Dawn Staley lors d’un match des Gamecocks. – Source : Matthew Maxey, Getty

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley, who has been at the helm of the program for nearly 17 years, has had a successful career. Through her leadership of the team now ranked No. 6 in the country, the veteran tactician has led them to three NCAA national championships, six Final Four appearances, eight SEC tournament and regular-season titles each.

Throughout her success with the Gamecocks, the 54-year-old’s program has been considered one of the top destinations for any aspiring women’s basketball player. But if there’s one player who could match her stature as a focal point in the growth of the women’s game, it’s former Iowa Hawkeyes sensation Caitlin Clark.

In an interview with Forbes in August 2024, Staley, whose net worth is $12 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, explained that the rise of women’s basketball’s popularity relies on a single unifier. She believes it was Clark who carved out that role for herself due to her growing celebrity.

“I think sometimes you need a unifier. I think Caitlin Clark has done a tremendous job of being the person that people want to see,” Staley said. (3:1o). “It’s the young people, the old people, she’s brought a different perspective to our game. Now we’re on the radio, on every talk show, on every podcast.

“Now we see not only Caitlin, but all the other talented young girls that we didn’t dare to talk about for one reason or another. But now it’s a popular thing to talk about women’s basketball and that’s a good thing. I’m so happy to be alive and healthy to witness it, to see it and to be a part of it,” she added.

Clark has transcended her game in the WNBA ranks, becoming the 2024 Rookie of the Year as she prepares for another successful season with the Indiana Fever later this year.

Dawn Staley et A’ja Wilson en 2017. – Source : Matthew Emmons, Imagn

Dawn Staley has produced superstars from the South Carolina Gamecocks program who have gone on to stellar WNBA careers. One of them is 28-year-old A’ja Wilson, who has won two WNBA championships, including a Finals MVP award. She released a signature sneaker with Nike called the “A’One,” a testament to her celebrity.

Under Staley’s tutelage, Wilson won the 2017 national championship with her and was even named NCAA Tournament MOP before being named the 2018 Naismith College Player of the Year.