South Carolina unveiled a statue of women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley in downtown Columbia on Wednesday.
And from a distance, it looks fine?
The likeness is of Staley holding a championship net while standing on a ladder. It includes a baseball cap with a brim that conceals her face from the sunlight. So it’s really hard to tell how accurate the likeness is without looking up close.
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But Staley seems pleased with it, and that’s what really matters. In a world where the Dwyane Wade statue exists, this will certainly do.
Here’s the moment the statue was revealed on Wednesday as a firetruck ladder lifted a University of South Carolina flag to unveil it.
Per The State, the statue stands at 14 feet tall, is made of bronze and weighs nearly 2,000 pounds.
Staley earned the statue thanks to turning South Carolina into a basketball power. She took over as head coach in 2008 and his since developed the program into arguably the best in women’s college basketball. The Gamecocks have made 14 straight NCAA tournaments under Staley, a span that includes seven Final Fours, four trips to the national championship game and three national championships.
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The Gamecocks are coming off their fifth straight Final Four and their third trip to the title game in four seasons. South Carolina is 475-110 with Staley as head coach.
Staley joins South Carolina legend and three-time WNBA MVP with a statue in Columbia. Staley used her time in the spotlight on Wednesday to applaud Wilson, who led the program to its first national title in 2017.
“This honor is an interesting one for me,” Staley said. “If I’m being completely honest, having a statue in my image was never a goal or even a thought.
“When conversations began, honoring A’ja Wilson with her statue — which is erected just a few blocks from where we stand today — I’ll admit, I wanted hers to be the only one, ever. I really did. And contrary to the belief of one of my coaching colleagues, her statue wasn’t in response to winning a national championship. It was in response to being a winner in life.”
Staley has built a powerhouse at South Carolina that attracts great talents like Wilson, Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso. At 54 years old, she’ll have plenty of time to further build on her legacy.
