South Carolina’s Dawn Staley Selected as Semifinalist for Naismith Coach of the Year

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has been named a semifinalist for the prestigious 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year award. This announcement was made Thursday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, solidifying her spot among the top 10 coaches nominated for the honor.

Alongside Staley, other notable coaches nominated include Geno Auriemma from UConn, Cori Close from UCLA, Kenny Brooks of Kentucky, Lindsay Gottlieb from Southern Cal, Niele Ivey of Notre Dame, Wes Moore of NC State, Mark Campbell from TCU, Shea Ralph of Vanderbilt, and Vic Schaefer of Texas.

What makes this recognition even more special is Staley’s incredible track record—she’s won the Naismith Coach of the Year four times, including the past three seasons, making her the only coach in the history of the award to achieve such a feat.

This season, Staley led the Gamecocks to an impressive 30-3 record, securing both the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament championships for the third consecutive year. At the time of the announcement, South Carolina stands at second overall in the AP poll and remains one of the favorites for the coveted No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

In a release from South Carolina Athletics, the program highlighted that under Staley’s leadership, the Gamecocks have maintained their dominance with an incredible 30-win season for the fourth year in a row, marking the eighth time in her 17 years at Columbia. Staley’s squad boasts the toughest schedule in the nation, according to the NET rankings, with 19 Quad 1 games—the most in the country—and 16 Quad 1 wins, also the highest nationally.

South Carolina has also earned 12 victories over ranked opponents, including an NCAA-best seven wins against top-10 teams. Remarkably, the Gamecocks have dominated those matchups, winning by an average margin of 20 points, with only one contest decided by single digits.

The team’s success comes from a balanced approach, with the Gamecocks ranked 11th in the nation in points per game. Staley’s offense is led by a team-first mentality, with seven players averaging at least 7.0 points per game. Additionally, South Carolina’s bench is the nation’s highest-scoring, contributing an average of 41.5 points per game.

As South Carolina awaits its seeding and opponent for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, the bracket will be revealed on Sunday, March 16 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Stay updated on all things Gamecocks by checking GamecocksOnline.com and following the team’s social media at @GamecockWBB.

The full list of Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year semifinalists includes:

• Geno Auriemma (UConn)
• Kenny Brooks (Kentucky)
• Mark Campbell (TCU)
• Cori Close (UCLA)
• Lindsay Gottlieb (Southern Cal)
• Niele Ivey (Notre Dame)
• Wes Moore (NC State)
• Shea Ralph (Vanderbilt)
• Vic Schaefer (Texas)
• Dawn Staley (South Carolina)