South Carolina women's basketball: Ray tanner updates Dawn Staley's contract situation plus the Gamecocks get their White House visit
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National championships usually mean White House visits and new contracts, and it looks like the Gamecocks are getting both.
To the victor go the spoils
By the time they started sweeping up the confetti at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, it was apparent that Dawn Staley was in line for a contract extension, and probably a big one.
Staley signed her last contract in 2021. That summer, programs across the country handed out big contracts to coaches. Staley’s was the biggest, briefly making her the highest-paid coach in the sport.
Since then, Staley has added two more national championships, but she is the only one that has not signed a new contract. Clearly, she is due.
Appearing on 107.5 The Game on Thursday, Ray Tanner confirmed that he has begun discussions with Staley about a new contract. The process has been slowed in part because Staley was in Paris for the Olympics for two weeks, but Tanner said he is “hopeful” a new contract will get done before the start of the season.
“I would tell you that certainly as you would guess there are ongoing conversations about a new contract. I’ll share that with you,” Tanner said.
Staley is entering year four of a seven-year, $22.4 million deal (an average of $3.2 million per year). She made $3.78 million last season ($1 million in base salary, $2.1 million in outside compensation, and $680,000 in bonuses).
Kim Mulkey signed a 10-year, $36 million extension last fall (an average of $3.6 million per year). Geno Auriemma’s extension signed earlier this year is worth $18.7 million (an average of $3.7 million per year). Staley’s contract figures to be worth at least as much.
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“She takes great joy in being able to serve and do things for other people,” Tanner continued. “It’s special for us that she represents our university, our women’s basketball program, and our city and our state.”
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The third time’s the charm
South Carolina will visit the White House on September 10 to be recognized for their 2024 national championship. The invitation was extended and accepted on Thursday.
The Gamecocks did not visit the White House after the 2017 or 2022 titles. In 2017 the invitation was extended just days before the 2018 season began and Staley declined in order to focus on the upcoming season.
After the 2022 championship, Rep. James Clyburn, who is friends with Staley, extended an invitation on behalf of the President during the championship parade. However, the visit never came to fruition. Reportedly, the White House eventually tried to schedule a visit this past March, but again Staley declined to focus on the season.
Finally, the Gamecocks will get their visit. With every player except Kamilla Cardoso returning from last season’s squad, the logistics should be pretty simple. It remains to be seen if Cardoso can attend – the Sky are off on the 10th, but host the Mystics on the 11th.
The ceremony will take place at 11:00 am. Television and/or streaming information will be available closer to the ceremony.
