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In leading South Carolina women's basketball to the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament national championship game, coach Dawn Staley has joined an elite group of coaches.
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (36-3) defeated No. 1 overall seed UConn (38-1) by a score of 62-48 in the Final Four at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 3.
The win made Staley the fourth coach ever to steer her team to the national championship game three seasons in a row.
South Carolina will face No. 1 seed UCLA (35-1) or No. 1 seed Texas (35-3) in the title game on April 5 (3:30 p.m. ET). The Gamecocks are aiming for the fourth championship in program history.
The other three coaches to lead their teams to three consecutive title games are Joe Ciampi, Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma.
Ciampi became the first to do it when he led Auburn to the national championship from 1988-90. However, the Tigers lost each year they played for a title. In 1988, they lost to Louisiana Tech, in 1989 they lost to Tennessee, and in 1990 they lost to Stanford.
Summitt accomplished the difficult feat eight years after Ciampi did. She led Tennessee to the title game from 1995-98, extending the streak record to four years.
Summitt managed to come away with a championship win during this stretch. The Lady Vols lost to UConn in 1995, and then won the title three straight years from 1996-98. The runner-ups were Georgia Southeastern (1996), Old Dominion (1997) and Louisiana Tech (1998).
Summitt finished with eight titles at Tennessee.
Auriemma is the first coach to take his team to three consecutive title games more than once. He first did it in the early 2000s, coaching UConn to the championship game from 2002-04, winning each time, first over Oklahoma in 2002 then over Summitt's Lady Vols in 2003 and 2004.
Auriemma then tied Summitt's streak 12 years later. He took the Huskies to the national championship game from 2013-2016. UConn won four consecutive titles, defeating Louisville, Notre Dame in back-to-back years, and finally Syracuse.
Auriemma has a record 12 titles at UConn.
Ciampi (2005), Summitt (1999) and Auriemma (2006) all were inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Staley was also inducted in 2012.
Summitt (2000), Auriemma (2006) and Staley (2013) are also Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley fourth coach to make 3 straight NCAA title games
Continue reading...
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (36-3) defeated No. 1 overall seed UConn (38-1) by a score of 62-48 in the Final Four at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 3.
The win made Staley the fourth coach ever to steer her team to the national championship game three seasons in a row.
South Carolina will face No. 1 seed UCLA (35-1) or No. 1 seed Texas (35-3) in the title game on April 5 (3:30 p.m. ET). The Gamecocks are aiming for the fourth championship in program history.
The other three coaches to lead their teams to three consecutive title games are Joe Ciampi, Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma.
Ciampi became the first to do it when he led Auburn to the national championship from 1988-90. However, the Tigers lost each year they played for a title. In 1988, they lost to Louisiana Tech, in 1989 they lost to Tennessee, and in 1990 they lost to Stanford.
Summitt accomplished the difficult feat eight years after Ciampi did. She led Tennessee to the title game from 1995-98, extending the streak record to four years.
Summitt managed to come away with a championship win during this stretch. The Lady Vols lost to UConn in 1995, and then won the title three straight years from 1996-98. The runner-ups were Georgia Southeastern (1996), Old Dominion (1997) and Louisiana Tech (1998).
Summitt finished with eight titles at Tennessee.
Auriemma is the first coach to take his team to three consecutive title games more than once. He first did it in the early 2000s, coaching UConn to the championship game from 2002-04, winning each time, first over Oklahoma in 2002 then over Summitt's Lady Vols in 2003 and 2004.
Auriemma then tied Summitt's streak 12 years later. He took the Huskies to the national championship game from 2013-2016. UConn won four consecutive titles, defeating Louisville, Notre Dame in back-to-back years, and finally Syracuse.
Auriemma has a record 12 titles at UConn.
Ciampi (2005), Summitt (1999) and Auriemma (2006) all were inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Staley was also inducted in 2012.
Summitt (2000), Auriemma (2006) and Staley (2013) are also Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers.
Where Dawn Staley ranks among coaches with most NCAA women's basketball championships
- Geno Auriemma, UConn (12)
- Pat Summitt, Tennessee (8)
- Kim Mulkey, Baylor and LSU (4)
- Dawn Staley, South Carolina (3)
- Tara VanDerveer, Stanford (3)
- Linda Sharp, Southern Cal (2)
- Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame (2)
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley fourth coach to make 3 straight NCAA title games
Continue reading...
