South Carolina’s legendary coach Daybreak Staley doesn’t assume the NBA is able to see a lady main a workforce from the sidelines.
The Corridor of Famer interviewed for the New York Knicks’ head teaching job earlier this offseason, however she doesn’t imagine the league is actually ready at hand the reins to a feminine head coach.
“No, I don’t [believe it will happen in my lifetime],” Staley mentioned Tuesday, by way of ESPN’s Myron Medcalf.. “And I hope I’m mistaken.”
The Knicks had parted methods with Tom Thibodeau and in the end employed Mike Brown, Staley wasn’t among the many closing candidates.
Whereas she’s extensively considered probably the most completed coaches within the sport, Staley made it clear that any lady breaking into the NBA will face heavy scrutiny.
“If the Knicks have a five-game dropping streak, it’s not going to be concerning the dropping streak,” she mentioned. “It’s going to be about being a feminine coach. So that you, as a corporation, a franchise, you must be ready for and robust sufficient to disregard these sorts of situations while you’re going to look to rent a feminine coach.”
She added, “If there’s any individual that’s fascinated with understanding and fascinated with being the primary feminine NBA coach, I’ve acquired all the knowledge,” Staley mentioned. “Come see me, as a result of I’ll get you ready for the interview. And if there are NBA franchises which can be fascinated with hiring a feminine, I’m right here, too, since you’ve acquired to be able to take that on and all of the issues that it comes with.”
The 54-year-old has been the top coach at South Carolina since 2008, reworking this system right into a nationwide powerhouse.
Underneath her management, the Gamecocks have captured 9 SEC titles, seven Ultimate 4 appearances, and three NCAA championships, together with their most up-to-date crown in 2024.
Staley signed a contract extension earlier this 12 months price roughly $25.5 million via 2030, making her the highest-paid coach in ladies’s faculty basketball.
READ MORE: LeBron James & Steve Nash Endorse Dennis Schroder for Corridor of Fame
