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Even in times like this, there can be positives in sports. There are teams and individuals that stand out. One of those individuals is South Carolina Gamecocks Women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley. Earlier this month she won coach of the year. The Lady Gamecocks went 32-1 in the 2019-20 season. What makes Staley different is she made history by becoming the first person in both men’s and women’s basketball to win Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. Staley won player of the year twice in 1991 and 1992 at the University of Virginia. This a great moment in sports no matter what race or sexuality of the person. To me, this is a great moment as a writer and podcaster to share moments like this. This should be an inspiration to everyone out there. Let’s take a look at how Dawn Staley made history.
Dawn Staley, of course, came out and said that she could not have won the coach of the year with great players, assistants’ coaches, and support staff. Staley said this award also goes to them as well. The Lady Gamecocks finished the season ranked number one in the country. We all know due to the coronavirus there were no men’s or women’s March Madness tournaments. So we don’t know if the Lady Gamecocks would have been crowned National Champions. Staley has been coaching at South Carolina for 12 seasons. She won a National Championship in 2017. The Lady Gamecocks have finished their seasons in the final four once, elite eight once, and the sweet sixteen four times. So as you can see Staley has been a winner at South Carolina no matter who plays or helps her coach. The future looks bright for Staley and the Lady Gamecocks.
Many people will look at this historical moment as a good thing and some bad. To me, this should be good no matter what. To me, as a person, we may need to stop judging people by race, sexuality, creed, or gender. There are some that don’t want a female or woman to break history. I am not sure why people have that mindset. On top of that, Staley is an African-American woman for another thing to complain about. Once again, that shouldn’t matter. To me it is great. Like I mentioned earlier, this should inspire everyone. No matter what background a person comes from. I have a good feeling this is not the last time we will see this happen. There are so many great college players that can go on to become great coaches. It if doesn’t happen again, then it happened to the right person.
This sportswriter wants to congratulate Dawn Staley on her making history. I am hoping that she and the Lady Gamecocks continue their success in the future. For everyone else that reads this, this should inspire you. Continue to do what you love to do. If you do that, look at what can happen. We can see another Dawn Staley in another sports or part of life. I know when I read she made history I wanted to share my opinion about how I felt about her and how happy I was.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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