(BPRW) South Carolina Historic Staley Ink Contract Extension – Black PR Cable

(BPRW) South Carolina Historic Staley Ink Contract Extension

(Black PR Wire) COLUMBIA, SC – The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees today approved a contract extension for head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley that will run through the 2029-30 season and make her the highest-paid women’s college basketball coach in the sport’s history.

“Dawn Staley is a once-in-a-generation coach who has had a tremendous impact on the University of South Carolina,” said Director of Athletics Jeremiah Donati. “She has elevated the sport of women’s basketball to a national level and here on campus, and I am thrilled that she will represent our university for many years to come.”

The contract, which began immediately after Board approval, starts at an annual salary of $4 million, includes a $500.00 signing bonus and an annual escalator of $250,000, making the total value approximately $25.25 million.

“I am proud to represent the University of South Carolina and its investment in women’s basketball,” Staley said. “What we’ve been able to accomplish on the court is a testament to what can happen when you put the right people together from a team standpoint, but you also have the right commitment from the university, the athletics department and the community to provide that a team with everything it needs to be successful. I appreciate every person who has been a part of our journey – player, staff member, university president and leadership, board member, athletics director, athletics department employee and fan. I look forward to continuing to be an example of how an investment in women’s basketball is one that will pay off for everyone.”

Since taking over the program in May 2008, Staley has turned South Carolina into a perennial national power. The Gamecocks are one of five programs to have at least three NCAA national championships in women’s basketball and are one of two programs to have compiled multiple 40-game winning streaks. Staley has led South Carolina to six of the last nine NCAA Final Fours, including each of the last four. Their current 107 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the AP poll is the longest active streak and the 11th longest streak in the history of that poll. 86 Gamecocks rankings in AP No. 1, all coming under Staley, are also the third most for a program in the history of this study.

Staley’s teams have been the benchmark in the SEC for the past decade, amassing eight regular-season titles since 2013-14. here and finishing no lower than second during that time. As of this season, the Gamecocks have a 165-15 league record, including 81-3 since 2019-20. South Carolina’s current 52-game SEC regular season winning streak is a league record and is the seventh-longest conference winning streak in NCAA history. Earlier this season, Staley became the second-fastest coach to reach 200 SEC regular-season wins, and her .787 SEC winning percentage (203-55) is second only to the legendary Pat Summitt. During Staley’s tenure, the Gamecocks also enjoyed success in the SEC Tournament, winning eight titles since winning their first in 2015. They became the first program in league history to win four consecutive tournaments, claiming the 2015-18 crowns.

Under Staley’s guidance, 11 Gamecocks have accumulated 27 All-America honors, including two national players of the year in A’ja Wilson (2018) and Aliyah Boston (2022), who also became the program’s first national defensive player of the year, CoSIDA Academic All-America Teammate of the Year and Honda Cup Female Athlete of the Year. Three Gamecocks have won SEC Player of the Year honors a total of seven times, and 22 have earned All-SEC honors at least once, including 16 first-team selections.

After a career as a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer that included five WNBA All-Star appearances and three Olympic gold medals, Staley has proven she can groom young talent for the next level. She has seen 14 Gamecocks taken in the WNBA draft over the past nine seasons, including a pair of No. 1 picks in Wilson (2018) and Boston (2022). Three of those 14 selections earned WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, and another three made their WNBA All-Rookie teams.

Staley is a five-time national coach of the year. Her unanimous choice for 2020. made her the first former Naismith Player of the Year to win the Naismith Coach of the Year Award, and she became the first men’s or women’s coach to win the award in three consecutive 2022-24 seasons. She is a seven-time SEC Coach of the Year, one shy of Summitt’s SEC-record eight selections.

Off the court, Staley has turned South Carolina women’s basketball into a community event with Gamecock fans leading the NCAA in average attendance over the past 10 seasons. The program sold out season tickets for the first time in program history with 13,152 sold this season, putting the Gamecocks on track for a historic 11th consecutive season atop the national attendance rankings.

Also a force in USA Basketball, Staley was named head coach of the USA Women’s National Team in May 2017. and led the team to a record seventh straight Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games. She was on the sidelines as a head or assistant coach or on the court as a player for six of those seven gold medals. As a head coach, Staley was a two-time USA Basketball National Coach of the Year (2018, 2015) and helped the USA win 11 international gold medals. For her contributions to international basketball, Staley will be inducted into the FIBA ​​Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.

Staley’s team this season is ranked No. 2/2 in the nation with a 17-1 overall record and a 5-0 mark in SEC play, including an NCAA-best six wins over ranked opponents.

Source: University of South Carolina