The New York Knicks are searching for a new head coach. Following a hard-fought loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the franchise’s first in 25 years, the Knicks inexplicably fired head coach Tom Thibodeau. This after Thibs also led the team to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1990s.
With the NBA draft complete, Summer League slated to start to soon, and the pressure to make a serious run at an NBA championship next season, the Knicks are hoping to land a home-run hire. Names like Mike Brown (Kings) and Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), who were both fired in-season have been mentioned as likely front-runners for the job as of late. But late Saturday evening a surprising name entered the fray, and it’s none other than South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley.
Dawn Staley Hire Would Be Unprecedented
The very mention of Staley immediately moves the meter, and it’s not only because she’s one of the greatest coaches in women’s college basketball history. But also because she’d become the first ever woman to lead an NBA team as its head coach.
Hiring the three-time national championship-winning sideline stalker would also be a groundbreaking step for the league, which would promote diversity while also setting a precedent for future women coaches in the NBA. While some are skeptical of how Staley’s style coaching style could translate from women’s college basketball to the NBA, other fans were quick to approve of the move if it did indeed happen.
“I like this idea. Dawn Staley knows basketball and she don’t put up with any crap,” one user said.
Another said, “She would be a great pick.”
“I speak for EVERY Knicks fan when I say we should hire Dawn Staley.”
Staley Has Had Immense Success
A veteran coach of 25 years, Staley’s ascension really took off after taking over at South Carolina in 2008. Since then she’s done nothing but win and turn the Gamecocks into a powerhouse on par with UConn and Tennessee under the legendary Pat Summitt.
Staley has won three national championships at South Carolina, most recently doing so in 2024. USC has made seven Final Four appearances during her tenure, including five in a row, and won nine SEC tournaments. Overall the sleek dressing Staley has a 475-110 overall record in Columbia, including a 214-56 mark in conference play.
A basketball lifer who’s won at every level as a player and coach, to include gold medals, Staley could shatter the glass ceiling that Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon came close to breaking a couple years back when she was interviewed and became a finalist for the then vacant Portland Trail Blazers job.
