Former WNBA great and current South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley won her program’s third national championship last Sunday.
Staley led the women’s basketball team to an impressive 109-3 record over the past three seasons, winning two titles during that time. The Shamcocks reached the Final Four last season, but lost to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Sunday’s highly anticipated matchup between South Carolina and Iowa drew record ratings. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian was one of the millions of viewers who watched Staley coach the Shamcocks to victory.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian watches the second quarter against the Washington Huskies during the CFP semifinal Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. do. (Chris Gracen/Getty Images)
The University of South Carolina is a longtime member of the Southeastern Conference, the same conference the Longhorns will join next season. Sarkisian appears to be taking inspiration from Staley’s success in the SEC and beyond.
“I watched both games, frankly, I watched both tournaments,” Sarkisian said. On3.com. “And I was like, which coach? [Dawn] Staley has obviously done something very impressive in terms of bringing together talent every year, but she definitely has her own culture and it’s stuck. That’s what she instills in them. ”
“This year, she put together a whole new team and won every match. And last year, we lost in the semifinals and couldn’t get it done,” Sarkisian continued. “She’s very impressed with what she’s accomplished so far.”
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley praises Caitlin Clark for ‘lifting our sport’, calls her ‘one of the goats’
Sarkisian said he is “working hard” to reach the same level of success that Staley achieved in Columbia, South Carolina.
The South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate amidst confetti after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament national championship at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 7, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. Dawn Staley. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Coach Sarkisian led Texas to an 11-1 regular season record, winning the Big 12 Conference title and qualifying for the College Football Playoff semifinals. However, Texas fell short in the end, losing to the Washington Huskies.
“We’re all always striving for that and we’re looking at a great team that will do that at a high level,” Sarkisian added. “I was lucky enough to be part of a great team in that era with Pete Carroll, so it’s not a one-off thing. To recreate that every year, you have to continually work on the things that are important to you. A year later. ”
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian during the Allstate Sugar Bowl playoff game between the Texas Longhorns and Washington Huskies at Caesars Superdome on Monday, January 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Watch the flow.
Sarkisian also complemented UW coach Dan Hurley, who won his second consecutive national title with the men’s team on Monday night.
“And I’m very impressed with what Coach Hurley has accomplished so far. I think he lost three or four NBA players from last year’s team.”
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Sarkisian praised Staley and Hurley’s respective “enthusiastic coaching” abilities.
“But one thing is very clear on both sides. I would say two things,” Sarkisian said. “First of all, they are coaching hard. They don’t have a second to spare. If you look at their interaction with the players, they are not coaching hard. But you can also feel the love from them, along with their players. ”
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