The Temple Owls' streak of 25-consecutive wins ended March 22 after a 61-54 loss to No. 3-seeded Rutgers in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament. For Temple head coach Dawn Staley, this marked the beginning of one offseason and the end of another.
May 8, Staley will begin her seventh season as a player with the WNBA's Charlotte Sting. As the current Temple head coach and starting point guard for the Charlotte Sting, the former Virginia basketball star certainly has been successful since graduation.
"It's hard," Staley said, in response to the difficulties of managing both positions. "My existence really has to do with this game, though. As I always tell my girls when they don't want to study or lift weight, 'Sometimes you have to do what you don't want to do in order to get what you want.'"
As a player for Virginia from 1989 to 1992, Staley compiled an award-filled career. The Staley-led Cavaliers compiled a 110-21 record en route to a whopping 83.9 winning percentage during her four seasons. In addition, Virginia captured two ACC regular season championships and three ACC tournament titles. Between 1989 and 1992, Virginia made three trips to the NCAA tournament, reaching the Final Four three times (1990-92) and the national championship game once (1991).
During the regular season, Staley's accomplishments earned her the 1991 and 1992 National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year awards. Staley's coach, current Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan, knew that the player she had handling the ball was special.
"She was the quintessential point guard -- a player that saw the court extremely well, was a great coach on the floor, [and] could pass the ball extremely well," Ryan said. "She could score, she could rebound the ball. She was a great player all the way around."
In 1999, the Charlotte Sting used the ninth overall pick in the WNBA draft to select Staley. In 2001, the Sting reached the WNBA finals, falling to the Los Angeles Sparks. The following year, Staley would lead the Sting to an Eastern conference final. In 2003, the Sting tied a franchise-high in wins with an 18-14 record and second place finish in the conference.
In the offseason, Staley found time to train and compete for the USA Basketball team and the Olympics. She was a member of the historic 1996 Women's National team that compiled a 60-0 record on the way to a gold medal. In 2000 and again in 2004, Staley added two more Olympic gold medals to her already impressive résumé.
"Receiving my first gold medal was absolutely amazing," Staley said. "The second gold medal was special, but we were the defending champions, so we worked really hard to make sure we left with another one. The third was different because standing up there, I knew that this would be my last time doing this. I dedicated that one to all the people that came from humble beginnings. In a way, it was a storybook ending. I carried the flag in and a gold medal out."
It is easy to get lost in the myriad awards and achievements this athlete has compiled, yet the difference she has made as a person is far greater.
"I'm very proud of everything Dawn has accomplished," Ryan said. "From the three Olympic gold medals to the success she had in the pros to all her coaching accomplishments, she's been a great role model for young women all over the world."
Despite success as a player, Staley was lured into coaching in 2000. Since then, she has served as Temple's head women's basketball coach. She has helped the Owls to three NCAA Tournament appearances and this year's A-10 title. This season's success earned Staley the 2004 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year award.
"It's funny because I never actually wanted to be a coach," Staley said. "They had to talk me into it five years ago. But now I realize that this is something that I was meant to do. My kids need me. They need my experience, my influence, my ability to relate to them in a way that benefits them."
Through the Dawn Staley Foundation, begun in 1996, Staley has been able to give back to the communities that have meant so much to her.
"You can't possibly dream all of this stuff," Staley said. "I've approached basketball with a level of respect and when you do that, good things come your way. My inspiration is my mother and [my home]. I grew up in housing projects in North Philadelphia, and basketball was my way out. I got into all of this to show the world that people that are from the inner city make it out. That is why I created the Dawn Staley Foundation."
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