffalo, the coaches were adamant that their individual success – and Staley’s sustained success in particular – benefits all black coaches.
Throughout his career, Stringer has advised young black assistants not to be labeled merely as “recruiters”. “Our young blacks need to see you at the game,” she scolded the coaches. “We are not just recruiters.”
“I resent that, when they don’t give us credit for being bright and smart enough to be able to run a program,” said Stringer.
The question of who is on the outside is also an ongoing battle for Staley. Although she made South Carolina one of the most dominant programs of the modern era – Gamecocks are a seed for the fifth time since 2014 – Staley said this because she only has one championship, “We are not the UConns and Tennessees and Stanfords. We are still fighting for respect. Many people identify with us because of this. “
When she loses a game, which has only happened five times in the past two seasons: “I have a feeling I’m disappointing some people,” said Staley. She knows that second coaching opportunities are rare for women, especially black women. When Terri Williams-Flournoy was fired at Auburn last week, the other black SEC coaches, “got it hard”. Staley immediately extended his hand to Williams-Flournoy. “Let me help you,” Staley told her. “Let me do what I need to do to get you back.”
Stubborn in her quest for more titles, Staley refuses to lose sight of her job as a “dream trader” – for other black women training now, and for the next generation of black leaders in basketball and beyond.
Staley important voice for change
Especially last year, Staley spoke openly on a variety of topics, from training opportunities for black women to suppressing voters and increasing hate crimes against Asian Americans. This week, she called the NCAA for its blatant inequality in the women’s tournament compared to the men’s, writing on Instagram: “what we now know is that the NCAA’s long-term messages about ‘union’ and ‘equality’ were about convenience and soundbite for the moment created after the assassination of George Floyd. “
She expresses her thoughts on Twitter and Instagram, taking down enemies and dismissing ignorant trolls. She is not afraid to annoy anyone, what she says may be a result of her success (75.7 winning percentage) or her age (she will be 51 in May). It is probably a combination of both.
“We have a chance to change America through our sport,” she said. “We are mentors and teachers. We are the people capable of moving masses. “
The problem is that Staley is already doing this. When Pace talks to other young black coaches who are moving up the ranks, Staley is always part of the conversation. She has become the star of the north of this generation, a guiding light who prides herself on opening the way for other black women.
“If there is any perfect trainer for this moment, it is her,” said Pace. “And there are more of us coming.”
There better be. Staley is counting on that.
Follow Lindsay Schnell on Twitter @Lindsay_Schnell