BREAKING: South Carolina Coach Shares Strong Dawn Staley Statement, The Gamecocks defeated Tennessee Tech, Indiana, Maryland, Duke and Texas en route to a championship matchup against the UConn Huskies. While South Carolina suffered a loss to UConn in the national championship, five wins in the NCAA Tournament marked another successful season under Staley.

Dawn Staley has transformed the South Carolina Gamecocks into a dominant force in college basketball.

She recently guided the team to the national championship game, defeating Tennessee Tech, Indiana, Maryland, Duke, and Texas along the way. Although the Gamecocks ultimately fell to UConn in the title match, their five NCAA Tournament victories highlighted yet another impressive season under Staley’s leadership.

Following the season, as Staley and her staff began preparing for another title run, the head coach celebrated her 55th birthday.

In honor of the occasion, South Carolina associate head coach Lisa Boyer shared a heartfelt message, calling Staley an “incredible human being” and “ONE OF ONE.”

“It’s time to wish our best girl @dawnstaley a VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!” Boyer wrote on X. “Many know her as ‘Coach,’ but she is an incredible human being. ONE OF ONE!!! Love me some Dawnnie 🙂 🙂 Enjoy your day my friend.”

Lisa Boyer has been a key member of the South Carolina Gamecocks’ coaching staff since 2008. She began as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2010, a role she has held through the present season. Before teaming up with Dawn Staley at South Carolina, Boyer brought extensive experience from stints at Virginia Tech, Davidson, Miami, East Carolina, and several other collegiate programs.

Dawn Staley also joined South Carolina in 2008 and has since built one of the most successful programs in women’s college basketball history. Under her leadership, the Gamecocks have captured three national championships, reached seven Final Fours, and claimed nine SEC regular-season and nine SEC Tournament titles.