CLEVELAND — For the fourth time in her career, Dawn Staley was named the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year as presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
This is the third consecutive year Staley's Final Four intinerary includes accepting the Naismith Coach of the Year trophy. Staley is now the first men’s or women’s coach to pick up the award in three consecutive seasons.
Staley admits this has been a surprising Final Four run as she had to replace all five starters from last year's Final Four team. With five new faces in the starting lineup, Carolina was not expected to win the SEC regular season title nor take a 36-0 record into the first weekend of April. But that is what has transpired along with an SEC Tournament championship and when a team exceeds expectations at this level, national awards will be forthcoming and that is the case with Staley who earned the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
Gamecock senior center Kamilla Cordoso received a national award on Wednesday, joining Staley in the news cycle. Cordoso was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.