There are three games remaining in the 2023-24 NCAA women’s basketball season – the Final Four and the NCAA Tournament national title game – but the Associated Press has already determined who their Coach of the Year is.
On Thursday, the AP Top 25 announced that South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has been voted AP Coach of the Year. It’s the second time she’s received the award (2020).
As of writing, Staley’s Gamecocks are 36-0 and have not tasted defeat since last year’s Final Four. Staley has the Gamecocks in the Final Four for the fourth straight year and has led her teams to at least the Sweet 16 in each of the last 10 tournaments. That 10-year run also includes two national titles.
Fans in the comments were thrilled to see her honored in that way:
“Awesome job by the @GamecockWBB team surprising coach with the news that @dawnstaley is the AP Coach of the Year,” AP writer Doug Feinberg wrote.
“Congratulations, Coach Staley!” wrote another.
“I love this team!!!” a third user replied.
Though in all of her years of coaching, Staley hasn’t been able to lead a team to an undefeated national championship. That would be a remarkable feat that even some of the greatest of all-time have struggled to achieve.
But Staley has at least two games against two very tough opponents before she can cut down the final nets. Her team played NC State tomorrow and if she can knock off the Wolfpack, a brutal game against either Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes or Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies.