COLUMBIA, S.C. � Dawn Staley has a passion for her past. But she's more excited about entering her fourth season as basketball coach at South Carolina.
Staley told The Associated Press the timing wasn't right to leave the Gamecocks when the chance to take over at Virginia, her alma, arose in March.
South Carolina "would've been hard place to leave," Staley said Thursday. "And it's an easy choice to stay because of the progress."
Staley has been on the run since the season ended, promoting the WNBA in Britain and searching for top prospects wherever she can. She's back on the road starting Thursday for 10 additional days of recruiting before returning to campus to prepare for the season.
Many didn't expect Staley to remain with the Gamecocks after longtime Cavaliers coach Debbie Ryan stepped down. Staley was an All-American point guard for Ryan, leading the team to three Final Fours. It was only a matter of time, many fans at Virginia and South Carolina felt, before Staley assumed control of her former college program.
Staley took a look and discovered she liked the view from her office at South Carolina better. Virginia settled on Cal's Joanne Boyle to replace Ryan.
"You do have to weigh it and maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the timing wasn't right," Staley said. "You do have to look at what we've accomplished here."
The Gamecocks finished 18-15 overall and 8-8 in the Southeastern Conference, both high-water marks in Staley's short tenure. They also won a game at the SEC tournament for the first time since 2007.
It looked like Staley would be starting over again in year three when 6-foot-5 Kelsey Bone, the SEC newcomer of the year in 2010, chose to transfer to Texas A&M. Then shortly after the season began, blue-chip recruit Kayla Brewer decided to leave for Texas.
But the smaller, depth-depleted team hung together and became a factor in the SEC at 7-5 in the league and a likely pick for the NCAA tournament. Things changed down the stretch as the team lost three of the last four in the regular season and the first-round SEC tournament win over Mississippi was not enough for an at-large berth.
South Carolina administrators held their breath as Staley thought about her future. She ultimately decided the progress she'd made in three seasons at South Carolina outweighed the bottom-up building job ahead at Virginia.
"The only pull going to Virginia was it was Virginia," Staley said. "The whole recruiting thing was a little bit scary."
When Staley announced she was staying, a flood of good feelings came her way. University President Harris Pastides and athletic director Eric Hyman called with congratulations. She'd be out shopping and fans would come up and thank her for remaining on board.
In April, Staley received a three-year contract extension through 2016 and a raise that brought her salary to $675,000 a year.
Next up? Getting South Carolina into the NCAA tournament.
Staley said her players developed chemistry and she toned down her screaming at practice because of the improved play. Staley said her staff no longer has to spend time teaching players how to compete in the SEC, and the team's top five scorers from last year are back. They still won't match up well height-wise in the SEC ? the Gamecocks' tallest player on the roster is 6-foot-1 senior Charanee Stephens ? but Staley sees more progress ahead this season.
And Staley hasn't lessened her goals.
"If we don't make the tournament with the roster that we have, it would be very, very disappointing," Staley said. "We have enough to make the tournament, do we have enough to make the sweet 16?"
South Carolina has reached the round of 16 just once in two NCAA appearances since joining the SEC in 1991-92.
The ultra-competitive Staley expected progress to come faster. However, she said she's handled the defections and hurdles well and is prepared for the next step forward.
"It has been a long journey that overall I've enjoyed," she said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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