South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley named semifinalist for Naismith Coach of the Year
To the surprise of no one, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has earned semifinalist recognition (one of 10 coaches nominated) for the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year trophy. The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the news on Thursday.
Joining Coach Staley as semifinalists are Geno Auriemma (UConn), Cori Close (UCLA), Kenny Brooks (Kentucky), Lindsay Gottlieb (Southern Cal), Niele Ivy (Notre Dame), Wes Moore (NC State), Mark Campbell (TCU), Shea Ralph (Vanderbilt), and Vic Schaefer (Texas).
Coach Staley has won the last three Naismith Coach of the Year honors and four of the last five.
The 30-3 Gamecocks won both the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament championships this season, the third year in a row they have accomplished that feat. At the time of this writing, USC ranks second overall in the AP poll. They also are one of the favorites for the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
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From the South Carolina Athletics release:
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley was one of 10 coaches named a semifinalist for 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Staley is the only four-time winner in the award’s history for men’s or women’s basketball, including winning it the last three seasons.
Staley led the Gamecocks to the SEC Regular-Season and Tournament titles, sweeping the two for the third-straight season and the seventh time in the last 11 seasons. After putting together the toughest schedule in the nation, according to the NET rankings, she led South Carolina to its fourth-straight 30-win season and the eighth 30-win campaign in her 17 seasons in Columbia. The Gamecocks’ 19 Quad 1 games are the most in the country and include six non-conference regular-season outings. Their 16 Quad 1 wins are also the most in the nation.
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South Carolina has 12 wins over ranked opponents, including an NCAA-best seven against top-10 opponents, and has won those games by an average of 20.0 points with only one decided by single digits. The Gamecocks’ success has been built on a team concept that has them ranked 11th in the nation in points per game and their top scorer averaging just 13.2 points per game. Seven Gamecocks average at least 7.0 points per game, and the South Carolina bench leads the nation in scoring at 41.5 points per game.
No. 2/2 South Carolina awaits its seeding and opponent for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on Sun., Mar. 16, at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on South Carolina women’s basketball.
Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Geno Auriemma, UConn
Kenny Brooks, Kentucky
Mark Campbell, TCU
Cori Close, UCLA
Lindsay Gottlieb, Southern Cal
Niele Ivey, Notre Dame
Wes Moore, NC State
Shea Ralph, Vanderbilt
Vic Schaefer, Texas
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
