South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley will have to make more room in her trophy case. The two-time Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year is taking the Billie Jean King Leadership Award at the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports on Wednesday evening in New York, per the Associated Press.
The award is named after the former world No. 1 American tennis player Billie Jean King, who helped found the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
“The Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative fosters a movement where diverse talent is promoted and celebrated, from the top-down and the bottom-up,” reads the website. “It challenges the ways differences are seen, and encourages companies, corporations and individuals to embrace those with diverse personalities and lifestyles for the positive and unique contributions they bring to the workforce.”
There is no doubt Staley has been a dominant force in the world of basketball. Her Gamecocks’ went wire-to-wire ranking No. 1 in the country and wrapped up the 2021-22 season with the NCAA championship trophy. The coach also helped the U.S. women’s basketball team earn its seventh consecutive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. However, Staley is also known for her efforts in promoting opportunities for women and minorities in sports.
Staley’s first Division I championship as a coach came in 2017. She carried a piece of the 2017 net with her during this year’s tournament and started handing out pieces to other coaches of color around the nation.
“It started with (1999 NCAA title-winning Purdue coach) Carolyn Peck giving me her piece of the net a few years ahead of our 2017 national championship,” Staley told the AP.
“Someone had done that for her, and she wanted to pay it forward. When we won in 2017, I wanted to keep that tradition alive. I knew what that tangible piece of the net did for me — gave me a constant reminder of what we were working toward, kept me focused. We tried to get everyone, but we definitely got notes from those we missed, and got pieces out to them, too.”
During her 2022 NCAA championship press conference, Staley said she also plans to hand out pieces of the 2022 net to Black journalists because she wants to continue celebrating and encouraging diversity.
“It’s the same as the motivation for Black head coaches. I know what it’s like to move in a space that’s not always built for you or understands your specific path or struggle,” she told the AP this month. “So, I want those journalists who are so important to giving a voice to the athletes and programs they cover to have that tangible reminder that whatever goal they’re working toward can be achieved if they keep focused on it.”
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