“You had to earn everything you got”: $12 million worth Dawn Staley reminisces invaluable time at Virginia Cavaliers
Dawn Staley will be featured in the upcoming video series produced by the University of Virginia Athletics Department. The series celebrates the achievements, pursuits, mindsets and leadership of some of the most influential women associated with the program.
The Virginia Cavaliers' latest post on X on Friday highlighted the South Carolina coach, announcing that an episode dedicated to Staley will be released next week. The snippet showcases Staley, reflecting on her playing days at UVA.
"Growing up where I grew up, it wasn't equal opportunity," Staley said. "You had to earn everything you got. It was the very thing that gave me my competitive edge. I've always been drawn to challenges. I look back on my time at UVA and it was everything I needed."
The program released the trailer for the upcoming series earlier this week on YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook.
Narrated by Dawn Staley, the trailer features players from track, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, golf, tennis, squash, volleyball, and other sports including basketball's Kymora Johnson and swimming's Gretchen Walsh.
Dawn Staley's time with the Virginia Cavaliers
Dawn Staley quickly became one of the best point guards in the collegiate circuit. Apart from orchestrating the Cavaliers’ offense, Staley was also an opportunistic and pesky defender.
Behind her leadership, Virginia made it to the NCAA tournament each year, resulting in three Final Four and one NCAA championship game appearance.
Staley averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists throughout her college career while shooting 46.0% from the field. Her best offensive season was her freshman year, where she posted 18.5 points per game.
Even though her scoring dropped in the coming years, Staley improved to be a more effective facilitator and defender. She led the ACC twice in steals and assists in her junior and senior years, earning multiple National Player of the Year and conference Female Athlete of the Year awards.
Dawn Staley ended her career with an all-time NCAA record in steals (454). Her record has been broken since then, relegating her to the 11th spot on the list.
Staley's #24 was mounted in the rafters in 1993 and she was included in the Distinguished Alumna of the University of Virginia in 2006 for her contributions to women's basketball.