In new memoir, women's college basketball coach Dawn Staley says she's a 'sore loser'

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: In New Memoir, Women's College Basketball Coach Dawn Staley Says She's a 'Sore Loser'

Release Date: June 3, 2025

In the latest episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Andrew Limbong delves into the life and career of Dawn Staley, the esteemed head coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. Staley, a gold medal-winning Olympian and former WNBA player, discusses her new memoir titled Uncommon: Basketball North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three. The conversation provides an intimate look into her journey, the challenges she's faced, and the lessons she's learned both on and off the court.

---

Early Life and Roots

Dawn Staley's Philadelphia Upbringing
Staley opens up about her upbringing in North Philadelphia, highlighting the stark differences between public perception and her personal experience.

Dawn Staley [02:04]: "I grew up in the projects, and if you weren't from my neighborhood, you would probably think it's probably the worst place to raise children."

Despite the harsh stereotypes, Staley emphasizes the supportive community at the Raymond Rosen Manor, where adults played pivotal roles in guiding the youth.

Dawn Staley [02:30]: "If you were outside of your household and an adult in the neighborhood saw you do something that was not appropriate, they had the honor and privilege to put us back in line as a college basketball coach."

Transition to South Carolina

Building a Life in a New State
Staley discusses her unexpected path to South Carolina, contrasting her mother's experiences in the state during the 1940s and 1950s with her own journey.

Dawn Staley [04:02]: "I could not. Like, my mother left this state... my mother passed away in 2017. And the nine years that she was able to spend here in South Carolina with her siblings, our family, it could have happened a better way."

Her memoir sheds light on the complexities of her family's relocation and the challenges her mother faced, setting the stage for Staley's own successes in South Carolina.

Championing Equality

Equal Pay Advocacy
A significant highlight of the discussion centers on Staley's battle for equal pay within South Carolina's basketball program, making her the highest-paid Black female coach ever.

Dawn Staley [05:48]: "It took six months to get it, but it was a fight worth fighting. Not just for me, just for the next coach. So, you know, if I can be a beacon of hope for other women in different professions, I'd like to be that."

Staley's determination to secure equal pay isn't merely a personal victory but a step forward for women in sports and other male-dominated fields.

Building a Championship Program

From Losing Seasons to National Titles
Reflecting on her early years at South Carolina, Staley acknowledges the importance of initial setbacks in shaping a successful program.

Dawn Staley [06:59]: "I think it takes losing sometimes... to see what you need to work for, to see the type of talent that you need to bring in."

Despite initial struggles, Staley's strategic vision and emphasis on culture and chemistry led the Gamecocks to three national championships, solidifying her legacy in women's basketball.

Handling Loss and Growth

Embracing the Role of a 'Sore Loser'
Staley candidly discusses her identity as a "sore loser," particularly in the context of the recent national championship loss to UConn.

Dawn Staley [07:57]: "I don't just thank God for the wins. I thank God for the losses, because the losses are the ones that really drive me."

This perspective underscores her resilience and commitment to continuous improvement, turning defeats into motivational fuel for future successes.

Looking Ahead

Future Goals and Mentorship
As Staley reflects on her 17 seasons with the Gamecocks, she emphasizes her role as a mentor and dream merchant for the next generation.

Dawn Staley [08:48]: "I'm here to give them everything that I have to make sure their success comes a lot sooner than my success."

Her focus remains on empowering her players, ensuring that they achieve their dreams both on and off the court.

---

Conclusion

Dawn Staley's memoir and the accompanying podcast episode offer a profound glimpse into the life of a trailblazing coach who has not only achieved remarkable success in women's basketball but has also become a symbol of resilience, equality, and mentorship. Her story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact one individual can have on their community and beyond.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. A couple months ago in women's college basketball, the University of South Carolina GameCocks lost to UConn in the national championship game. It was a pretty brutal loss, the kind where the TV broadcast was showing the winning team celebrating courtside well before the game was even over. Don Staley, the gold medal winning Olympian and former WNBA player, is the head coach of the Gamecocks. She's got a new memoir titled Uncommon, all about her life and her career in basketball. And in it, she calls herself a sore loser. I feel like you kind of have to be to compete at this level. And it's not as if this championship loss didn't hurt. But as she tells NPR's Wonder Summers, she does have to respect UConn for being the more dominant team. She talks more about it up ahead.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message comes from Capital One. You your business requires commercial banking solutions that prioritize your long term success with Capital One. Get a full suite of financial products and services tailored to meet your needs today and goals for tomorrow. Learn [e-mail] Commercial Member FDIC this message comes from Progressive Insurance and the name your price tool. It helps you find car insurance options in your budget. Try it [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. This message is from Synchrony bank, who wants to remind you to stay flexible, not the yoga bending circus performing kind of flexible, financially flexible, like with their high yield savings account. Stay [e-mail] NPR Member FDIC Today people.

[Wonder Summers]

Know Dawn Staley as a resident of South Carolina. In fact, there's now a new statue of her in Columbia, where she's coached the University of South Carolina women's basketball team to three three national championships following her own hall of Fame career as a player. But if you ask her, she'd tell you she's from Philadelphia.

[Dawn Staley]

I grew up in the projects, and if you weren't from my neighborhood, you would probably think it's probably the worst place to raise children. Whereas if you were from the neighborhood, you felt like you needed and wanted nothing.

[Wonder Summers]

She says that the community at what's now known as the Raymond Rosen Manor created as nurturing an environment as anywhere and including some tough love.

[Dawn Staley]

If you were outside of your household and an adult in the neighborhood saw you do something that was not appropriate, they had the honor and privilege to put us back in line as a college basketball coach.

