By Mel Greenberg
PHILADELPHIA _ Talks have accelerated between Temple women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and University of South Carolina officials over the vacant Gamecocks coaching position, several sources familiar with the negotiations said late Monday night.
When noted that the annual Black Tie & Sneakers gala on behalf of Staley’s Foundation is several weeks away (May 22) and which Temple is very involved because of its high-profile women’s coach, one of the sources noted that if a deal is made it could be completed well before then.
“It’s very active,” the source said of the negotiations although it is not known if South Carolina has actually made Staley an offer.
Citing the different estimates of Staley’s Temple lucrative salary that have been recently reported, though none of the numbers have been confirmed, the same source acknowledged that South Carolina may have figured out how to tap Fort Knox to pry the three-time Olympic gold medalist and former WNBA all-star from her comfortable surroundings in her native Philadelphia.
On Friday, the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee estimated Staley’s annual salary at $400,000, not counting income from camps and other incentives, which would be double the pay of former South Carolina coach Susan Walvius, who resigned under pressure April 14, after 11 seasons.
Walvus, incidentally, previously coached at Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond.
The Tennessee publication is pursuing the story because of the candidacy of longtime Vols assistant and former Tennessee star Holly Warlick, who had a second interview Friday, according to the News Sentinel.
South Carolina officials are not commenting on their search, but The State in Columbia reported on April 28 that officials were planning to interview Staley, who was in China at the time as an assistant with the United States women’s senior national team at a tournament in Beijing.
Staley has since been interviewed, the News Sentinel reported, and another source confirmed.
A year ago, Staley’s name was on most everyone’s shopping list when an array of high-profile jobs became vacant, but Temple officials were able to sign the fabled coach to a six-year extension.
That deal includes a sizeable buyout, although the numbers haven’t been reported or confirmed.
North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell, who has South Carolina roots, was briefly involved and interviewed by South Carolina, but withdrew Thursday, the News Sentinel reported.
Besides the buyout and keeping Staley’s salary at a high value, South Carolina would have to accommodate her current staff of assistants, all of which she could be expected to want to bring to Columbia if she becomes the new coach.
Another person thought to be a potential candidate is Chattanooga coach Wes Moore, who has led his team to seven Southern Conference titles in the last eight seasons.
But a source in the Southeastern Conference believes that South Carolina, which was 11th in the SEC last season, has made it a priority to hire a minority female as its new coach.
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Temple-Staley Era
Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and former WNBA All-Star, had no prior coaching experience when Temple lured her into the profession in April, 2000, to a program that had not experienced a winning record in almost a decade.
She immediately became successful, leading the Owls to a 19-11 record and a first-round appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Staley went on this past season to become the all-time Temple women’s basketball coach with career wins at 172-80.
In her eight seasons, Staley has produced six NCAA appearances, four Atlantic Ten titles, five Big Five crowns, including a current unbeaten record of four straight, and a record 18-game local win streak.
Additionally, Candice Dupree became a WNBA first-round draft pick in 2006, followed the next season by Kamesha Hairston, who was selected by the Connecticut Sun.
Staley has not been shy in her scheduling and has annually built the nonconference slate with such opponents as Rutgers, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia, LSU, and North Carolina State, to name a few.
Though Temple got few victories out of the challenge, a strong dose of that kind of opposition this past season was a major factor in Temple landing an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the second straight at-large invite under Staley.
Why Leave?
Originally it was thought the school that had the best chance to grab Staley was her alma mater at Virginia when her former coach Debbie Ryan retires, which won’t be happening anytime soon unless the scene changes in Charlottesville.
One clue as to where Staley is on the salary scale is the recent inability of UCLA to attract her. The Bruins eventually hired former Tennessee assistant Nikki Caldwell, who was reported by the Los Angeles Times to receive near $300,000 in a five-year deal.
If a South Carolina offer has been or will be made, it will be the second time Staley must decide whether to leave home.
In September of 1998, Staley, who had been a member of the Philadelphia Rage, jumped to the rival WNBA several months before the American Basketball League collapsed under bankruptcy. But that was more of a business decision, although Staley bemoaned at the time how the sport that had given her so much had transformed in terms of her predicament.
In terms of making adjustments with a departure for the South, Staley would be giving up the summer camps here, although her marquee value is such she could be successful in that area, anywhere.
