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South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley named AP coach of the year

Staley’s top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks went 32-1 in the regular season.

In this Jan. 2, 2020, file photo, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley disputes a call during the second half of a basketball game against Kentucky.
In this Jan. 2, 2020, file photo, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley disputes a call during the second half of a basketball game against Kentucky.Read moreTracy Glantz / AP

South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley, coach of the top-ranked women’s basketball team in the country, was named national coach of the year by Associated Press voters.

Staley’s Gamecocks went 32-1 in the regular season, beating eight teams ranked in the top 25 of the RPI computer rankings. The former North Philadelphia native and former Temple head coach has a winning percentage of .726 in the Southeastern Conference, second only to the late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

Staley also is the U.S. Olympic coach, after serving as an assistant under Geno Auriemma at the last two Olympics.

Staley said in a phone interview last week that it was tough to have this particular season stop short of the NCAA tournament.

"You don’t get this close very often,'' said the coach of the 2017 NCAA champions.