The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees approved today a contract extension for women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley that will go through the 2029-30 season and make her the highest paid college women’s basketball coach in the history of the sport.
“Dawn Staley is a once-in-a-generation coach who has made a tremendous impact on the University of South Carolina,” said Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati. “She has elevated the sport of women’s basketball on the national level and here on campus and I am excited that she will be representing our University for many years to come.”
The contract, which began immediately following Board approval, starts with an annual salary of $4 million, includes a $500,00 signing bonus and an annual $250,000 escalator, making the total value approximately $25.25 million.
“I’m proud to represent the University of South Carolina and of 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 bring together the right people from a team perspective but also have the right commitment from the University, the Athletics Department and the community to providing that team with everything it needs to be successful. I appreciate every person who has been part of our journey – player, staff member, University President and leadership, Board of Trustee 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 the reins of the program in May 2008, Staley has made South Carolina into a perennial national power. The Gamecocks are one of five programs to have at least three NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championships, and they are one of two programs to have put together multiple 40-game win 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. The Gamecocks’ 86 AP No. 1 rankings, all coming under Staley, are the third-most by a program in that poll’s history as well.
Staley’s teams have been the benchmark in the SEC over the last decade, amassing eight regular-season titles since 2013-14 and finishing no lower than second in that time. Since that season, the Gamecocks have a 165-15 record in league action, including an 81-3 mark since 2019-20. South Carolina’s current 52-game SEC regular-season win streak is the league record and is the seventhx longest conference win streak in NCAA history. Earlier this season, Staley became the second-fastest coach to reach 200 SEC regular-season victories, and her .787 SEC winning percentage (203-55) is second only to the legendary Pat Summitt. In Staley’s tenure, the Gamecocks have also had a lock on the SEC Tournament, winning eight titles since claiming their first in 2015. They became the first program in league history to win four consecutive tournaments, claiming the crowns 2015-18.
Under Staley’s tutelage, 11 Gamecocks have amassed 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 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. Three Gamecocks have earned SEC Player of the Year honors a combined seven times, and 22 have picked up All-SEC honors at least once, including 16 first-team selections.
After a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame career as a player, which included five WNBA All-Star appearances and three Olympic gold medals, Staley has proven she can prepare young talent for the next level. She has seen 14 Gamecocks taken in the WNBA Draft in the last nine seasons, including a pair of No. 1 overall picks in Wilson (2018) and Boston (2022). Three of those 14 picks earned WNBA Rookie of the Year honors and three others made their WNBA All-Rookie Teams.
Staley is a five-time National Coach of the Year. Her 2020 unanimous selection made her the first former Naismith Player of the Year to earn the Naismith Coach of the Year award, and she became the first men’s or women’s coach to claim the award in three straight seasons 2022-24. She is a seven-time SEC Coach of the Year, narrowly trailing Summitt’s SEC-record eight selections.
Off the court, Staley has made South Carolina women’s basketball a community event with Gamecock fans leading the NCAA in average attendance for the last 10 seasons. The program sold out of season tickets for the first time in program history with 13,152 sold this season, putting the Gamecocks in line for an historic 11th-consecutive season atop the national attendance rankings.
Also a force in USA Basketball, Staley was named head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team in May 2017 and led the team to its record-tying seventh-straight Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games. She was on the sideline 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 has been named USA Basketball National Coach of the Year twice (2018, 2015) and helped the U.S. to 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 has this season’s team 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. Her Gamecocks are next in action on Sun., Jan. 19, hosting No. 13/13 Oklahoma at Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN.
https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2025/01/17/south-carolina-staley-ink-historic-contract-extension/
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