'And I hope I just am a beacon of hope for other Black coaches just to keep on keeping on, because you can have success at this level when given an opportunity and when you work hard.'
Staley also remarked that it also makes it easier to have success when you have a point guard like Destanni Henderson. The senior guard, who joined Staley on the 3rd hour of TODAY Monday, erupted for a career-high 26 points in her final collegiate game and helped hold 2021 national player of the year Paige Bueckers to 14 points to lead South Carolina to the victory.Staley is the first Black coach to win two Division I national titles in women's basketball.
"I’m just super proud of our players because it’s not often that you can be the No. 1 team at the start of the season, through the entire season and the end of the season, and then come into the tournament with so much pressure and actually deliver," Staley said. South Carolina started the year ranked No. 1 and validated that ranking with a national championship.The Gamecocks also had some unfinished business after losing a one-point heartbreaker to eventual champion Stanford in last year's Final Four.
"We had some players that there's just a memory etched in their minds when we had two opportunities to win the game against Stanford in the last Final Four," Staley said."To have it come full circle with the opposite result, with us winning the national championship, and turning that frown and those tears upside down — smiling, happy tears."Scott Stump is a staff reporter who has been a regular contributor for TODAY.
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Staley leads South Carolina over UConn for second NCAA titleDawn Staley and South Carolina buttoned up on defense and won their second national championship, stifling UConn for a 64-49 victory that ended the Huskies’ undefeated streak in title games.
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Staley leads South Carolina over UConn for second NCAA titleDawn Staley and South Carolina buttoned up on defense and won their second national championship, stifling UConn for a 64-49 victory that ended the Huskies’ undefeated streak in title games.
Read more »