South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is one of the finest women’s basketball figures both in terms of as a former player and as a coach. However, her beginning to learn basketball was in no traditional way, as she had to fight her way through gender bias to reach where she is.
Growing up the youngest of five in North Philadelphia’s Raymond Rosen housing projects, Staley didn’t bother when it comes to playing basketball. Given there were not enough girls those days to play basketball with, Staley found her place among the boys, hustling on the court. However, that also meant that she had to face tantrums and trolls for being the odd one out.
During her recent appearance on IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Staley said that name-calling and stuff like that hadn’t bothered her due to rough beginnings growing up.
“When I was growing up, for me, it was genderless. I was just playing,” Staley said (54:58). “I didn’t know I was a girl until they told me, ‘Yep, go put a skirt on and go in.’ I didn’t realize that’s what it was, but I didn’t care. They didn’t know who my mother was. My mother’s got the strength of 10 men and thick skin. So the name-calling really didn’t bother me after a while. At first, it does.”
Dawn Staley describes herself “intensely withdrawn” growing up
Dawn Staley was naturally reserved growing up in a house of five children. She would often lose household competitions like getting to the bathroom first in the mornings and taking charge of the phone in the evenings. However, Staley found comfort in staying invisible. This very nature has also made her competitive right from an early age.
“I may have been born competitive, but my environment definitely added fuel to that fire,” she writes in her book Uncommon Favor. “I was intensely withdrawn.”
Basketball is all Staley had seen growing up. Seeing the NBA games, she found joy in the sport.
“Basketball was me talking. I was free. There was room for me to breathe…To release the person I longed to be,” she said.
Her success as a player and as a coach is a testament to her competitiveness. She is currently the highest-paid women’s basketball coach at South Carolina and is fresh off making a deep run to the finals last season.
Read More: When Dawn Staley Explained Why Raven Johnson Needed to Be ‘More Selfish’ on the Court
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
