Athletes - Dawn Staley

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	Athletes - Dawn Staley

Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an US-American basketball player and coach. Staley is a three-time Olympian and was elected to carry the Stars and Stripes at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Personal

Staley founded the Dawn Staley Foundation in 2000, to support inner-city children in Philadelphia.

High school years

After being named the national high school player of the year during her final season at Dobbins Tech High School in Philadelphia

College years

Staley attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. During her four seasons in college, she led her team to four NCAA Tournaments and three Final Fours and one National Championship game. She was named the national player of the year in 1991 and 1992. Staley finished her college playing career with 2,135 points and holds the NCAA record for career steals with 454.

ABL career

In 1996, she joined the Richmond Rage of the American Basketball League (ABL) and led the team to the ABL finals in 1997. The following season, the team moved to Staley's hometown of Philadelphia.

WNBA career

In the 1999 WNBA Draft, Staley was selected with the ninth overall pick by the Charlotte Sting. In 2001, she led the Sting to the Championship game of the WNBA playoffs.

On August 1, 2005, Staley was traded to the Houston Comets.

International career

After graduation Staley played professional basketball in France, Italy, Brazil, and Spain before joining the WNBA.

Staley repeatedly played for team USA throughout her career. In 1994 she competed in the World Championships and was named the USA basketball Female Athlete of the Year. She led the 1996 team to an undefeated record of 60-0 and the gold medal at the Olympic games in Atlanta. She was also a member of the 2000 Olympic team that defended the gold medal.

She won a third gold medal with Team USA at the 2004 Games in Athens. Her Olympic performance lead to her being named 2004 USA Basketball Female Athlete Of The Year at the end of the year. Before the Games, she was selected to carry the flag of the United States during the parade of nations at the opening ceremony.

Coaching career

After the 1999 college basketball season, Temple University named Staley the head coach of its women's basketball program. In her first season, the team advanced to the WNIT. In 2001, 2002, and 2004, her teams won the Atlantic 10 tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The 2004-2005 season proved to be her best though, as her Owls went 28-4 on the year, including a perfect 19-0 against Atlantic 10 opponets. As a result of the streak, Coach Staley led the Owls to a 25 game winning streak, longest at that date in the nation (Men's Or Women's) before being ousted in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Rutgers. In the midst of the run, Coach Staley reached the 100th win plateau in the A-10 Semifinals vs Xavier, becoming the fastest coach in women's basketball to achieve that.

Vital statistics

Position: Guard
Height: 5 ft. 6 in. / 1.68m
College: University of Virginia
Team(s): Houston Comets (WNBA)

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Dawn Staley ]

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