‘Shattering The Glass’ Celebrates Dawn Staley and South Carolina’s Influence on Women’s Basketball

This weekend, authors Susan Shackelford and Pamela Grundy gathered at All Good Books for a special author event to celebrate their book, Shattering The Glass: The Remarkable Story of Women’s Basketball. The latest edition of the book includes a chapter dedicated to Dawn Staley and her influential work, alongside the University of South Carolina, in elevating women’s basketball to new heights.

In the two decades since the book’s initial release, the landscape of women’s basketball has transformed, with significant improvements. One of those changes, according to Grundy, is Staley’s Hall of Fame career, which has helped turn the Gamecocks into a powerhouse team in the nation.

“Dawn Staley has built [the program], Columbia has built, the Gamecocks have built that team into the most powerful team in the country,” Grundy remarked. “Into a team that is deeply rooted in the area.”

As a historian, Grundy credits Staley’s emphasis on community and how that approach has shaped the Gamecocks’ success. Shackelford agrees wholeheartedly with this view.

“Her first top recruits were from South Carolina that became the foundation of the house,” Shackelford explained. “Then she just built it up and she continues to pull mainly from South Carolina.”

The book also highlights the standout achievements of Gamecock legends like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston, as well as the rising generation of female athletes both on and off the court.

“There’s been a real opening recently that allows players to be themselves,” Grundy noted. “I think that’s tremendously appealing too because they are who they are.”

Shackelford believes this evolving atmosphere has contributed to South Carolina’s success, emphasizing how this approach has fueled growth in the sport.

“The skill level is very high. The interaction with fans is high, they are interested in growing the game they’re interested in the fans and I think all this is resonating,” Shackelford said. “When you merge that with Staley’s concept of community and building on the shoulders of people who came before her, building on the shoulders of people who live here, it’s just a big giant success.”

The book provides a deep dive into the evolution of women’s basketball, tracing its roots from the first women who stepped on the court, through Title IX, to the present-day. However, it is much more than just about basketball—it is a testament to women’s history and their ongoing fight for equality.

“This is the story of women working to achieve being excited, wanting to play full roles in our society and all the different kinds of obstacles that they had to overcome over a century to be able to do that,” Grundy concluded.