However, a new home in South Carolina would also mean running the foundation from afar, but Staley has talented persons in place who handle most of the administrative matters.
There’s also the matter of whether much of Staley’s family would relocate, especially her mother Estelle who has enjoyed making the short trips to Temple home games.
But other factors tug from below the Mason-Dixon Line.
This time around, some colleagues hearing of the reports out of South Carolina, say Staley couldn’t do much more at Temple, despite the resources, and the new challenge would be an allure of the Southeastern Conference and annually going against the likes of Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, and Vanderbilt, to name a few.
Potential Successor List
Unlike the Temple vacancy when Staley was hired, there could be much more interest in the job this time depending on what direction the athletic department wants to head in terms of the Owls juxtaposition in the national scene beyond the Atlantic Ten.
It’s a place where conference rivals Xavier and George Washington dwell, but Temple has been competitive with both schools.
One local person who might be asked to interview could be John Miller, the former La Salle women’s coach who led Mount St. Joseph’s High to the Class AAA state championship and was named the coach of the year by the Associated Press.
Miller called this past season his biggest thrill in coaching, but considering his friendship with Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw, a former La Salle AD, and Temple men’s coach Fran Dunphy, he would be expected to listen if Temple called.
In terms of current young head coaches outside Staley, if Boston College couldn’t attract Hartford’s Jen Rizzotti to move and still stay close to home, Temple wouldn’t have much of a shot either at the former University of Connecticut star.
Perhaps Carolyn Peck, the former Florida, Purdue, and WNBA coach now broadcasting with ESPN, might be approached, or maybe even Teresa Edwards, a longtime USA teammate and friend of Staley who is an assistant with the WNBA Minnesota Lynx. The former Georgia star also played under with the Rage in the final brief front end of the 1998-99 season before the American Basketball League folded.
Former Boston College coach Cathy Inglese is out there as is former Arizona coach Joan Bonvicini.
Would Boston U. coach Kelly Greenberg, a former La Salle star who coached Penn to two Ivy titles, return to the Big Five, if asked? Bradshaw was also the AD when she played for the Explorers.
One of the most successful Division II coaches nationally is Holy Family’s Mike McLaughlin, a finalist for the La Salle job several years ago.
Former Villanova star Denise Dillon has done a nice job at Drexel, but is comfortable with the Dragons. However, her employers know one day some school could approach her with enough of an offer that Drexel might not be able to match the proposal to retain her.
Some other head coaching types with local affiliations: This past rebuilding season aside, Tina Martin has had years of success at Delaware. Dayna Smith, a former Penn assistant, took Cornell to the Ivy title this past season. Maybe Army’s Dave Magarity would have interest in returning to Philadelphia.
The assistant crop has some intriguing possibilities of persons with potential to be ready for the next step. Two are at Connecticut in Tonya Cardoza and Jamelle Elliott.
Cardoza couldn’t be pried by her former Virginia teammate Staley in 2000, and, if Staley were to try again, she might not succeed either at South Carolina if she became the head coach.
Elliott might become interested in Temple for the right price, based on previous schools at which she was recently in play when head coaching vacancies existed.
Michelle Marciniak, the former Tennessee star out of Allentown who is now out of a job as an aide at South Carolina, would be interested in returning to the area as either a head coach or associate head coach.
Rutgers assistant Marianne Stanley, a former Immaculata star, has won national titles as an Old Dominion head coach, and has been a winner at Southern Cal and Stanford, as well as in the WNBA, but it’s doubtful she would want to come back to Philadelphia at this point in time.
However, an intriguing name could one of C. Vivian Stringer’s other assistants -- Carlene Mitchell – who has come close at several other places for head coaching slots recently and was the architect of the monster Scarlet Knights recruiting class, special factors notwithstanding.
Former South Jersey star Lisa Cermignano is an assistant at Vanderbilt and was previously at George Washington, her alma mater. Former Rutgers star Vicky Picott is also a Vanderbilt aide to Melanie Balcomb, who is from the Trenton area.
Furthermore, it’s unknown who might apply without Temple casting the nets in its search, if a search is required.
Then again, perhaps in the end, Staley will stay put, for now, making all of this an exercise for the future when the vacancy actually occurs.
-- Mel
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