As one of the best recruiters in college basketball, Dawn Staley is usually very busy during the summer, as this is also AAU season, where she has the chance to find new talent and try to get them to choose to commit to South Carolina. The coach visited one of these AAU circuits on Saturday, and while this is still only at the AAU level, her coaching instincts took over, and she got worked up because of one bad call.
In that girls’ AAU game, a referee called a goaltending, which usually does not happen in high school girls’ basketball. She admitted this got her worked up and said that she spoke with the girl who made the block and offered her a basketball scholarship at South Carolina.
Dizzam! I’m sitting here at a game, an AAU game and this is the first time I’ve ever witnessed a goaltending call in a girls game. Unbelievable athletic play on the ball. Goaltending hhhhmmmm. Anyhoo…..sign the offender up @GamecockWBB let’s goooo 🤣🤣🤣
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) July 19, 2025
Staley then said that she talked with the official who made the call, and that official admitted that she made the wrong call.
“Spoke with one of the officials and they admitted it was a bad call. This is the energy we need in our game. Play on!” Dawn Staley tweeted.
Spoke with one of the officials and they admitted it was a bad call. This is the energy we need in our game. Play on!
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) July 19, 2025
A video of that play has surfaced, and it shows a defender in a black uniform challenging a shot and hitting the board with her hand. That challenge forced a missed shot but was called a goaltend instead, resulting in the team’s coach wondering what happened.
here’s the play. pic.twitter.com/i2nTTxTsTe
— A.P. (@gdluckap) July 19, 2025
South Carolina Athletic Director Confirmed New York Knicks Reached Out to Dawn Staley Over Vacant Coaching Position
Meanwhile, it may be possible that Dawn Staley would not be recruiting high school kids at AAU games for long, as the NBA has come knocking. There were rumors that the New York Knicks had reached out to Staley, and South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati admitted this has actually happened.
Donati noted that the coach “impressed” the Knicks in their conversation, saying that if he were with the Knicks, he would be interested in hiring Staley for the job too.
This comes as the Knicks have been desperate for a new coach after firing Tom Thibodeau shortly after the Eastern Conference finals despite a stellar season.
Related: Texas Star Madison Booker Strikes Back at Aaliyah Moore’s 5-Word Tag on Team USA Highlight
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