Dawn Staley reacts on the sidelines as Gamecocks face UCLA Bruins [Syndication: The Anderson Independent Mail – Source: Imagn]

Dawn Staley shared a story about her bond with her college head coach Debbie Ryan, something she described in her 2023 memoir as a “love-hate relationship”.

One of her primary philosophies, which led to her legendary coaching career, is that a player and coach need to share a bond that goes beyond the basketball court. As it turns out, she learned that the hard way.

When Dawn Staley almost got thrown out of college

Last year, Staley penned a heartfelt passage for the Rising Coaches blog. In the passage, she detailed how her relationship with Ryan developed over time. Recalling her days as a college player, she wrote about how Ryan saved her from getting thrown out of college.

“My first year of college, I had a really hard time academically and – I am not ashamed to say it – I almost got kicked out of UVA.”

Coach Debbie Ryan intervenes

Staley was asked to take a Spanish class over the summer or get kicked out of college in her first year. The issue was she was preparing to represent USA Basketball at a tournament in Spain over the summer. This USA team was coached by Debbie Ryan. However, Staley felt she didn’t have a relationship with her coach beyond the court. Nevertheless, Ryan intervened to come up with a solution for the problem.

“Again, we {Staley and Ryan} had an alright relationship, not a strong one. I was not talking to her about my problems or anything like that. It was your regular coach relationship…I was actually in Colorado Springs preparing to go to Spain when they called me about the grades coming out.”

“Debbie came up with a great idea that prevented me from getting kicked out. She suggested I should be allowed to skip summer school and go to Spain and use the journey to have my Spanish experience, which she felt was a better opportunity to really experience the culture than actually being in a four-walled classroom. That is when I knew Debbie had my back.”

How Ryan’s gesture changed Staley as a coach

Dawn Staley may have initially felt a coach’s relationship with the players is limited to the court. However, she later learned a coach’s responsibility towards players goes beyond the basketball court. She applied that philosophy to coaching WNBA-level talent like A’ja Wilson, even going as far as giving relationship advice.

Dawn Staley and A’ja Wilson celebrate NCAA championship win [NCAA Womens Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament-South Carolina vs Mississippi State – Source: Imagn]

Staley has turned South Carolina into an elite basketball program. Girls across the country want to play under Staley’s guidance. The incident from Staley’s playing days shows one of many ways she was transformed from being the awkward and shy kid on the team to the legendary coach she is today.