South Carolina Women's Basketball Coach Dawn Staley Makes History With National Championship Win

By Brian Jones

The South Carolina Women's basketball team defeated the University of Connecticut 64-49 on Sunday to win its second national championship since 2017. And with the win, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley has done something no other Black head coach has done before. According to CBS Sports, Staley became the first Black head coach in Division 1 history (men or women) to win multiple national titles. Staley took over as the Gamecocks' head coach in 2008 and lead the team to their first national in 2017 by defeating Mississippi State. 

"I mean, this journey of being a coach has been truly gratifying," Staley told reporters after the game, per The State. "I have to reflect on this part of it. Like it comes with a great deal of pressure, pressure because we were the No. porters after the game 1 team in the country throughout the entire season, pressure to come into the NCAA Tournament and be the favorites, by most people not all. Certainly not who we went up against today. I think that changed the narrative a little bit because of the success that UConn has had in our tournament."

Staley, a former WNBA player and three-time Olympic gold medalist, made history in October when she signed a seven-year $22.4 million contract extension with the University of South Carolina, making her the highest-paid Blck college basketball coach in the nation. "I didn't do this for me," Staley said, at the time, per USA Today. "I am an advocate of equal pay and overall, this is a huge statement for women and for Black women — and not just in sports but all over the country — when you think about how much less they're paid on the dollar compared to men."

The Gamecocks had a memorable season as they finished with a 34-2 record. They were led by Aliyah Boston, the Naismith Player of the Year who was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after recording 11 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. "It feels amazing," Boston said. "Honestly, I've been thinking of this since last season because everyone had a picture of me crying at the end of the Final Four and they put it everywhere. But today we're national champions and... happy tears. Happy tears. If you guys want a smile, here you go. And we're national champions."

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