Dawn Staley
The former WNBA star is the current standard bearer among black female coaches in college basketball. Staley made an immediate impact coaching her hometown Temple Owls to six NCAA tournament appearances in her seven years in North Philly.
But she’s really distinguished herself as one of college basketball’s top coaches during her tenure at South Carolina. Since taking the head coaching job in 2008, Staley has turned the Gamecocks into powerhouse. They’ve won at least 29 games in each of the last five seasons. Staley’s recent run culminated in a national championship in 2017. Staley joined Peck as the only two African-Americans to win a title.
When she’s not coaching the Gamecocks, Staley spends her offseason as the head coach of the U.S. Women’s National team. She will lead the team in their quest to win a seventh straight gold medal during the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
