Well, Dawn Staley is majorly popular for two things: her desire to always be the first and her excellent coaching philosophies. I hope you didn’t forget the Gamecocks’ highest-scoring bench last season. That depth helped them be the favorites throughout the year. However, as South Carolina lost to UConn in the Championship Game, the Gamecocks’ HC was expected to rewind. Her focus is on something bigger, though!

When the post of HC of the New York Knicks was open, she had her eyes on it. As she herself admitted during the August 27 episode of Post Moves, “If the Knicks would have offered me the job, I would have had to do it. Not just for me, it’s for women, just to break open that [barrier].” But while she was offered the interview, it didn’t go as expected.

But Staley wasn’t going to stop. Despite losing the job to Mike Brown, she decided to open up. Speaking at SEC Media Day on October 14, she sent a clear message when asked about her desire to be the first women’s coach in the NBA or in men’s CBB. “Not really a whole lot,” Staley stated. She went on to explain that she did the Knicks interview because she’s known the president and vice president for years.

“I did the Knicks interview because I’ve known Leon Rose for 30 years. I’m a person that I need a connection to the people. I have a connection to him and Worldwide Wes. I’ve known them all my life. It was a real interview, and I liked to see what they were talking about,” she added. However, she was more than happy to help someone achieve this dream.

“If there is somebody that is interested in knowing, interested in being the first female NBA coach or such, I got all the information. Come see me coz I’ll get you prepared for the interview. And if there are NBA franchises interested in hiring a female, I’m here too, because you’ve got to be ready to take on that and all the things that it comes with, coz it’s not just hiring the first female coach.”

There will obviously be repercussions of hiring a female head coach in the NBA, which Staley pointed out. “Because one, if I’m the Knicks coach and you have a five-game losing streak, it’s not going to be about the losing streak. It’s going to be about being a female coach. So, you as an organization and a franchise, you have to be prepared about that and strong enough to endure those types of instances when you’re a female coach.”

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The first Black coach, male or female, to win three Division I basketball titles has an impressive résumé. She led USC to a perfect 38-0 record, making them only the 10th team in history to achieve an undefeated season just two years ago. She’s also the fifth coach to win at least three titles. So, Staley’s got trophies, experience, and the skills that make her an ideal candidate for an NBA head coaching position.

But of course, it isn’t that easy, especially since hiring a female coach isn’t normalized in the NBA yet. The men’s pro league still prefers hiring male coaches to guide the locker room. And who knows it better than Staley, who interviewed for the Trail Blazers coaching position in 2021? Though she isn’t the only one.

The former assistant coach with the Spurs, who even coached the team for a game, Becky Hammon, knows the feeling too. Before taking up the position of Las Vegas Aces HC, she had interviewed for several NBA head coaching jobs. Staley, though, seems well-prepared to take on all challenges, but it didn’t work out for her in the summer.

After a known miss, Staley’s back at hitting the bull’s-eye!

While Staley was appreciative of the Knicks organization, as per The Athletic’s James L. Edwards’ sources, the Gamecocks head coach “was not considered a finalist to fill the vacancy left when the team fired head coach Tom Thibodeau following the franchise’s first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years.” Well, the first female NBA coach would’ve been a better fit, considering her experiences.

And why not, when coaches usually crash and burn in Midtown, even those with little to no NBA head coaching experience. But for females, it isn’t an option. That’s exactly why the San Antonio Spurs, who seemed like a natural fit to make history with Becky Hammon as interim head coach, hired Mitch Johnson instead. But Staley saw it all coming before.

Though she lost the opportunity, she hasn’t lost her focus.

The three-time national champion turned her attention back to her 18th season at South Carolina. After losing to UConn, she’s expected to make a comeback, and it looks like she’s on the right track too, as the Gamecocks are ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason poll behind defending champion UConn.

And while star forward Chloe Kitts is going to miss the season due to an ACL tear, the Gamecocks still remain a favorite to win the title.