COLUMBIA — Dawn Staley was at Carolina Coliseum on Tuesday. Champ, her Havanese sidekick, led the way as she ambled down a ramp and a small staircase before hitting the exit. Champ’s regularly scheduled potty break had been delayed, so it was serious business.
At some point over the past week or so, the New York Knicks reached out to Staley about being their coach. That’s serious business, too, and for myriad reasons. Let’s just hope it was a serious overture by an often unserious organization.
Because an unassailable truth is that the South Carolina coach has more to offer the Knicks and the NBA than either can offer her.
That much is evident by the lopsided vibe all around Colonial Life Arena. Seventeen years of excellence in women’s basketball swallows up everything the men have accomplished over the course of a century.
Staley stands as the greatest coach in school history. On a larger scale, she has a place in the mythical Hall of Fame wing of the Hall of Fame if she never coaches another game. So who can blame the Knicks — always clawing for relevance in their own city, let alone nationally — for getting the ball rolling?
Jeremiah Donati, South Carolina’s athletic director, confirmed the communication, telling On3 Sports, “If I were them, I would have called her, too.” How that call went and where things currently stand otherwise remain up in the air.
Chiefly because Staley hasn’t said anything about it.
She made a beeline past media on Tuesday to get Champ out into the Midlands sunshine. You really can’t blame her, given the urgency of that situation.
Winning season, fired coach
A report in The Athletic earlier Tuesday provided some clarity. It said “while Staley impressed in that conversation (with the Knicks), she is currently not considered a finalist for the position.”
That doesn’t mean it was a full-on interview between the parties. Staley can microwave a good impression even if the other person had dialed a wrong number. It might’ve been an exploratory call or merely a feeler; it could’ve been a prearranged deep dive. Only her camp and the Knicks know for certain.
Still, it’s news whenever there’s an NBA coaching vacancy.
After all, there are only 30 of those jobs in the world. Failing to get the right person into the right position can derail even the most stable of franchises. And if history has proven anything, it’s that the Knicks aren’t a model of consistency and sensibility.
This is the franchise that hasn’t won a title since the Nixon administration; wasted a generational player for whom the NBA Draft Lottery was basically created; and had Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas flushed out of the Garden after failing as both a coach and general manager (along with some awful sexual harassment claims).
Good on the Knicks for the success of this past season, one of their best this century. But how did the franchise respond to its deepest playoff run since 1999-2000? By firing coach Tom Thibodeau after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals. And doing so without a back-up plan in place.
Geez.
Right fit, right time
Oh, to see the reaction when Staley, who doesn’t tolerate fools or foolishness, saw the Knicks on her phone’s caller ID.
To New York’s credit, though, it at least took a chance.
The NBA — as much as, if not more than any other professional league — has a habit of reprocessing coaches. Snapping the cycle by vetting Staley shows promise, if indeed it was a genuine consideration. Doing something for the sake of merely looking smart isn’t, well, smart.
Then again, Staley’s been connected to other NBA gigs.
Most notably, she interviewed for Portland’s coaching job in 2021. The Trail Blazers eventually went with former five-time NBA All-Star Chauncey Billups, whose resume consisted of a whole year as a Los Angeles Clippers assistant.
By the way: Billups has gone 117-211 since getting that job and Portland has yet to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Staley is 144-13 with two national titles, a runner-up finish and another Final Four appearances.
It’s not apples to apples, but lay the resumes beside each other and convince yourself the disparity isn’t jarring. You can take a minute to catch your breath.
“She’s Dawn Staley — she’s the standard,” USC guard Ta’Niya Latson said Tuesday. She transferred to play for the Gamecocks after leading the nation in scoring last season at Florida State (25.2 points per game). “... The NBA should be able to come to her. She’s Dawn Staley, but we’re going to try our best to keep her.”
That shouldn’t be a problem. Staley has made no bones about being present where her feet are planted.
“For me, there’s just something about women’s college basketball that looks, sounds, and feels right,” she wrote in her recent book “Uncommon Favor.”
To be clear, Staley’s contract has a clause permitting her to leave for a pro coaching job without a buyout. It’s a way to leave that door open in case the right opportunity manifests.
“Right” as in “perfect.” The far-from-perfect Knicks likely did themselves a favor by moving on rather than ultimately being rejected.
Would it, however, be a groundbreaking opportunity? Unquestionably. Would it add another level to her greatness and encourage others to strive for previously unobtainable positions? Without a doubt.
And, if anything, Staley is all about inspiring. And winning.
That’s serious business for her.