Dawn Staley doesn’t expect a female coach in the NBA anytime soon
It’s been an interesting offseason for Dawn Staley.
The three-time national champion from South Carolina was a candidate for the New York Knicks coaching job after Tom Thibodeau was fired in early June. He interviewed with the Knicks front office this summer, but New York decided to hire longtime NBA coach Mike Brown.
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At SEC media days on Tuesday, Staley was asked if he expected a woman to be hired as an NBA head coach in his lifetime. He’s not optimistic.
“I don’t know,” Staley said. “And I hope I’m wrong.”
When interviewing for the Knicks’ position, Staley appreciated that president Leon Rose and executive vice president William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley acknowledged the complications of hiring a female coach for the position. Unlike a traditional candidate, there would be more scrutiny for Staley and other women in that position. An organization looking to make this type of hiring needs to look at the process differently.
“It’s not just about hiring the first female coach,” Staley said. “Because one, if I’m the coach of the Knicks and you have a five-game losing streak, it’s not going to be about losing streaks. It’s going to be about being a female coach. So you, as an organization and a franchise, have to be prepared for that and strong enough to withstand those types of situations where you’re a female coach.”
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Staley was also asked about her individual desire to be a pioneer as a female head coach in men’s basketball spaces.
“Not really much,” Staley said. “I did the Knicks interview because I’ve known Leon Rose for 30 years. I have a connection with him and Worldwide Wes. I’ve known them my whole life. It was a real interview and I like to see what they talk about.”
In his response, Staley urged his colleagues to seek his advice when seeking coaching opportunities in the NBA and men’s college basketball.
“If there is anyone who is interested in meeting and being the first female NBA coach, I have all the information,” Staley said. “Come see me because I will prepare you for the interview. If there are any NBA franchises interested in hiring a woman, I’m here too because you have to be ready to deal with this and all the things that come with it.”
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Staley now turns his attention to his 18th season at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason poll behind defending champion UConn. The program announced this week that honorable mention All-America Chloe Kitts will miss the entire season with a torn ACL.
This article originally appeared on The Athletic.
New York Knicks, South Carolina Gamecocks, NBA, WNBA, Sports Business, Women’s College Basketball, Women’s College Basketball
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