Women's Hoops Guru

(Guru's note: This is an enhanced version of the print story in the Inquirer Sunday sports section area of Philly.com with added information. Quotes are from the South Carolina web site which has more detail of the press conference.)

By Mel Greenberg

Dawn Staley’s transition from Temple University to South Carolina, as the Gamecocks’ new women’s basketball coach, became official Saturday when her $650,000 annual package was approved in the morning by the board of trustees.

Soon after, the Dobbins Tech graduate was introduced at a news conference in Columbia.
The deal, which gives Staley an increase from her $500,000 Temple package last year, was completed Tuesday, and both schools announced the three-time Olympic gold medalist’s departure the next day.

“It was a very difficult decision, but sometimes things happen,” Staley said of her decision to leave the Owls after making them a six-time NCAA participant in her eight seasons at
Temple.

“I think professionally I like to be challenged just to reassure myself as a coach. I thank Temple University for giving me the opportunity to hone my skills as a coach. This opportunity fits me.”

Staley joins a school that competes in the Southeastern Conference against such schools as Tennessee, which has won seven NCAA titles, including the last two.

"Some people say, `Why USC?' I say why not?" Staley said of her decision. "They have the commitment, facilities and coaches; it's a great time to be part of the movement at USC. I'm so happy because this is the first time I can speak on it now that everything has been approved.

“We’re going to work extremely hard at everything we do,” she said. “We’re going to work at turning this program around. I know [South Carolina athletic director] Eric Hyman said it’s going to take some time. I’m patient, but I’m not that patient.”

When Hyman introduced Staley, he referenced a conversation with an Atlantic Ten rival coach of Temple, whom he did not name.

"When we were researching Dawn, I talked to one of her coaching counterparts in the Atlantic 10, and he prayed that we hired her," Hyman said. "He said for the benefit of his coaching career, we needed to hire her out of that conference."

It was a remark, with some perceived humor, that appeared to come out of the nation's capital, the home of George Washington, which had dominated the conference prior to Staley's arrival.

The Colonials have continued to do well, but the Owls won four Atlantic Ten crowns in Staley's eight seasons at Temple.

Staley, the Gamecocks’ first female African American head coach, met with five members of her team before the news conference. They were as giddy as the Temple players that day in April 2000 when she took over a program that had not had a winning record in a decade.

“At first, there was that wow factor,” said Jordan Jones, a guard who will be a junior this fall. “She’s a superstar, but she is really a down-to-earth person, real genuine. She’s all into working hard, so if we work hard there isn’t going to be any problem. She’s had success everywhere she’s been — at Virginia, the Olympics, and hopefully that will carry over into here.”

Temple will begin formulating its "nationwide search," as promised by athletic director Bill Bradshaw, early this week.

He had been away all last week at football meetings in Phoenix when the Staley talks with South Carolina intensified, but he was in constant touch with developments back home.

While Temple will want to move quickly, especially with most of Staley's staff also departed, the search committee, once organized, will begin with a large list of candidates. That situation is unlike eight years ago when Staley was hired at a time there was not much interest in the vacancy.

Not every candidate will be publicly acknowledge because of some who have interest would rather not create problems for themselves with their current employers.

With no NCAA rule requiring schools with vacancies to ask permission to talk to targeted candidates currently under contract, elsewhere, Temple is free to make direct approaches to persons of whom the search committee may have an interest.

One person, not previously mentioned in the Guru's blog, who may be interested is former La Salle star Cheryl Reeve. a native of South Jersey who is one of Bill Laimbeer's key assistants with the Detroit Shock.

"I think Temple is a great opportunity for all the right reasons," Reeve said in discussing the position. "Bill Bradshaw, (Temple men's coach) Fran Dunphy, Big Five, Atlantic Ten. Dawn did a great job getting great kids to the program"

Bradshaw was the La Salle athletic director when Reeve was an undergraduate and Dunphy also has La Salle roots. She also was an assistant to Joe McKeown at George Washington and ran her own program for several years at Indiana State, besides holding an assistant WNBA position with the Charlotte Sting, coaching Staley at the time.

Olympic coach Anne Donovan will be job hunting once the Beijing Games end in China in August. Staley is an assistant on Donovan's staff.

When Staley was hired at Temple, she was away initially for her first several months playing in the WNBA and with the 2000 Olympic team in Sydney, Australia.

Former St. Joseph's star Debbie Black's name has been tossed around in recent days by persons who have followed Temple closely.

Currently an assistant coach at Ohio State, Black used to go head-to-head with Staley in a duel of All-Star point guards in the WNBA.

One name that won't be on the list is Long Island coach Stephanie Gaitley, who formerly coached St. Joseph's.

Several sources, including some at Villanova's salute dinner Saturday night to Harry Perretta for 30 years of coaching, indicated the former Wildcats star will be named the new coach of Monmouth in the next 24-to-48 hours.

Because of Staley's previous salary at Temple, which is said to be in the top 10 of Division I women's basketball coaches, and the return from her $500,000 buyout, Temple officials have the financial flexibility to either pay well an individual with extensive head coaching experience or scale back somewhat to a marquee assistant and then put the differential into building a strong staff of assistants.

Although departed from her hometown, Staley plans to continue to be involved in local affairs.

"Dawn wants to continue here," said Angelia Nelson, who heads Staley's foundation that aids urban youngsters. "Her heart remains in Philadelphia. Once she's finished with her first week or so getting situated, we will sit down and talk about how to proceed."

Staley's annual Black Tie & Sneakers Gala is still set to be held May 22.

She also has a one percent stake in the proposed Foxwoods casino project in center city.

Staley has refrained commenting on her involvement, but reports covering the bids for casino rights have said she plans to use her investment to aid the foundation by buillding playgrounds and other places in North Philadelphia to house after-school activities.

-- Mel