Everything Dawn Staley said previewing South Carolina’s upcoming game against Oklahoma
South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke to the media on Friday to preview the team’s upcoming matchup against No. 13 Oklahoma. Here’s everything she had to say.
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On what Staley’s contract extension means to her
“We play to a certain standard. And I do think, when you’re able to get a raise like this, it’s to your standard. I don’t think anybody expects us to play lower than our standard, and we haven’t. And then, you should be… rewarded is a hard word for me because it’s earned. When you’ve done what you’re supposed to do, and well above what you’re supposed to do, you should be paid accordingly. The university and the board (of trustees) signed off and approved of the raise.”
On what Staley’s contract extension means for her legacy in women’s basketball
“For me, I have never been driven by money at all – never ever. I think money is the byproduct of your success and your ability to work hard and be successful in your space. I do think it represents what can be in other professions that women, for whatever reason, are not paid for doing the same type of work, the same type of job.
“And I think this is an example of what it can look like, feel like, sound like. I hope everybody’s happy about it, for what it represents, because it’s only the right thing to do. And if you’re not willing to do the right thing, then your standards are off. You’re off when you can’t see the same type of work, same type of success that deserves the pay raises.”
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On being inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame
“My entire career has been, really, an uncommon type of favor. Everything that I’ve gotten, certainly, I pay tribute to the man above for just pouring out the blessings. Sometimes, they come in, and they do come in more ways than one. But this just so happened to be around the same time of the pay raise.
“When I look at Hall of Fames, I look at the type of teammates that I have. I have several teammates in that space that are already in a Hall of Fame. Sometimes, when you have teammates that are as great as my teammates have been, they shine the light. They actually pour the light outward and inward. And then, our play together, I don’t become a Hall of Famer without having the teammates that I’ve had because I didn’t score a whole lot of points. I probably had more assists than I did points.
“But to be in the FIBA Hall of Fame means that’s worldwide. That’s not just contained here in the U.S. – it’s worldwide. And it’s a true blessing.”
On continuing Pat Summitt’s legacy during “We Back Pat” Week
“It’s only right. I mean, (former Tennessee head coach) Pat Summitt has been the standard in our game. She’s done things that you can only imagine in, to me, such a short period of time. I think her legacy got cut short, but we need to honor all the four mothers of our sport because of the standard. When you see Tennessee, it was a standard of doing business, and it was all attributed to Coach Summit and her ability to bring out the best in all of her players.
“I had the great fortune of playing with and against her players, and there’s something them. You know that, if you have to go into the foxhole, her players are the type of players you want to be in the foxhole with.”
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On what Staley has learned from South Carolina during five-game stretch against ranked opponents
“It’s just game by game. If you look at you know the whole totality of these five games, or the rest of the season, it leaves you with a big headache. So, it’s just game by game.
“Next game up is Oklahoma, and we certainly have to be better. I’m glad that we’re playing at home. I’m glad that, hopefully, the 18,000 people that are going to be in this building will inject some energy, some want for us not to play bad basketball.
“We aren’t playing our best basketball; we’re not playing our worst basketball. But we’re doing enough over a long period of time – meaning a 40-minute period – to play to our standard. So, I just hope to just play to our standard so we can make the people that spend that hard-eared money to come see us play proud at the end of the day.”
On the challenge Oklahoma brings in the low post
“(It’s) huge – this is probably our biggest challenge. And I say that because of their style of play. I say that they’re relentless. I say that they go end-to-end very quickly and get quick shots up – and that’s hard. They all can score the basketball, and they got a point guard that facilitates and runs their team. It’s got high IQ. When you have the head of the snakes with teams like that, they’re just hard to beat with all the talent that they have.”
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On how Staley’s contract extension came to be and South Carolina’s players’ reaction to it
“I only give them information if they ask for it, or they have a reaction to it. And then, I just tell them what I just told you. There’s going to be a time in their lives where they’re going to feel like they’re doing a job, and they’re getting paid less – and how to handle those situations.
“It is a fight, no matter what. It’s a fight to explain to people what your worth is. You have to do some comparisons with coaches here, and you got to do some comparisons with coaches in other spaces – and it’s the way it is.
“It’s negotiations – our negotiations as women are probably a little bit different because we’re valued a little bit different. But I think, when it’s all said and done, it is the same things that you apply to this game. It’s the same persistence, perseverance. It’s really a game – negotiations are a game. You get one up; I get one up. You just keep going back and forth.
“It took a while for it to happen. And, fortunately, we got to this great place. It makes me look good, but it makes our university, our athletic department, look great in the whole grand scheme of things. Is it going to be something that’s budgetarily hard? Absolutely, because you don’t earmark money to pay a women’s basketball coach the amount of money that I’m going to get paid – and what I’ve been paid.
“But again, (former South Carolina athletics director) Ray Tanner did a great job, ran a hard bargain. Coach Tanner was very much a part of this negotiation. I think JD (current South Carolina athletics director Jeremiah Donati) came in at the end and had a say on the end. But the board, at the end of the day, did something, again, that’s extraordinary because it really just doesn’t happen.
“I’m glad it is South Carolina. I’m glad it’s our university and our board that, no matter what, we look good. It’ll be plastered all over the place, and I’ve got hundreds of text messages. But I’m glad I’m the person that is able to handle it because I really, truly, don’t care about the money. I do care about the principle of it. I don’t care about the money – it’s the right thing to do.”
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