Dawn Staley, the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, made a special appearance at Columbia University’s softball team on Wednesday evening.
The Columbia Softball team posted on X, “An Evening with the GOAT! Giving us the Championship word! Thanks to @dawnstaley for spending time with us this evening.” They also posted two pictures and a video of Staley speaking to the girls on Zoom.
Staley then quote-tweeted the original post, responding “Thank you for allowing me in your space. Put your habits on display and lean in on your teammates and @JenTeague24 and coaches! Winners win!!”
During the offseason, the 55-year-old basketball coach has been staying busy. Staley has been very active on social media lately because she is currently promoting her book, “Uncommon Favor,” which comes out May 20. She’ll also be kicking off a book tour at the end of the month.
Thank you for allowing me in your space. Put your habits on display and lean in on your teammates and @JenTeague24 and coaches! Winners win!! https://t.co/tPn8S0IiWR
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) May 8, 2025
On Tuesday, Staley congratulated her former student A’ja Wilson and her Nike collection. Wilson played for the Gamecocks from 2014 to 2018.
Just last Wednesday, the city of Columbia, South Carolina, honored Staley with a statue during a special ceremony, recognizing her contributions to the community and the game.
Staley is a Hall of Fame basketball player and a highly respected coach. A three-time Olympic gold medalist as a player, she also won gold as head coach of Team USA. Staley starred at the University of Virginia before a successful WNBA career.
She has been the head coach of South Carolina since 2008 and has led her team to three national championships (2017, 2022 and 2024) and seven Final Four appearances. Staley is the first Black coach in NCAA Division I basketball history to win three national championships.
