Dawn Staley speaks on “beautiful” national championship banner hanging ceremony: “We’ve been able to do it three times”
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and the team witnessed the hoisting of their national championship banner, and the coach still cherishes the occasion.
After top-ranked South Carolina’s 92-60 victory over Coppin State on Thursday, Staley reflected on winning the national championship three times in seven years.
Dawn Staley is no stranger to success. The six-time WNBA All-Star won three Olympic gold medals with the United States women’s basketball team from 1996 to 2004. Staley is also the first to win the Naismith Award as a player and a coach.
“It’s beautiful," Staley said. "It’s always and it’s only one. It’s only one team that’s able to do that and we’ve been able to do it three times in the past seven years and that’s incredible,” she added.
Staley made some points regarding South Carolina’s performance against Coppin State.
“Every game we play, we learn something," Staley said. "I mean, I learned that, at times, we’re not very disciplined. I’m used to us being a lot more disciplined than we’re playing with in longer stretches. Then, when we get up by a big lead, I’d rather us not try to do things to please the crowd. It’s cool if you connect with it. It doesn’t look good if you don’t,” she exclaimed.
Dawn Staley’s record with the South Carolina Gamecocks
Since joining South Carolina in 2008, Staley has achieved a lot. She became the second African American to coach a women’s basketball team to a national championship after Carolyn Peck led Purdue to the 1999 NCAA title.
When asked about South Carolina’s program-record 61 consecutive home wins beginning since Dec. 17, 2020, Dawn Staley referenced moving on to the next game after each win.
"I just think about the next game," Staley said. "If we stop to think about what we've accomplished, we'll let our guard down. It's not one of the goals that we set, but to actually live it and do it and be a part of it, I gotta tip my hat to all the players and all the coaches that have created what we've created."
"So, I think it's remarkable but I'm not gonna think about it after I walk through that door but only try and just add to the next one and try to get better," Staley said.
South Carolina (4-0) will close out November at rival Clemson on Wednesday and then at No. 5 UCLA on Sunday before facing No. 8 Iowa State (Nov. 28) and Purdue (Nov. 29)