Dawn Staley by Dawn Staley

[Wbbfan1]

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dawn-staley-south-carolina-coach/

 

[j66kicker]

Geez what a bunch of, shameless, self-aggrandizing recruiting pandering. "I am a great coach" by Dawn Staley has a bit of the GG "dynasty" ring to it.

 

[watanabe]

Well if you can't beat the best, just spout something totally insane.
Should we suggest she gets checked for Alzheimer’s?

 

[Bgillon]

This was a good read. I suspect Dawn had the SC media department craft this PR piece in conjunction with getting her thoughts and ideas. Time will tell how she does recruiting nationally. The one place where I disagree with her was when she said she gets a thought and then tells her players (without a filter). I suppose that is why the microphones have caught so many f... bombs. I believe you can have your players trust you, be effective, and still have a filter.

 

[Wink96]

She was a great player and be a really good coach.Give the Devil it's
due.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Geez what a bunch of, shameless, self-aggrandizing recruiting pandering. "I am a great coach" by Dawn Staley has a bit of the GG "dynasty" ring to it.

I guess it is where you came from as to how you read Staley's "story". I'm not much of a Dawn supporter or follower--I'm not much into speaking to kids/college women with 4 letter words--yes naive is my middle name. I was naive when after years in Conn industry I entered the Federal employment program. One Female Administrator said it properly In Boston your enemies stab you in the back, in DC your friends stab you in the chest. So to survive you close your arms across your chest and let NO ONE in. If you are up for promotion you keep it quiet. So when I open up, some times on the Boneyard --it's difficult, unfamiliar. Dawn having lived in the tough neighborhoods and competed against those that have she learned early to survive. I didn't really care much for Dawn--but this makes me more compassionate. USC HAS had good to great success under her leadership--we can give her that. She wants to compete, play and beat the leader of WBB and to learn USA BB from Geno--this is honoring the success and abilities of the UConn program. Self serving, maybe, but for people like Dawn and me to be that open--it offers respect to those to whom we are open. Intelligence isn't about being stubborn, or dogmatic, or unbending--really intelligent people are open to changes and new ideas. Can you believe Einstein achieved what he did with a closed mind???

 

[BroadwayVa]

Geez what a bunch of, shameless, self-aggrandizing recruiting pandering. "I am a great coach" by Dawn Staley has a bit of the GG "dynasty" ring to it.

When you come from where Dawn started you HAVE to be a bit over the top to be noticed. She's said it "I'm a great coach!". I'm sure everyone she recruits believes it--yes time will tell, but n the mean time she and her team believes it. She didn't grow up in Bristol,or Waterbury or Cheshire she grew up in a less staid environment--where you announced your greatness (even if it were not true).

 

[calpedaler]

 

[CocoHusky]

Love Dawn. Philly wholesome! "I helped lead my teams to league championships, national championships, gold medals"
National Championships?

 

[AnotherVolFan]

She made it to the national championship game as a player.

 

[j66kicker]

When you come from where Dawn started you HAVE to be a bit over the top to be noticed. She's said it "I'm a great coach!". I'm sure everyone she recruits believes it--yes time will tell, but n the mean time she and her team believes it. She didn't grow up in Bristol,or Waterbury or Cheshire she grew up in a less staid environment--where you announced your greatness (even if it were not true).

It's off-putting to me. If it's true, other people will say it. And if you're going to say it yourself (because of where you grew up - ??), at least win something first.

It would be hard to argue that Geno isn't a great coach. And even his greatest admirers commonly acknowledge that he is arrogant. But even arrogant Geno doesn't announce himself that he's a great coach.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I strongly prefer what Maya wrote!

Last night, LeBron said he had confidence that the Cavs would win the next 2 games, because "I'm the best player in the world." I just can't imagine Jordan saying it that way.

I sense a lack of humility.

 

[j66kicker]

I strongly prefer what Maya wrote!

Last night, LeBron said he had confidence that the Cavs would win the next 2 games, because "I'm the best player in the world." I just can't imagine Jordan saying it that way.

I sense a lack of humility.

I didn't think he had to say that. But at least he IS the best in the world. If it's OK for Dawn to say she's a great coach, at least she ought to demonstrate some coaching greatness first.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I didn't see anything wrong with the article. Dawn never said she was "the greatest coach", she said she was a great coach and I believe she is. IMO, Dawn and her staff are great at player development. Their players improve from year to year and that is a mark of a great coach. I'm not 100% always in agreement with her strategies, but nobody can say she isn't a superb developer of talent. She didn't have anywhere near the talent level of other teams in the Final Four this year. If you go by recruiting rankings, most of her talent was in the freshman class.

 

[intlzncster]

The one place where I disagree with her was when she said she gets a thought and then tells her players (without a filter). I suppose that is why the microphones have caught so many f... bombs. I believe you can have your players trust you, be effective, and still have a filter.

Sounds exactly like Geno. Probably has less of a filter than Dawn. And yes, he drops bomb.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Sounds exactly like Geno. Probably has less of a filter than Dawn. And yes, he drops bomb.

In fact, with some minor and inconsequential changes in particulars, had Geno written these very words earlier in his career he would have been roundly applauded for it by virtually every poster on this board, including the OP.

 

[j66kicker]

In fact, with some minor and inconsequential changes in particulars, had Geno written these very words earlier in his career he would have been roundly applauded for it by virtually every poster on this board, including the OP.

