{"id":151518,"date":"2025-09-24T09:10:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T13:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/?p=151518"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:48:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T15:48:30","slug":"dawn-staley-using-sc-schedule-to-elevate-hbcu-wbb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/2025\/09\/24\/dawn-staley-using-sc-schedule-to-elevate-hbcu-wbb\/","title":{"rendered":"Dawn Staley Using SC Schedule to Elevate HBCU WBB"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to shaping the future of women\u2019s basketball, Dawn Staley has never shied away from leading the charge<\/a>. The Hall of Famer and South Carolina head coach has built the Lady Gamecocks into a national powerhouse, but her influence stretches far beyond wins, titles, and trophies. For Staley, scheduling isn\u2019t just about competitive balance\u2014it\u2019s about creating opportunities<\/a>, especially for HBCU women\u2019s basketball programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScheduling is hard\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

This season, South Carolina\u2019s non-conference slate<\/a> features seven Power 5 matchups in 15 games, including clashes against Clemson, Duke, Louisville, and a potential showdown with UCLA or Texas. But Staley has made sure to carve out space for two games that mean just as much to her: matchups against North Carolina Central and Coppin State, two HBCU programs representing the MEAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScheduling is hard. People don\u2019t wanna play us,\u201d Staley admitted during a recent media session. \u201cEven having lost what we lost, it\u2019s really, really a hard thing. So instead of the big competitive games, we\u2019ve added some HBCUs. Just to lift up every aspect of our sport. Not every team will go and play an HBCU on their home court. And we feel like [it\u2019s a] great game, great competition, great coaching. And if we can give some notoriety to the HBCUs, then we\u2019ll do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lady Gamecocks will host North Carolina Central on December 7 before traveling to Baltimore on January 18 to face Coppin State. This will mark one of the rare times a national contender<\/a> visits an HBCU campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a game<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Coppin State already has a history with the Gamecocks. The Eagles faced South Carolina last season, reaching out themselves to schedule the matchup. Dawn Staley recalled that Coppin \u201cmoved some things around\u201d to make it happen, and in return, South Carolina promised a return trip to Baltimore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Coppin, those kinds of games are pivotal. Despite losing 92\u201360 to South Carolina last season, the Eagles finished with a strong 19\u201315 record and earned a spot in the WNIT, where they notched a win over Colgate before falling narrowly to Cleveland State. Playing programs like South Carolina boosts exposure and sharpens competition for MEAC teams chasing postseason runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dawn<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
A balancing act<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Critics might point to the Gamecocks\u2019 lighter non-conference slate compared to previous years\u2014nine Power 5 opponents in 2024-25, down to seven this season. But Staley has made it clear that this isn\u2019t about ducking competition. Last March, South Carolina was passed over for the No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed despite leading the nation with 16 Quad 1 wins. UCLA grabbed the top seed after beating the Gamecocks head-to-head in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staley\u2019s takeaway wasn\u2019t to overload her schedule but to balance it more intentionally. \u201cIf that\u2019s the standard, we can play any schedule and get the No. 1 seed,\u201d she said. \u201cWe manufactured a schedule that should\u2019ve produced it. If it didn\u2019t, then we need to rethink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That rethinking now includes investing in HBCUs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why it matters<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Big-time programs rarely travel to play HBCUs on their home courts. By doing so, South Carolina sends a clear message that visibility and respect for women\u2019s basketball programs at HBCUs matter. It\u2019s about lifting up the entire ecosystem of the sport, not just maintaining dominance at the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Dawn Staley, it\u2019s not charity\u2014it\u2019s competition and community. \u201cGreat game, great competition, great coaching,\u201d she said of her HBCU opponents. \u201cIf we can lift, because we play the game and give some notoriety to the HBCUs, then we\u2019ll do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a schedule that blends heavyweight showdowns and culturally significant matchups, Staley is once again proving that South Carolina women\u2019s basketball is bigger than basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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