This offseason, one of the biggest news stories was the New York Knicks’ firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau after a disappointing Eastern Conference Finals run. And while the Knicks started looking for a coach, what made even bigger news was Dawn Staley being considered as one of the options to fill in.
It was rumored that Dawn Staley, alongside several other high-profile names in the hoops coaching world, was interviewed before the Knicks landed on Mike Brown. But coach Staley says if she had made the cut and received an offer from the Knicks, she would definitely take it. Speaking on the ‘Post Moves‘ show featuring Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston, Staley said,
“If the Knicks would have offered me the job, I would have had to do it. Not just for me, it’s for women, just to break open that. It’s the New York Knicks, and I’m from Philly, but it’s the freaking New York Knicks.”
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Though Staley has never coached an NBA team, she has more than two decades of coaching experience as one of the most successful coaches in college basketball. As the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, Staley has won three national championships, been to seven NCAA Final Fours, and maintained an 81.2 per cent win rate.
But the Knicks job would have been a cherry on top for Staley’s resume. The NBA has never had a woman head coach, and Staley could have been a trailblazer. Perhaps, some other team may see the vision and approach her in the long run.
Dawn Staley says the NBA is not ready for women head coaches
Amongst many others, including Mike Brown, Dawn Staley was one of the most qualified candidates for the Knicks coaching role. Yet, she wasn’t strong enough to fit the Knicks’ portfolio, hence missing out on the cut. Speaking to Aliyah Boston and Candace Parker on this, Staley says that the NBA has to be properly ready for a female head coach.
“I will say this, the NBA has to be ready for a female head coach. You Can’t just interview somebody and say ‘We’re gonna hire her,'” Staley said (46:30).
And while she was describing her selection process, Staley recalled the one question she had asked, which she believes made her lose out on the selection.
“I think I probably lost the job by asking this question. One was who they were looking for, why I was in their candidate pool… And then my other question was, If you hired me as the first female coach in the NBA, how would it impact your daily job? Because it would, because you’re gonna be asked questions that you don’t have to be asked if you hire a male coach. There’s gonna be the media, all this stuff you have to deal with that you don’t have to deal with when you hire a male. That really got them to thinking. … I felt the energy change after that. I shot myself in the foot by being a leader, being inquisitive, asking all those darn questions.”
For now, Dawn Staley’s focus has been on preparing for yet another college basketball season. She has a lot of new freshmen and transfer students joining the team as well, which shall keep her busy with her coaching duties for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
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