Ranking ‘Dawn Staley’ Among Women’s Basketball Coaches for Final Four Appearances and National Titles

Live from Tampa, Fla. — Dawn Staley is making her seventh appearance at the Final Four, a remarkable achievement, but one that still leaves her with a steep climb compared to other women’s basketball legends.

On Friday, Staley’s No. 1 seed Gamecocks (34-3) will face No. 1 seed Texas (35-5) at 7 p.m. ET in Amalie Arena. It’s a venue where Staley first reached the Final Four with South Carolina a decade ago.

This season marks an impressive streak of five consecutive Final Fours for the Gamecocks. In 2017, Staley led the team to its first-ever national title, and now, they are looking to defend their championship from last season, when they finished a perfect 38-0. South Carolina also took the title in 2022.

Despite her success, Staley still has a long way to go to top the all-time list for most Final Four appearances. Currently, she ranks sixth among women’s college basketball coaches with seven appearances, but to reach the top, she would need to make 17 more to surpass UConn’s Geno Auriemma, who holds the record with 24.

Here’s how Staley compares to the top coaches with the most Final Four appearances:

1. Geno Auriemma (UConn) – 24
2. Pat Summitt (Tennessee) – 18
3. Tara VanDerveer (Stanford) – 15
4. Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame) – 9
5. Leon Barmore (Louisiana Tech) – 9
6. Dawn Staley – 7
7. Jeff Walz (Louisville) – 4
8. Gail Goestenkors (Duke) – 4
9. C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers/Iowa/Cheyney State) – 4
   … and 11 coaches with three appearances.

When it comes to active SEC coaches, Staley holds the top spot for the most Final Four appearances. Kim Mulkey of LSU has four, while Vic Schaefer is making his third appearance, this time with Texas.

As for national championships, Staley ranks near the top with three titles, but still trails Auriemma (11 championships) and Summitt (8 championships).

Stay tuned as Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks aim to defend their crown and continue their dominant run in women’s basketball.