Against the grain II

Staley sets public example of her faith

University of South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley once again made history with her accomplishments on the court. Her USC Gamecocks completed a perfect season at 38-0 with a resounding victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.  

Staley is no stranger to success.  In college, as a player, she was a standout for the Virginia Cavaliers. She was the ninth overall player selected in the 1999 WNBA Draft.  She went on to garner six WNBA All-Star nominations. She was also a member of the world champion gold medalists of Team USA in 1992.  As a point guard she was dominant and fearless.

As a coach, she has built the USC basketball program to tops in the country. Sunday she won her third national championship. This time would be different, as she would be the  No.1 team in the country wire-to-wire and capture the championship in an 87-75 win over the Hawkeyes.

As if the win wasn’t enough, it was quite a dramatic postgame. Staley, known to be stern and direct, was brought to tears with the excitement of the moment. Once she was able to stabilize her emotions, she utter words heard around the world.

“We serve an unbelievable God…uncommon favor…uncommon favor… uncommon favor,” Staley said, barely able to contain her excitement coupled with the blessings of God.

It is not uncommon for athletes and coaches to give a short honor to God, but this was different.  As veteran ESPN reporter Holly Rowe allowed her to proceed at her own pace, Staley wanted to emphasize that the interview would not continue without her being allowed to give props to her savior.  She again praised God at the podium before being handed the national championship trophy.

So many time and in so many forums, folks have been prohibited from doing such a tribute. On this day, it was clear that Staley’s beliefs were center stage. She explained her emotions as she proceeded in the interview.

Last season, USC bowed out of the tournament in the semifinal round to the same Iowa Hawkeyes. Staley took aim at the recruits that could help get the Gamecocks over the hump and earn her third national women’s basketball championship. Armed with freshman that she brought in to put the Gamecocks back in championship caliber, the team responded. It joined the elite and legendary few teams that had won the NCAA Women’s Division-I national championship while going undefeated. The last time it was accomplished was 2016.

The women’s basketball championship broke every viewership mark ever set.  The game featuring LSU and Iowa drew 12.6 million viewers.  The next week, superstar Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes drew over 13 million in their last-second win over the University of Connecticut Huskies.  This year’s tournament was truly the crowning achievement of women’s sports.

It is so refreshing that at the center of all this historic media coverage is a woman not afraid to reveal her faith to the world.  Staley is known for building a village with her players.  While she is prohibited from putting her beliefs on her team, nothing could keep her from telling the world about her God.  

“God is funny like that.  He’s funny,” she said. “He rips your heart out and he makes you believe.  He makes you believe the unimaginable…Jesus.”