USA News Hub

Basketball fans shouldn’t be surprised that South Carolina won the Women’s basketball national championship against Iowa on Sunday. They were the best team in the country all season, often beating their opponents in dominating fashion.

And nobody should be surprised that Dawn Staley became the first Black coach in women’s or men’s college basketball history to complete an undefeated season. South Carolina was two games away from completing it last year.

Additionally, nobody should be surprised that Staley is the first Black college basketball coach to win three national titles because she was also the first Black college basketball coach to win two national titles in 2022.

But most of all, we should be celebrating the way Staley handled her championship win against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes because not everyone would’ve done the same thing.

If you didn’t know, Staley has been near the top of women’s basketball at every stage in her career.

During her four years at the University of Virginia. from 1988 to 1992, Staley was named the Naismith College Player of the Year twice during her junior and senior years. In the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics, she helped lead the women’s national team to the gold medal.

During her 10-year career in the WNBA, she was a six-time WNBA All-Star and was also a member of the 10th and 15th-anniversary team.

Prior to her national championship win on Sunday, Staley was a two-time national champion, four-time Naismith Coach of the Year, had led South Carolina to six Final Fours, and led the women’s national team to a gold medal as a coach at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

That almost sounds like a perfect sports resume.

Despite all that, Staley acted as if she had never won anything in her life, and was grateful and grateful to have such great people around her.

Just watch her post-game interview with ESPN just moments after South Carolina took down Iowa:

During the trophy ceremony, Coach Staley took it a step further.

Throughout this entire women’s college basketball season, one player dominated the headlines, and that was Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. Despite the unbelievable run Staley’s team was on, Clark was the headline, and for good reason.

She dazzled basketball fans with incredible passing and shotmaking ability with the likes the women’s game has never seen before.

While accepting her team’s championship, Staley could’ve been spiteful, saying something along the lines of, “South Carolina ain’t going anywhere!” or “South Carolina is always going to be the main attraction.”

Staley opted for a more humble approach, saying, “I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport, and it’s not gonna stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she’s the number 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, she’s gonna lift that league up as well. So Caitlin Clark if you’re out there you are one of the goats of our game.”

That’s a champion. That’s handling a win with grace and class.

In a moment where Staley had every right to brag, she opted to be humble. Which is why she is the perfect person to continue leading young ladies at the University of South Carolina to national championships for years to come.