South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley has turned her program into one of the best in women’s college basketball. When Staley joined them in 2008, the program was not as established as it is today. The 55-year-old has turned it around and made it a powerhouse team in the sport.
Despite this, Staley once refused to take the spotlight, even during the years when the Gamecocks were still rising and just about hitting their stride. Staley detailed this mindset of hers in March 2018, courtesy of a video posted on YouTube by ESPN, through which the now legendary coach dived deep into what exactly she is looking for as an individual.
“I don’t consider myself powerful. I have to set a great example. I have to keep them understanding that there’s a bigger picture than, you know, what they’re going through today. I think that’s power in knowing that you can help someone else see that, see their light. Power to empower, yeah,” Staley said (2:37).
Staley is coming off a 2024-25 season in which she and the Gamecocks were defeated by coach Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies in the 2025 National Championship game by 23 points, 82-59.
They were not able to win back-to-back national titles and finished the campaign with an overall record of 35-4 (15-1, SEC).
When Dawn Staley said her mindset of inspiring fans stems from her upbringing
Later in her exclusive 2018 documentary with ESPN, which shows the ins and outs of coach Dawn Staley’s on-court and off-court life, she shared that her mindset of staying away from the spotlight and just trying to set an example for her fans and supporters stems from her difficult upbringing.
“Some things aren’t, you know, privy to certain people. You know, I grew up in an impoverished neighborhood. Most people that didn’t live there that were looking in thought it was probably just a worn, trashy neighborhood. I think I’m a living testimony of someone beating the odds. You know, I just feel like a beacon of hope for someone who looks like me, who grew up like me,” Staley explained (3:36).
Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks now enter the 2025-26 season, looking to avenge their foiled 2024 national championship defense and win their fourth national title. The Gamecocks have won three national championships in their program’s history, with the first one coming in 2017 and the last two coming in 2022 and 2024.
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