Inside the 2008 search that led to South Carolina hiring Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley will coach South Carolina this Friday in its sixth consecutive Final Four appearance when the Gamecocks take on No. 1 overall seed UConn in the national semifinals. It’s been nearly two decades since Staley left Temple to take the reins at South Carolina, a program that had no history of sustained success in women’s basketball prior to her arrival in 2008.

Over her tenure, Staley has transformed the Gamecocks into one of the iconic brands in the sport and put herself in the conversation on a hypothetical Mount Rushmore of women’s basketball coaches. Under the direction of Staley, South Carolina has won three national championships, appeared in eight Final Fours and has captured 10 SEC titles. WNBA stars like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston have come through her program and she’s made Columbia, South Carolina, a destination for the top high school recruits, transfer portal talent and women’s basketball fans.

"I was here when Dawn got the job. One concession stand, no line for the restroom. Certainly nobody lined up outside the building to come in, right?

No parking jams," ESPN's Debbie Antonelli told USA TODAY Sports. "Now, it's unbelievable. I wish I could take a lot of pictures while driving, because people are outside lined up to come in.