South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley has been selected as one of 15 coaches on the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Watch List Presented by AXIA Time, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
Staley stands alone as the only coach to capture the prestigious award in three consecutive seasons and has earned the honor four times over the past six years—a testament to her sustained excellence at the highest level of women’s college basketball.
Rebuilding on the Fly
This season presented Staley with one of her most significant coaching challenges. The Gamecocks entered 2025-26 with only one returning starter and two high-volume reserves following a wave of graduations and injuries that gutted the roster from the team that reached the 2025 NCAA Championship game.
Faced with replacing more than 60 percent of her scoring, Staley turned to the transfer portal and landed two major pieces: the 2025 NCAA leading scorer and a top SEC center. She complemented those additions with a pair of top-15 freshmen, constructing an entirely new roster blueprint.
Despite the massive roster overhaul, expectations remained sky-high in Columbia. Staley has not disappointed. She adapted her tactical approach to fit her new personnel while guiding players through the inevitable growing pains that come with expanded roles and new responsibilities.
Elite Performance Amid Transition
The retooled Gamecocks currently sit at No. 3 in both major polls and remain firmly in the conversation for a fourth national championship under Staley. South Carolina has collected seven victories over ranked opponents, including four against top-10 teams—a remarkable achievement for a team integrating so many new pieces.
Offensively, the Gamecocks rank third nationally in points per game at 87.8 and third in field goal percentage at 38.3 percent. On the defensive end—where Staley-coached teams have always hung their hats—South Carolina ranks 18th in scoring defense (56.3 points allowed), second in field goal percentage defense (33.6 percent), and fifth in blocks per game (6.2).
The numbers reveal a team that has seamlessly blended new talent with Staley’s championship culture, maintaining elite standards on both ends of the floor despite extensive personnel changes.
Challenging Week Ahead
South Carolina faces a demanding stretch this week with two ranked road opponents. The Gamecocks travel to face Alabama on Thursday, February 19, with an 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff on SEC Network. Then on Sunday, February 22, Ole Miss visits Colonial Life Arena for a noon showdown on ESPN. College GameDay will broadcast live from Columbia beginning at 11 a.m., adding to the marquee atmosphere.
Watch List Field
Staley shares the Naismith Coach of the Year watch list with an impressive collection of coaching talent:
Geno Auriemma (UConn), Jennie Baranczyk (Oklahoma), Kim Barnes-Arico (Michigan), Carla Berube (Princeton), Cori Close (UCLA), Krista Gerlich (Texas Tech), Jan Jensen (Iowa), Kara Lawson (Duke), Kevin McGuff (Ohio State), Kim Mulkey (LSU), Shea Ralph (Vanderbilt), Tammi Reiss (Rhode Island), Vic Schaefer (Texas), and Jeff Walz (Louisville).
The semifinalists will be announced in the coming weeks, with the winner receiving the award at a later ceremony. Given Staley’s track record of excellence and her masterful rebuild this season, she remains a strong contender to add another Naismith trophy to her already crowded mantle.
