Dawn Staley

Medal record
Women’s Basketball
Competitor for  United States
Olympic Games
Gold	Atlanta 1996	United States
Gold	Sydney 2000	United States
Gold	Athens 2004	United States

Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American basketball player and coach. Staley is a three-time Olympian and was elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was named the University of South Carolina women's head basketball coach on May 7th 2008.

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (June 2007)

• Heads the Dawn Staley Foundation, which gives middle-school children a positive influence in their lives by sponsoring an after-school program at the Hank Gathers Recreation Center. The Center focuses on academics and athletics and sponsors basketball leagues and other fund-raising activities.
• Is currently writing a four-book series loosely based on her childhood.
• Gave her 1996 Olympic gold medal to her mother, Estelle, whom she cites as the biggest influence in her life.
• In 2005, named the recipient of the Woman One Award for community and public service and a runner- up for the first-annual Wooden Cup Award, named after John Wooden.
• In 1996, she appeared in an episode of Martin (TV series), along with other members of the 1996 USA Basketball Women's Team: Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoopes, and Teresa Edwards.
• July 24, 2004 was proclaimed Dawn Staley Day in Charlotte by Mayor Pat McCrory.

In 2006, Staley and other individuals became prominent investors in a Foxwoods slots casino proposed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1] In September 2008, facing massive opposition at the originally proposed waterfront location, backers for the slots casino decided to try and seek a new location in the Center City area, next to Philadelphia's Chinatown community.^[2] As of January, 2009, the casino still does not have a building permit.

High school years

Staley was named the national high school player of the year during her final season at Dobbins Tech High School in Philadelphia.

College years

Staley attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. During her four seasons in college, she led her team to four NCAA Tournaments and three Final Fours and one National Championship game. She was named the ACC female athlete of the year and the national player of the year in 1991 and 1992. Staley finished her college playing career with 2,135 points and holds the NCAA record for career steals with 454. She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1992 Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei^[3].

ABL career

In 1996, she joined the Richmond Rage of the American Basketball League (ABL) and led the team to the ABL finals in 1997. The following season, the team moved to Staley's hometown of Philadelphia.

WNBA career

In the 1999 WNBA Draft, Staley was selected with the ninth overall pick by the Charlotte Sting. In 2001, she led the Sting to the Championship game of the WNBA playoffs.

On August 1, 2005, Staley was traded to the Houston Comets. Staley announced before the start of the WNBA season that she would be retiring after the Comets season was over. The Comets made the playoffs and faced the Sacramento Monarchs in the first round. The Monarchs swept the Comets and won the series 2-0, ending Staley's career.

International career

Europe

• 1994-1995: Tarbes GB

After graduation Staley played professional basketball in France in Tarbes, Italy, Brazil, and Spain before joining the WNBA.

USA selection

Staley repeatedly played for Team USA throughout her career. In 1994 she competed in the World Championships and was named the USA basketball Female Athlete of the Year. She led the 1996 team to an undefeated record of 60-0 and the gold medal at the Olympic games in Atlanta. She was also a member of the 2000 Olympic team that defended the gold medal.

She won a third gold medal with Team USA at the 2004 Games in Athens. Her Olympic performance lead to her being named 2004 USA Basketball Female Athlete Of The Year at the end of the year. Before the Games, she was selected to carry the flag of the United States during the parade of nations at the opening ceremony.

Coaching career

After the 1999 college basketball season, Temple University named Staley the head coach of its women's basketball program. In her first season, the team advanced to the WNIT. In 2001, 2002, and 2004, her teams won the Atlantic 10 tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The 2004-05 season proved to be her best though, as her Owls went 28-4 on the year, including a perfect 19-0 against Atlantic 10 opponents. As a result of the streak, Coach Staley led the Owls to a 25 game winning streak, longest at that date in the nation (Men's Or Women's) before being ousted in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Rutgers. In the midst of the run, Coach Staley reached the 100th win plateau in the A-10 Semifinals vs Xavier, becoming the fastest coach in women's basketball to achieve that.

The 2004 and 2005 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and 2005 Regional Coach of the Year, Staley has won 172 games, becoming the fastest coach in Temple women's basketball history to reach 100 wins. She has led the Owls to their first-ever A-10 Tournament titles (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006), six NCAA appearances since 2002 and a first-ever Top 25 National Ranking. In 2006, Temple won its third straight Atlantic 10 title, a feat that has been accomplished just one other time in A-10 history. Staley's Owls have won four of the last six Conference titles and are ranked 31st on the nation's list of most wins over the last seven years. She also helped to produce Temple's first-ever WNBA First Round Draft Picks, when Candice Dupree ('06) and Kamesha Hairston ('07) were drafted by the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun, respectively. All of this hard work has not gone unnoticed. In the summer of 2007, Philadelphia's favorite daughter was voted Philadelphia's "Best College Coach" in Philadelphia Magazine's "Best of Philly" edition.

On May 7, 2008, it was confirmed by the athletic director at Temple University that Dawn would leave Temple for the University of South Carolina. She left Temple with the best overall record of 172-80, along with six NCAA appearances and four Atlantic 10 titles.

During the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Staley served as an assistant coach under Team USA head coach Anne Donovan and helped the Americans win their fourth straight gold medal in women's basketball and sixth in their past seven Olympic appearances.

Head coaching record

Vital statistics

• Position: Guard
• Height: 5 ft 6 in / 1.68 m
• College: University of Virginia
• Team(s): Charlotte Sting/Houston Comets (WNBA)
• Coaching: Temple University (2000-2008); University of South Carolina (2008- )

See also

Philadelphia portal

• Lisa Leslie
• Sheryl Swoopes
• Rebecca Lobo

References

1. ^ Foxwoods Philadelphia website, listing investors
2. ^ www.planphilly.com
3. ^ "1992 WOMEN'S R. WILLIAM JONES CUP". http://www.usabasketball.com/news.php?news_page=wjcup_1992. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 

External links

• Dawn Staley's Official website
• Dawn Staley's U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Biography at owlsports.com
• WNBA Player Profile

Olympic Games
Preceded by Cliff Meidl	Flagbearer for  United States Athens 2004	Succeeded by Lopez Lomong
Awards
Preceded by Shannon Higgins	ACC Female Athlete of the Year 1991–1992	Succeeded by Mia Hamm