Maybe/maybe not. Not sure if not having been a championship player, which would thereby have allowed him to "connect" with his players, is an "inconsequential change in particulars". But that's academic. What we do know for sure is that he didn't publish something like this.

 

[Harry Mangurian]

"I'm a great coach."
vs
"We win because we have great players."

 

[Bigpetunia]

Maybe/maybe not. Not sure if not having been a championship player, which would thereby have allowed him to "connect" with his players, is an "inconsequential change in particulars". But that's academic. What we do know for sure is that he didn't publish something like this.

OK, point taken, though as others have suggested, the piece was probably the product of some publicist's pen more than really from Dawn. But that, too, is academic....she no doubt approved it. I just think that we Boneyarders tend to be very quick to denigrate rival coaches and their public utterances when our own favorite coach, God love him, is about as brash as they come. To be fair, Dawn, who ain't never gonna be accused of being no shrinking violet, did take a dormant program and, pretty much single-handedly, put it prominently on the map. As a result, fan interest there is literally through the roof. WCBB needs much more of that, and we all, in my opinion, ought to err more on the side of giving credit where it's due, however reluctantly!

 

[Harry Mangurian]

brash not = braggart

 

[Kibitzer]

I recall vividly that when UConn played at USC-E (Kalana's homecoming game), Dawn (with Geno's OK) took her team to watch UConn practice -- to show them what it takes to excel.

Since then, she has stepped up her regional recruiting and assisted Geno with the Olympic team.

Next: cast a wider (geographical) recruiting net; dominate the SEC, and go for Final Four/NC game.

As befits a great coach.

 

[cabbie191]

I liked this article and I didn't find it overly arrogant. It's a good insight as to how she works with her players and as a fan, I appreciate it. I also appreciate being reminded that some of the players we see on the court have grown up in really tough situations that are hard for me to personally relate to having grown up in suburban Connecticut.

And that coaches can make a huge difference in players lives beyond the court. That is what I find interesting about Jim Calhoun. Ornery with a temper that I think has played a large role in keeping Connecticut from being invited into the ACC, yet a terrific mentor who turned their lives around for many of his players.

I don't know anything about the site where this was posted - anyone familiar with The Players' Tribune? Are these articles/contributions solicited by the website or do the contributors submit them on their own, or a combination? And if they are solicited, is someone helping the author ghost write the piece? As someone suggested, perhaps the SC athletic department or public affairs office helped craft it.

 

[UConnCat]

While Geno was interviewed on the ESPN set after the win over ND, Kevin Negandhi observed that Geno seemed uncomfortable with the comparisons to Wooden or even considering himself among the pantheon of great coaches. Geno said "where we come from (Philadelphia), if you're any good you don't have to say it, other people say it for you. The guys in our neighborhood who go around telling you how good they are don't last very long."

So, no, I don't think Geno would have ever penned a piece like this. That's not to say he didn't talk confidently in selling his program to recruits. It's just a difference in style.

Dawn's article is a recruiting puff-piece. The intended audience is recruits and their families and this is just another opportunity to sell herself and her program.

 

[Wbbfan1]

You're correct this is a recruiting puff piece, published just in time for the Big Summer Recruiting Effort that most programs have. Its also no coincidence that Bianca Cuevas was the player highlighted in the article. She's from the Bronx and Dawn is trying to recruit nationally. Come to South Carolina and we'll take care of you. This is an example of self-aggrandizing. Let others do it

While Geno was interviewed on the ESPN set after the win over ND, Kevin Negandhi observed that Geno seemed uncomfortable with the comparisons to Wooden or even considering himself among the pantheon of great coaches. Geno said "where we come from (Philadelphia), if you're any good you don't have to say it, other people say it for you. The guys in our neighborhood who go around telling you how good they are don't last very long."

So, no, I don't think Geno would have ever penned a piece like this. That's not to say he didn't talk confidently in selling his program to recruits. It's just a difference in style.

Dawn's article is a recruiting puff-piece. The intended audience is recruits and their families and this is just another opportunity to sell herself and her program.

 

[cabbie191]

While Geno was interviewed on the ESPN set after the win over ND, Kevin Negandhi observed that Geno seemed uncomfortable with the comparisons to Wooden or even considering himself among the pantheon of great coaches. Geno said "where we come from (Philadelphia), if you're any good you don't have to say it, other people say it for you. The guys in our neighborhood who go around telling you how good they are don't last very long."

So, no, I don't think Geno would have ever penned a piece like this. Dawn's article is a recruiting puff-piece. It's quite possible you are correct in this opinion regarding Geno but the women's basketball world is in a slightly different place now. When Geno was in the early years of his ascent, the national profile of women's basketball, small as it is today relative to other sports, was considerably smaller then it is now. Just by virtue of being able to challenge Tennessee for dominance, Connecticut was placed on center stage and for a few years, the most sought after recruits really had only two premier programs to choose from.

Fast forward to today - although Connecticut is clearly dominant during the recent past and looking forward to next year (and hopefully beyond!) , overall the number of very good programs has increased considerably - Tennessee, Stanford, Notre Dame, Maryland, Baylor and most recently South Carolina. Staley is competing for recruits against several schools so if this kind of article helps, more power to her. Recruiting is, after all, one of the two most critical components of her job.

The intended audience is recruits and their families and this is just another opportunity to sell herself and her program.