Columbia mayor names part of street after Dawn Staley

By AP
Published

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina national championship coach Dawn Staley will now have part of a downstreet named after her.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin announced the move Sunday during a parade to honor Staley's NCAA Tournament champions. Thousands were on hand to celebrate a week after the Gamecocks defeated Mississippi State 67-55 to win the program's first national title.

Benjamin says a block right near the Gamecocks home arena will be renamed ''Dawn Staley Way.''

Staley has been South Carolina's women's basketball coach for nine years. She won four straight Southeastern Conference regular-season titles and three consecutive SEC Tournament crowns before capturing the national title. She was recently named coach of the U.S. women's basketball national team expected to play in the 2020 Olympics.