Long Before South Carolina: Dawn Staley Reflects on Her Journey in Uncommon Favor
Dawn Staley, the iconic leader of South Carolina women’s basketball, shared a deeply personal and revealing chapter of her journey in her new memoir, Uncommon Favor, released earlier this month. Long before she became synonymous with Gamecocks basketball and national championships, Staley had a chance to start her SEC legacy elsewhere — with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“Alabama came after me first in 2005,” Staley wrote. “I visited the campus. I liked the athletic director. But I couldn’t see myself living in Alabama.”
At the time, Staley was thriving as the head coach at Temple, having led the Owls to the first undefeated regular season in Atlantic 10 history. Despite six NCAA Tournament appearances and a growing reputation, she knew there was more out there — a bigger dream and a bigger platform.
That next step came in the form of an offer from South Carolina. The decision wasn’t just about basketball, it was about something deeper.
“I was drawn to the fact that USC was part of the SEC and its storied legacy in women’s basketball,” she explained. “Pat Summitt was in this league, Andy Landers, Melanie Balcomb—all these legendary coaches. I was looking to refine my skills, rise to compete with the best.”
But it wasn’t just the program that called to her. It was the emotional pull of family roots that solidified the move. Staley’s parents were originally from South Carolina, and returning to the state carried profound meaning — especially for her mother, Estelle.
In the book, Staley recounts how Estelle, at just 14, was forced to leave rural South Carolina due to the racism of the 1950s, sent to live with family in Philadelphia. Decades later, she would return — this time with her daughter at the helm of one of the nation’s premier basketball programs.
“That was rural South Carolina in the fifties,” Staley wrote. “Not far from where I live now. My grandma knew the threat that now loomed over her family like a rancid fog.”
Reflecting on how time brought healing and justice, Staley added:
“Time is a funny thing, isn’t it? That I find myself thriving in the very state that drove my mother into exile is an irony I never forget. That she was able to return… was a full-circle moment made possible by social progress… but also, in large part, by faith.”
With every step of her coaching journey and each championship trophy lifted, Dawn Staley’s legacy continues to be about more than just wins. It’s a testament to perseverance, purpose, and family — all grounded in the belief that sometimes, the right path finds you.
