There are many words that can describe Dawn Staley. Olympic winner (as a player and coach), All-Star, Coach of the Year, All-American, ACC Player of the Year. I could keep going, but we would be here for a while. All of these are amazing feats that she has accomplished during her playing days and into her 25 years of coaching. She has been able to succeed on the court due to her humble beginnings off the court. From her gameday apparel to her social media post proclaiming “Fly Eagles Fly,” there is little doubt where this basketball legend hails from. Staley is a proud native of Philadelphia. Not just regular old Philadelphia, but North Philly, 25th and Diamond to be exact.
People will often describe Staley’s game as made for Philly. Standing at just 5’6″, Staley would be described as small in stature. But she played as if she was the biggest one on the court. Built on physicality and toughness, the name Dawn Staley traveled across North Philadelphia. She was known as that girl who could hold her own against both genders. Her play led to her gaining respect from everyone in the city.
It wasn’t always like that, though. Being small and a girl led to many doubters. It took the late legend Hank Gathers to convince others to let little Dawn play with them. When she finally got to play against the boys, she thrived. One friend recalls how it was difficult to get the ball from her and how her extraordinary court vision led to her knowing where everyone was on the court at all times. Her playing style drew comparisons to Magic Johnson.
Staley grew up in the Raymond Rosen housing projects, and according to her childhood friend and former NBA player, Bo Kimble, it was the toughest neighborhood in all of North Philly. But according to Staley, growing up in the projects helped build the powerful spirit that she has today. She proclaims that it helped create distinct traits such as strength, perseverance, and toughness. If you ask her, she will say that her North Philly upbringing led to her being fearless. She is unafraid, and that fearlessness still shows up today.
Suiting up for Dobbins Tech, Dawn averaged 33.1 points per game, which led to her collecting the national player of the year from USA Today. Staley left Philly to attend the University of Virginia. This pick might have shocked people considering the Cavaliers women’s basketball program was not known as a powerhouse. But this is the reason why Staley committed there. She wanted a challenge and wanted to bring glory to a program that has not yet won a national championship. Staley likes “to be a part of firsts.”
After winning just about every award at Virginia and coming close to a championship on numerous occasions (three Final Fours and one title game appearance), Staley now had her sights on the WNBA. Playing from 1999 to 2006, Staley was a 6x All-Star. After success at the professional level, this Philly girl decided to hang up her shoes and retire. Although Dawn put the ball down, this was not the end of her success by a long shot.
Staley’s most recent success happened in another city, Columbia, South Carolina. Staley was hired by the University of South Carolina as the new head coach of the women’s basketball team in 2008. This was a big move for Staley, who was the coach of Temple University, a school located in her hometown of Philly. Her tenure at Temple coincided with her WNBA career since 2000.
Staley put her fearless mentality to the test and was now tasked with guiding the Gamecocks to success, which seemed like a grueling task considering the squad consistently struggled in SEC play. The Gamecocks only had two winning seasons before Staley arrived on campus. Staley’s Philly flair did not transcend onto the courts of Colonial Life Arena immediately. In fact, there were some struggling times ahead for Staley and her program. Her first two seasons resulted in losing seasons. She finally led her program to a record above .500 in the 2011-12 season. One of her biggest accomplishments to date might be landing A’ja Wilson. The #1 recruit in the class of 2014. Wilson could have gone anywhere to play college, but Columbia is her hometown. Going here was unheard of as South Carolina was not known as a school that got commitments from top recruits. But Wilson believed in this woman from Philly to guide her in these next four crucial years of her life. All it takes is that one recruit that can transcend a program from just existing to perennial power.
Now, it was A’ja Wilson’s turn with the guidance of Staley to help transcend South Carolina. Staley, Wilson, and Co. won the title in 2017 and brought the coveted championship trophy back to Columbia, SC, for the first time in program history. This was a major feat for Staley, as I previously mentioned, she likes “to be a part of firsts.” Although she couldn’t get it done during her collegiate days in Charlottesville, VA, she made sure to get it done this time.
Wilson’s time in Columbia has come and gone but it has only been up from here for Dawn. She has brought two additional championship hardware back to Columbia. This includes the 2023-24 season, which saw the Gamecocks go undefeated with a perfect 38-0 record.
Her current squad is known as “Dawn’s Daycare,” and this is the point where you ask, why are they known as this? Well, that all goes back to her Philly days and being raised by her late mother, Estelle. Her mother did not compromise anything with Dawn and her four siblings.
Dawn doesn’t compromise with her players either. Players want to play for Dawn, and they come to Columbia to be coached by one of the best. She scores top recruits yearly for her program. When recruiting players, Staley tells their parents that she is going to treat their kid like she birthed them herself. That means having discipline, providing tough love, and being a resource when they need it. She essentially will be everything their child will need as they navigate into womanhood and college life. And again, this mindset is all due to how her mother raised her in the housing projects.
Estelle Staley was the “neighborhood mother” for 25th and Diamond kids. They knew they could talk to her if they needed anything. Ms. Estelle’s mindset was passed down to her daughter, who strives to be this for her players. Dawn is known as that coach who is serious on the sidelines but also cares deeply about her players. These feelings have led to nothing but vibes with her players off the court. You can see those vibes constantly posted online.
Having a roster with 10 former high school McDonald’s All-Americans at a time means managing playing time. Staley has built a system where she is spreading the playing time around for her players. None of her players are playing 30 or 40 minutes a night. And her players are fine with that. In fact, they know that is the criteria if they want to play for Staley. These star players could go to any school and be the star, but they come to Columbia. Her system includes giving the players in her rotation close to 20-something minutes a game.
Her current key reserves off the bench consist of sophomores MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson and freshman Joyce Edwards. These three help provide the Gamecocks with an average of 40.5 points off the bench, the highest bench points per game in the NCAA this season. These players could go anywhere, start, and play more than 20-something minutes a game. But they trust the process of Coach Staley and know their time will come.
Dawn has seemed to manage her system well despite criticism from opposing coaches about having so many McDonald’s All-American players on her roster. All she has to say about the criticism is:
In 2025, Dawn’s hard work has paid off as she signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 basketball season. She will receive an annual salary of $4 million. The contract also includes a $500,000 signing bonus and a $250,000 escalator. This deal will make Staley the highest-paid coach in women’s college basketball. Not bad for a woman from North Philly.
25th and Diamond has been renamed Dawn Staley Lane. A fitting name for a street that gave so much to Staley. Dawn has found a new home in Columbia, SC, but she will never forget or turn her back on where she grew up. It will always be “North Philly vs. Everybody.” However, she can add a new phrase to her vocabulary, “Gamecocks vs. Everybody.” With her success, it seems like the mighty Gamecocks are not going anywhere for years to come. So, maybe you should get used to saying that phrase too.
Leave a Reply