In recognition of her commitment to the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team, as well as the community, head coach Dawn Staley will be honored by the city of Columbia with a statue to be erected downtown, where she once stood a Confederate flag for decades.
Appearing on ESPN's “College GameDay,” Staley spoke about the importance of the honor and noted that a statue of one of his greatest players, A'ja Wilson, already stands in the city.
“I wanted A'Ja Wilson to be the only USC athlete to be given that honor,” Staley said before his Gamecocks' contest against Georgia on Sunday. “It's bigger than basketball, obviously. It's something the city of Columbia wanted. It wasn't something I was political for. They wanted to bring it, they wanted to represent.”
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Dawn Staley, South Carolina head coach (Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports)
“Our city is diverse, our state is diverse. It's amazing because there aren't many women, let alone black women, who receive… this honor.”
The city worked with Statues for Equality, an organization that aims to increase the number of women who are honored for their contributions to their communities.
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As someone whose parents were from South Carolina before moving to Philadelphia, Staley said she knows her mother would be “super proud.”
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said her mother would be “super proud.” (Photos by Tim Cowie/NCAA via Getty Images)
“I think it's amazing that you probably don't know the importance of it as we sit here today,” Staley added.
Local businesses helped donate money for the statue, while Statues for Equality covered the remaining 50% needed to build it.
The statue, which was approved in February 2023, shows Staley cutting down a basketball net after a championship.
The championships have become synonymous with Staley's program at USC, which he built from the ground up when he arrived in 2008. The Gamecocks have won two national titles with Staley at the helm (2017, 2022), and own a record of 426-106 in his carrer. With the program.
The city of Columbia, South Carolina, honors Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley with a statue. (Lance King/Getty Images)
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Staley has become a staple in Columbia, whether on the court or in the community. The city honors her for it now.