[Wonder Summers]

Dawn Staley is now often the adult figure in the room. She's written a new memoir called Uncommon Basketball North Philly. My Mother and the Life Lessons I Learned from all three. She's doing interviews about it on top of the other media responsibilities that come with her job. But she says she grew up an introvert.

[Dawn Staley]

When you are the youngest of five and it was seven us living in a, you know, three bedroom row home, you were me. I was the lowest on the totem pole. Like, I. I couldn't say anything. Even if I did have a voice, I don't even think it would have been heard. So quite naturally, I was quiet and I observed a lot. And I think it's helped me out throughout my career, from just growing up in a project to now where talking is a big part of my job. And now I found myself over talking, and that's a weird dynamic to me.

[Wonder Summers]

You joined South Carolina as head coach back in 2008. And I know that your mother grew up in the state of South Carolina in the 1940s and the 50s, when things certainly looked a whole lot different than they do now. I just wonder, could you have ever imagined that you would have ended up putting down roots, making a life and a career in that state?

[Dawn Staley]

I could not. Like, my mother left this state. She went to a butchery to get some meat. You know, the butcher was giving her meat that seemed to be spoiled, and my mother asked him if he could go to the back and get some so fresh meat. And the butcher was like, you're going to take this meat, and that's all you're going to get. So my mother, even at 13, 14 years old, she said, I'm not taking that home. And the butcher said, get out of my store. Never come back in here. And back in that time, those were threatening words to black people that meant that you need to get out of town. So my grandmother packed my mother up, sent her up north. I mean, she spent over 50 years in Philly. And then I bring her this professional move of my taking the job at the University of South Carolina. And at first, my mother didn't want to go. I don't know if it was just because of what forced her to go to Philly, but all her siblings were still here in South Carolina. So she ended up coming down. You know, my mother passed away in 2017. And the nine years that she was able to. To spend here in South Carolina with her siblings, our family, it could have happened a better way.

[Wonder Summers]

Switching gears a bit here in the book, you Chronicle in significant detail the push that you made to be paid equally to South Carolina's men's basketball coach. And that's a victory that makes you, as you write, the highest paid black female coach ever. I just want to hear from you, in your words, how significant is that to you and why is that push so important to talk so openly about?

[Dawn Staley]

Well, the push is important not necessarily for me in my bank account, because prior to me asking for equal pay, I was making a whole lot of money. So I was pretty comfortable with was the sole principle of the success that I've had here at South Carolina versus my male counterpart. And there was a series of things that I did to ensure that it would take place. One of them was asking my. My agent that I still have. I asked him to stand down just for this negotiation process, right. Of. Of asking for equal pay. And I hired a lawyer so he believed in it. It took six months to get it, but it was a fight worth fighting. Not just for me, just for the next coach. So, you know, if I can be a beacon of hope for other women in different professions, I'd like to be that.

[Wonder Summers]

I do want to ask you about some of what has happened on the court. People may not remember that when you got to South Carolina, success did not come instantly. The first two seasons were losing seasons. How does one go about building a championship caliber program essentially from scratch?

[Dawn Staley]

I think it takes losing sometimes. I do think it takes you being, and I wouldn't necessarily say humbled, but it takes you sometimes to lose, to see where you are, to see what you need to work for, to see the type of talent that you need to bring in. You need culture, you need chemistry, you need all those things that really take time. Although I thought it was professional suicide during those times, in my first two or three years here in South Carolina now as I reflect on it, it was exactly what I needed when I needed it.

[Wonder Summers]

In the book, you talk about yourself as being a sore loser to this day, but you write that you can handle loss better today because you can identify why you lost. And I know that you and your team recently suffered a big loss in the NCAA championship game. I'm not going to ask you to relive that game, but big picture, what did that loss teach you?

[Dawn Staley]

You know, here's the thing. I think when you've won national championships, like we've been part of three that we've won, you know, when you. You're the more dominant team, to be quite honest, the way that UConn was playing. They were the most dominant team and they displayed that throughout the entire tournament. So to lose the UConn in that fashion, obviously it hurt. But then you understand and you see everything that has happened in my life, whether it's winning or losing, are things and experiences that are supposed to happen. So I don't just thank God for the wins. I thank God for the losses, because the losses are the ones that really drive me.

[Wonder Summers]

You've now led the team at South Carolina for 17 seasons, those three national championships. What does the future hold for you?

[Dawn Staley]

You know, everything that I'm doing at this point in my career, in my life, is being a dream merchant for young people. I'm all into our team success because that means our players, my players, are able to fulfill lifelong dreams like I had. And because I've been a part of multiple national championships and multiple gold medal games, I'm able to help them. I'm here to give them everything that I have to make sure their success comes a lot sooner than my success.

[Wonder Summers]

We've been talking with Coach Dawn Staley of the University of South Carolina. Her memoir is Uncommon Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from all three. Coach Staley, thank you so much.

[Dawn Staley]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Wonder Summers]

This message comes From NPR Sponsor 1Password Secure access to your online world, from emails to banking, so you can protect what matters most with 1Password for a free 2 week trial, go to 1Password.com.

[NPR Sponsor]

NPR this message comes from Bombas. Nearly 30% of marathoners end their race blistered. Bombas running socks are strategically cushioned to help. Say bye to blisters. Run to bombas.com NPR and use code NPR for 20% off your first purchase. This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees and free perks, Mint Mobile might be right for you with plans starting from 15 bucks a month. Shop plans [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5GB plan required. New customer offer for first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for detail details.